HP Envy 5640 milky prints

[WaltonR]

I'm wondering if anyone in here can throw some light on an issue I have with my so-called photo-printer please?
Firstly, I pay Adobe for their LR and Photoshop package so my software is always up to date. I have a 27" iMac with 5K screen running Mojave OS.
Secondly, my printer is an HP Envy 5640, which is supposed to be a good printer for photos and I've tried new ink cartridges during my trails and tribulations.
Here's the issue. Having edited my photos in LR or Photoshop I then commit them to print. However, what comes out of my printer is milky in appearance and off colour.
I've checked that the colour profiles are the same etc. and checked and unchecked all the different boxes to control the output but nothing fixes the issue.
I've tried different papers including those from HP that are supposed to be compatible.
I've even been onto the HP user forums and had advice from a couple of HP advisors but still to no avail.
Anybody else in here having these issues?
Any helpful suggestions would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks.

 

[Harlequin565]

"Milky" is a really strange way to describe what you're experiencing...

Is there any way you could share an image illustrating what you mean (esp if you can set a duff image next to a good one) so that we can be clear on what the issue is?

Is it every print?
Is it affecting both colour and B&W?
Are the inks (and have they always been) OEM (manufacturer as opposed to not)
Does it happen on gloss as well as matt paper?

 

[Mr Badger]

I've had milky/greyish looking prints years ago when trying non OEM papers and inks, but these days I always use OEM products for my photo printer.

Have you tried printing directly from your photo browser (if Macs have one?) rather than from Lightroom or Photoshop to see if that produces clearer looking prints, or from another computer? That might help narrow things down a bit.

 

[WaltonR]

"Milky" is a really strange way to describe what you're experiencing...

Is there any way you could share an image illustrating what you mean (esp if you can set a duff image next to a good one) so that we can be clear on what the issue is?

Is it every print?
Is it affecting both colour and B&W?
Are the inks (and have they always been) OEM (manufacturer as opposed to not)
Does it happen on gloss as well as matt paper?

Firstly, thanks for the quick reply.
I'm not in a position to provide an image right now. However, by "milky" I mean that the colours are dimmed down and looking greyish in hue. They are not bright and vibrant but look rather like you're looking at them through a thick fog?
As for your questions:
Yes it is every photo print, but not when I print something like coloured text etc from software like Word or Excel.
Yes it does affect B&W but not to the same degree. i.e. blacks are really dark grey, not black.
Only ever use OEM inks. Ruined an Epson printer years ago going the cheap alternative route and learned that lesson. The Envy is an instant ink printer and HP send me them via the post when I need them.
Yes it happens no matter what paper I use. I've got some HP Premium Glossy paper, some glossy paper that came in a pack of HP inks I brought from Staples before I had the instant ink printer. I also brought some premium matt paper for another project and tried it on that with the same results for photos.

 

[Harlequin565]

Yes it is every photo print, but not when I print something like coloured text etc from software like Word or Excel.

This is very suspect. If you can get good colour from software that's not PS or LR, then...

Have you tried printing directly from your photo browser

Would be my next suggestion. Or try printing from a different route (save the image as a pdf and print it from MS Word or similar for example)

If that gives you a good print, then it's likely to be something in LR or PS (or something shared).

 

[Box Brownie]

Is it by any chance what HP would refer to as "print quality"

As you mentioned OS is Mac I found this:-
Check the print settings for your print job in OS X v10.10 Yosemite, OS X v10.9 Mavericks, or OS X v10.8 Mountain Lion.

1. Open a document, click File, and then click Print.
   The Print window opens.
2. Select the Paper Type/Quality or Media & Quality menu.
3. Depending on your print job, you might consider modifying the following settings:
   • Paper type: If one of the options matches your paper type exactly, select that option.
   • Quality: If you are dissatisfied with the quality of your printouts, increase the print quality. To print more quickly, decrease the print quality.
   To save your settings for future print jobs, select Save in the Presets menu, and then name the new preset.

On this page:-
https://support.hp.com/sk-en/document/c04727119

I have made bold the relevant part as it seems to be describing the difference between "draft" and "high quality" printing especially as you say this:-
"However, by "milky" I mean that the colours are dimmed down and looking greyish in hue. They are not bright and vibrant but look rather like you're looking at them through a thick fog?
As for your questions:
Yes it is every photo print, but not when I print something like coloured text etc from software like Word or Excel.
Yes it does affect B&W but not to the same degree. i.e. blacks are really dark grey, not black. "

Again I have made bold the part I see as most relevant to my thought about Draft vs High Quality. NB I did note that you said you had tick & unticked all the boxes but the HP description sounds like a slider

In other words is it the amount of ink going down compared to the amount normally used for non photo 'documents'

Just a thought.................also I often read "do not double profile" i.e. make sure LR or PS is being obeyed by the printer driver and that the printer driver is not 'doing its own thing as well'

Hope you can get it sorted AOK