If Mac's are so much better than PC's, then why . . .

I am a relatively new Mac user. I love my Macbook Pro, but explain this:

I have a Canon Color Injet printer that produces beautiful, photo quality pictures on my PC, as long as you select "photo quality" in the print menu, and make sure you select the correct paper being used (glossy, matt, etct).
If you fail to make the correct selections, the photo will look really bad.

MY problem is, the print menu I get on my Macbook Pro does not provide options such as "photo quality" or type of paper being used, and the resulting printed images look like crap - just like they look on the PC if I don't select the right settings.
So, what am I missing on the Mac? Are these print options buried somewhere that I can't find? I've always been told Macs are so much better for graphics and printing, but as of now I have to revert back to my PC in order to print photographs.
Can someone explain this?

Next time you hit print, click on that little arrow to the right of where it lists your printer. Revel in the options to your heart's content. ;P

Kash said:

Next time you hit print, click on that little arrow to the right of where it lists your printer. Revel in the options to your heart's content. ;P

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I've done this. There are no options in the extended menu for photo quality printing. If I am mistaken, can you please tell me where to find it within the menu?

If there are no options it has to be the fault of the driver. What is the exact model of the Canon? Canon's usually work great with OSX. For sure it sounds like a driver issue. I will check into it as soon as you give me the model number.

See below

dtravis7 said:

If there are no options it has to be the fault of the driver. What is the exact model of the Canon? Canon's usually work great with OSX. For sure it sounds like a driver issue. I will check into it as soon as you give me the model number.

Click to expand...

Thanks!
Actually it's an Epson Stylus Photo R200

So the fact that these options exist within a Windows environment doesn't necessarly mean they exist within the Mac environment, and that's due to the drivers?
Would you say I am correct in my assumption that I cannot get good photo quality prints because there are no photo quality options?

You need to download/update the driver:

Epson Stylus Photo R200, Overview - Technical Support - Epson America, Inc.

Sorry but you did say Canon in the first post. I will check on the Epson. I have used one but it's been a while.

Yes drivers make or break a printer. Apple NOR Microsoft is responsible for the drivers. Its up to Epson. Are you sure you have the latest driver from Epson for OSX installed?

dtravis7 said:

Sorry but you did say Canon in the first post. I will check on the Epson. I have used one but it's been a while.

Yes drivers make or break a printer. Apple NOR Microsoft is responsible for the drivers. Its up to Epson. Are you sure you have the latest driver from Epson for OSX installed?

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This fixed it.
Thanks for the help

Very cool. Glad we could help.

whenever i print from my mac, its a beautiful beautiful thing

So are we all now in agreement that Mac's are so much better tha PC's?

sorry... subtle attempt at humor.

swick said:

So are we all now in agreement that Mac's are so much better tha PC's?

sorry... subtle attempt at humor.

Click to expand...

I am a Mac convert for sure, but Mac's are not as intuitive as Mac proponents claim they are.
I went to Macs for three reasons:
1. I wanted a particular music creation software.
2. I also liked the fact that they are almost virus proof
3. Vista

I believe Windows XP is a lot more intuitive. Mac defenders will say that's because I was already a Windows XP user, but I dont' believe it. I would bet anyone that two people with absolutely no computer experience could be up and running in XP faster than OSX.
A couple of small examples - windows allows you to stretch a window from any side. OSX windows only have one corner that controls this. In my printing problem described earlier in this tread - I didn't even have to look for the photo print options in Windows - they were just there. With OSX I had to look for them, and it wasn't that easy to find them. I could go on, but I believe the folks at MS finally got it right with XP. It's too bad they didn't build on that instead of trying to make Windows look more like OSX, which is what I think (in part) is what gave is Vista.
Disclaimer - I AM a Mac user now, and I have no regrets.

I don't agree with you at all, sorry.

I don't even know what you mean by intuitive and to back this up you come up with one example to backup your sweeping statement - a resize handle!

Have a look at this site to get to grips with what it takes to compare the two OS's:

Site Map - XvsXP.com, Mac OS X vs. Windows XP

And for Vista / Leopard:
Mac vs Windows Comparisons - MacvsWindows.com, Mac OS X Leopard vs. Windows Vista

As a 2 year convert to OS X, would definitely agree that I still miss being able to change a window size from any edge or corner of the window.

However, to claim that one OS works better with the driver installed than the other OS does without the driver installed, boggles the mind.

bobtomay said:

As a 2 year convert to OS X, would definitely agree that I still miss being able to change a window size from any edge or corner of the window.

However, to claim that one OS works better with the driver installed than the other OS does without the driver installed, boggles the mind.

Click to expand...

I just converted to Mac the day after Christmas. The window size thing doesn't bother me because once you set your window, for instance Safari, at a certain size it stays there every time you open it.

As a 2 year convert to OS X, would definitely agree that I still miss being able to change a window size from any edge or corner of the window.

Click to expand...

I used to miss that as well but you get used to it, honestly. And as the guy above me said, OSX is way better at remembering window sizes so once you set it up, you're good.

Yes, you do get use to it. But, if there were some 3rd party app out there that gave me that function, it'd be on my machine, no doubt.