printing gradients - blocks of color, not smooth

[jewels380]

I am using Freehand 10 on OSX and trying to print to a large-forma
Encad postscript printer (final print size: 48"x65"). I have
gradient background, going from a blue to white. When I print, I ge
large bands of color and the gradient isn't smooth. I have tried t
make a gradient in Photoshop and import it as a tiff, but the colo
changes completely. I have also tried printing the b/g out o
Illustrator with no success. Any suggestions? Thanks
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jewels38
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[Judy Arndt]

jewels380 wrote:

> I am using Freehand 10 on OSX and trying to print to a large-format
> Encad postscript printer (final print size: 48"x65"). I have a
> gradient background, going from a blue to white. When I print, I get
> large bands of color and the gradient isn't smooth.

It's not surprising that a gradient that long is banding. Does the printer
provide any enhanced screening options? Look in the print dialog under
Printer Features.

> I have tried to make a gradient in Photoshop and import it as a tiff, but the
> color changes completely. I have also tried printing the b/g out of
> Illustrator with no success. Any suggestions? Thanks.

A dithered raster image from Photoshop is probably the best way to go. Does
the printer use RGB or CMYK input? If you describe your working color space
and color management setup, then we might be able to help you prevent the
unexpected color shift.

Judy Arndt