Reference:Printing Best Practices

Printing Best Practices Overview

A brilliant InkJet print is dependant on a handful of variables

1. A printer you can trust. This will most likely be an Epson or HP professional/photo level inkjet printer.
2. A color-calibrated monitor or screen to create or proof your artwork. This will give you the confidence to know that you are sending the proper color information to the printer.
3. A trusted full-color evaluation image that you can use to test and compare the accuracy and consistency of your printing setup over time.
   • I like the resources at Onsight and have a high res version here.
4. Quality InkJet paper that is treated/designed to work with the brand of inks in your printer.
5. The correct installed ICC (International Color Consortium) profiles for your printer and paper. This is a key ingredient.
   • Read: What is an ICC Profile and Why Should Designers/Illustrators Care About it?
6. The fortitude to make test prints of your illustrations that include color bars and registration marks.
   • I have shared the process for this here (video upload pending) and have shared example pdf/psd here.
7. Be patient, try all the options, think like a sicentist.