Like Barry I do not do my own printing but it's not for the want of trying. I have an Epson RX500 and have never managed to get an acceptable print from it, let alone one that I could feel proud of. It is hard to imagine that you could get such bad quality prints even if you were doing it deliberately. Mine come out looking like they were shot at twilight, dark and lacking in colour. It is either because of some silly fundamental error on my part or a fault with the printer. I'm confident I've calibrated the monitor correctly and I use Photoshop CS1 for editing.
I know it would take a tome to explain the workflow process fully, but can anyone give me some hints, bullet points, or direct me to a book or website that might give me the help I need and explained in plain English?