Professional Digital Printing Made Easy (If Not Inexpensive)

We're not talking about making the 4x6-inch photo prints that many consumers enjoy with their digital cameras and printers. Instead, we're talking about very high quality, long-lasting professional prints that measure anywhere from 8x10 inches to sky's-the-limit huge. People love to see big, beautiful prints, whether corporate images, wedding photos, portraits, nature and landscape pictures, figure studies, or just about anything else. Here, bigger is truly better.

In this recipe, I'll show you how to put together a professional-quality photo printing system. While many of the professional-quality components are far from inexpensive, you can keep your costs (and prices) down by incorporating a white-box PC (either your own or your favorite supplier's) rather than using a Tier-One name-brand system.

Fair Warning

If you have clients who would like to upgrade to this type of system, it's only fair that you warn them: Making professional-quality photo prints is not easy.

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One of the most difficult aspects is getting the colors on the print to match those on the computer monitor. I learned this the hard way. I read many articles and books. I bought a number of cameras, monitors, and printers. I also bought numerous digital image-modification and printing programs, as well as a few packages for color-calibrating my monitor, that were supposed to set my monitor so the colors, contrast and brightness I saw on the monitor would also show up on my prints. But nothing ever reached my goal of WYSIWYG monitor-to-printer output.

It took me a while, but I now believe I've mastered digital photography from camera to printer. Check out the persimmon photo below for an example of my current work. The main point to notice: The print looks exactly the same as the screen image. (Note: If your monitor isn't properly calibrated, this photo may not appear in all its glory. If so, then see "Monitor" below.)

Now I'm ready to share what I've learned. Here's my recipe for digital photographic success. The system I'm recommending isn't cheap, but it does produce consistently excellent professional results every time. Savings in time and supplies will quickly overtake the initial system costs.

Ingredients

Here are the basic components I recommend. For additional information and links to vendor sites, see the "Resources" sidebar at the end of this recipe.

1.) Camera (prices do not include lens):

2.) Monitor: Sony Artisan GDM-C520K Color Reference System ($1,795)

3.) Printer:

4.) Photo Manipulation and Printing Software: Adobe Photoshop CS ($590)

5.) Pen/Mouse Hardware and Software: minimum Wacom Intuos 2 ($450 and up)

6.) Computer: Windows XP system with at least 2.4 GHz Pentium 4 and 1 GB RAM; or a similarly configured Apple iMac 5

To understand why these components are recommended, let's look at each separately.

Digital Camera and Lens

If you're building digital-printing systems for clients, you may not need to include a high-end camera. But you'll want the option of incorporating a professional-quality camera with your total package. If that's what your client wants, I recommend you select a model from Canon's EOS line of pro digital cameras.

Canon, unlike Nikon (its major competitor in the pro digital market), has grown the size of its digital sensors to the point where its EOS 1D Mark II has an 8 megapixel sensor that is only 30% smaller than the full-sized 35mm frame found on film cameras (magnification factor 1.3). The EOS 1Ds Mark II sports a 35mm film-sized 16 megapixel sensor (magnification factor 1).

Larger sensors mean both larger pixels and near-full to full coverage by standard 35mm lenses. Larger pixels mean significantly higher quality images than can be produced by a camera with a similar numbers of pixels crammed into a smaller sensor. The Canon EOS 20D packs 8 megapixels into a sensor that is 60% the size of a 35mm film frame (magnification factor 1.6). Because of differences in sensor size, the EOS 20D can't deliver the image the quality of the EOS 1D Mark II, even though both cameras have 8 megapixel sensors.

When you put a standard 35mm lens on a camera with a sensor smaller than the 35mm standard, some of the image is cut off as it falls beyond the sensor. This results in apparently higher magnification; this might be fine with telephoto lenses, where a 100mm lens acts like a 130mm or 160mm lens. But it's not so great when the sensor sees only a portion of the image produced by your very wide angle lens. To get the same angle of coverage with a smaller-than-35mm sized sensor, you need a wider angle lens than you do with a 35mm sensor.

All three of the Canon cameras I recommend will produce images with excellent color, brightness, and contrast. To get all the advantages of these cameras, make sure your camera is set to produce images using the Adobe RGB 1998 color space. You will use this color space for both your monitor and printer. Also, be sure to save your camera images in RAW format, for truer color, brightness and contrast than you'll get with JPG images. You can also adjust RAW images without permanently altering them.

Here's a look at Canon's top-of-the-line 16 megapixel Digital SLR the EOS D1s Mark II:

High-end cameras are typically sold without a lens, on the assumption that pro photographers select their own. If your client needs a good all-around lens for their digital camera, then check out the Tamron AF 28-75mm f/2.8 XR DI Autofocus lens. This zoom lens has a useful field of view for general photography, is very sharp, and offers a large fixed aperture for pictures in low light. It lists for $544. Though I have a number of more costly lenses, I use the Tamron almost all the time, removing it only when I need a special feature offered by another lens.

For the record, despite its smaller sensors, Nikon makes excellent professional digital cameras. I've gotten some very good images with them. In fact, the only reason I do not recommend Nikon cameras here is that I lack extended long-term experience with them.

Monitor

A monitor used for photography must be of the highest quality. It must be able to produce near-perfect blacks, which is mostly a function of the design of the monitor and the calibration of the brightness and contrast settings. It must also be calibrated so that red, green, and blue are correctly balanced to reproduce colors accurately.

You may want to buy monitor-calibration hardware and software. All calibration products feature a sensor that you attach to, or hang over, the monitor screen. The sensor usually connects to the computer through a USB port. The calibration software manipulates the monitor's color, then produces a profile file that, when loaded, sets the monitor to what it determines to be the best parameters. The profile is loaded when you log-in to your account on the computer.

I've tested several calibration products, but I recommend Sony's Artisan monitor, which has its own calibration hardware and software. The Sony software is tied closely to the monitor hardware through a second USB connection. This hardware-software combination produces absolutely the best monitor profiles and images I've seen. Also, these images can be accurately reproduced on the right printer. Best of all -- and unlike other calibration programs -- the Sony Artisan's monitor calibration is totally automatic.

Here's a look at the Sony Artisan color reference system with the sensor attached to the screen by suction cups and to a hidden computer by the USB cable. Sitting on the table is the sensor's elegant storage case:

Finally, you will need to set the target color space in the Artisan system setup software to Print RGB D50. This color space best matches the Adobe RGB color space you set your camera for.

Printer

There are many factors to consider when selecting a printer for high-end digital photography, including print resolution, color fidelity, ability to produce blacks, print longevity, and both minimum and maximum paper sizes. But one question should come first: How good are the profile files for the different printing papers that can be used on the printer?

This matters because it is the profiles above all else that determine how well the printer will match the colors you see on your monitor. Many lower-cost printers have lousy paper profiles, or they have a good profile, but only for one kind of paper -- usually the glossy paper that most non-professionals use.

Not only is this the most important question to ask, but it's also the most difficult one to get a straight answer for. You should look at actual prints and talk to people who have used the printer.

After going through a lot of exasperating experimentation, I can now recommend two printers, both made by Epson: the Stylus Pro 2200 and the Stylus Pro 4000. (If you want monster printouts, Epson's Stylus Pros 7600 and 9600 also have quality profiles.) Here's a look at the Epson 4000:

The 2200 wasn't so great until fairly recently, when Epson released a killer set of profiles. Now it nearly parallels the more expensive 4000 in the quality of the prints it produces.

In addition to the profiles Epson provides for its own papers, 2200 and 4000 profiles are available for papers from other manufacturers or from the vendors who sell those papers. Though you can also buy hardware and software to make your own paper profiles, you really don't want to get into that tricky business unless you absolutely must use a paper for which no profiles are available.

One of the main differences between the Epson 2200 and the 4000 is maximum sheet paper size. The 2200's max is 13x19 inches. For the 4000, it's a somewhat larger 17x22 inches. Even more important is the 4000's ability to produce 16x20-inch prints; this is the size that many professionals consider best for prints hung in the home, office, galleries, and museums.

Another key difference is the printers' footprints. The 4000 is pretty big -- 32 inches wide and more than 24 inches deep -- and it's built like a tank. By comparison, the 2200 is only 24 inches wide and 19 inches deep. The 2200 will fit nicely on a table or large wire shelf. But my massive 4000 sits on a stand specially made for it by Epson.

When it comes to printer mechanics, the 2200 uses the same eight-color UltraChrome inks as the 4000. But the 4000's much larger cartridges hold considerably more ink than do the 2200's. You get more ink for the dollar with the 4000's cartridges, and you have to replace them less frequently.

Another difference: With the 2200 you must choose between the matte or glossy black-ink cartridges, while the 4000 has room for both. In fact, the 4000 automatically switches between matte and glossy, depending on the kind of paper you use. By contrast, switching the 2200's matte and glossy cartridges wastes precious ink, because the print head gets purged of ink from the removed cartridge.

Photo Manipulation and Printing Software

For most clients, Adobe Photoshop CS is the only software they'll ever need to prepare and print beautiful images. With Photoshop CS they can color-correct, adjust contrast/brightness, and sharpen images. If they wish, clients can also use Photoshop CS to artistically manipulate their images, for example, printing a color image in black-and-white, or distorting all or part of an image. Photoshop CS also makes printing easy.

The first time you use Photoshop CS, open the Color Settings dialog box to: Edit > Color Settings. Ensure that Working Spaces RGB is set to Adobe RGB to match your camera and monitor settings.

When printing from Photoshop CS, be sure to preview your image with the profile for the paper you will be using (View > Proof Setup > Custom) and to check the colors that may not print perfectly due to printer, paper, and ink limitations (View > Gamut Warning). Be sure to turn the previews off before printing. Also, use File > Print With Preview to set your paper profile, print size, and printer settings.

To match the printer with your camera and monitor, while in Print With Preview, be sure to set color management (Color Source Space) to Adobe RGB 1998.

Finally, before printing, go into the Epson driver software for your printer. From Print With Preview, select Page Setup > Printer > [Select the Printer Name]. Then click Properties. Be sure Media Type matches the paper you are using, and be sure to turn color management off. You are already managing color in Photoshop CS (Print With Preview). If you also manage color in the printer driver, your colors will look horrible. This is the biggest mistake people make when printing digitally.

For more on using Photoshop CS check out the books and other options in the resources list at the end of this recipe.

Mouse and Pen Tablet

A pen tablet makes it easier to do retouching or other modifications in Photoshop. Wacom Technology's Intuos tablets are great. Wacom also makes a great set of LCD panels that are sensitive to the pen. You write on them directly. The software that accompanies the tablets lets you easily set your pen to function more like an artist's brush. Here's a look at the Intuos setup:

Computer

There's not much to say here. All of the above products work with either PCs or Macs. So you don't have to get into the old PC-vs.-Mac religious debate. Instead, use what you or your customer are most comfortable with. If you go with Windows, by all means use a white-box system, either your own or a reliable supplier's, to help control your costs.

SIDEBAR: Recommended Digital-Photo Resources

I.) Products:

II.) Training

Epson Print Academy: Provides 12 weeks of excellent computer-based training from some of the world's best digital photography and digital printing professionals. Master digital photographer and Photoshop image-manipulation guru Vincent Versace is alone worth the price of admission, which, at any rate, is only $30.

III.) Books and Magazines:

BARRY GERBER is an IT consultant, writer, and professional photographer. He is the author of the book Mastering Microsoft Exchange Server 2003 (Sybex, 2003).

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