Introduction

You have printed the same picture for the fourth time and the colors still do not come out as on your screen? The pixels are so large the print resembles a quilt. And to top it all, the ink cartridge you changed not so long ago is empty again. Fifty dollars less in your budget!

Required Picture Quality

In photography, one principle remains the same: An over-exposed or under-exposed shot, unbalanced colors and a low-quality lens will always give poor results. Many believe picture processing software will solve all their problems. Wrong! Granted, they will improve your picture, but the results will never compare with a good photo made while shooting.  

Resolution is also important when printing. When shooting, choose the highest resolution for pictures you find interesting or exceptional. You will appreciate the difference when printing them in large format. A picture taken with a resolution of 640 x 480 will only allow an enlargement of 2 ½ ″ x 1 ¼″ while a resolution of 2304 x 1728 allows for an enlargement up to 8″ x 10″ with a quality close to silver photography. However, the ideal formula to produce good quality photos is:

Format X print = quality photo

8” x 300 = 2,400 dpi

10” x 300 = 3,000 dpi

2,400 ppi x 3000 dpi

Examples:

Printer Quality

Another significant factor is the quality of the printer used. Two basic printer quality levels are of importance here: graphic printers and photo-printers.

Another significant factor is the quality of the printer used. Two basic printer quality levels are of importance here: graphic printers and photo-printers.

Photo-printers a specially designed to capture more subtle shades and higher definitions.

So, from here on, only photo type printers will be discussed.

Inkjet Printers

To determine the true definition produced by a inkjet printer, is it best to think in terms of pictoliters. This term defines the size of the ink droplet sprayed onto the paper. This value can be found in the printer specifications. Therefore, a printer with a pictoliter of 1 is more precise that a printer of 4 pictoliters.

Another significant factor, which has an impact on color rendition, is the number of color inks used. Some printers work with 4 colors and produce somewhat distinctive colors. On the other hand, when using a printer with 6 to 8 colors, the results are more subtle and closer to reality. 

Archive

A somewhat special category in inkjet printers are archival ink printers. They are much more expensive, but increase the lifespan of printed pictures. They use special inks into which pigments have been mixed.

Thermal Printers

This type of printer uses a support onto which color layers of yellow, magenta, cyan and UV are overlaid in turn using a thermal process. The time of printing is considerably shorter (5 minutes to 75 sec.) and the results are much more stable.

Photo-printer

Prints are done with a digital optical printer using photography paper and conventional color process chemistries. The results are very close to what has been shot. This process is also one of the less expensive and time-consuming since you do not need to spend the whole weekend in front of your computer!

Groupe Zone image’s on-line service, with associated photography shops, give users the opportunity to have all their photos printed with a simple order program on the Internet. Simply pick up your pictures at your local shop and spend the weekend admiring your work of art.

Controlling Results

Your printed pictures never compare to what is your screen? You may improve this in few steps.

Note: Selecting the wrong paper or an incompatible ink-paper match will have a considerable impact on the results. Users must try to find the perfect combination.

Color Management

Each piece of equipment used in the digital chain has a color handicap which must be offset. This is why there is a convention governing color management called ICC for International Color Consortium. With the help of reading instruments, it is possible to analyze colors produced by a screen, a printer, a camera or a digitizer.

However, for the needs of amateur photographs, we will concentrate on the creation of a screen profile. This is of the utmost importance as it is the decisional focus of whatever analysis and adjustments that need to be made.

Screen Calibration

For advanced amateurs, the ultimate weapon will no doubt be the calibration probe.

There is one condition however: having a good quality screen with a minimum contrast ratio of 500:1 and a video card of 256 MB.

This probe will allow you to calibrate your screen according to color temperature, neutral gray, white, black, and color standards. By repeating the procedure every 15 days, you will be able to maintain an almost infallible viewing constant! You will then be able to fine tune your settings without the screen variant which would be added to the results. A significant plus which, for approximately $300 will help you save time and material ($).

Warning: Some screen models cannot, or can more or less, be calibrated

Conclusion

With simple measures, you will at last be able to spend more time shooting than printing pictures in front of your computer.

Now, you will be able to impress your friends without using spending a fortune in ink.

Good shooting!    

Jacques Bourdages