controversy Loc: Wuhan, China

Aaron Nace talks with Xander Fischer of PrintLab Chicago about the 6 most-asked questions about photo printing who provides 6 tips to improve your printing.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1NDYZh7DrNQ

These questions are answered.

1. Why do my prints look different than it did on my computer?
2. Does my monitor need to be calibrated?
3. Do I need to convert to CMYK color space?
4. How big can I print? What DPI or resolution do I need?
5. What is a print profile (ICC)?
6. What is the best paper for photos, if any?

jerryc41 Loc: Catskill Mts of NY

Thanks! Good video.

Rich1939 Loc: Pike County Penna.

Thank you for the link.
Some interesting comments. Particularly those about monitor calibration and they could start a heated debate.

wds0410 Loc: Nunya

Quite informative. Thank you for sharing.

AzPicLady Loc: Behind the camera!

Interesting video.

huntmj

Very interesting, i always thought that monitors had to be calibrated and profiles used. I decided that i was less interested in printing that the photos themselves so i now use a print lab. The quality is great the print are cheaper than i can produce and they come back in 24 hours

amfoto1 Loc: San Jose, Calif. USA

Yes, very interesting.

I agree with many of the points made.

But I think some things mentioned are specific to that particular Print Lab.

1. He asks that all files be 16-bit TIFFs in Adobe 1998 RGB color space. That may be fine for them, but not all labs want or even accept that type of file. The reason Print Lab wants those files is so they can adjust the images. Some printing services I've worked with prefer or even require 8-bit JPEGs and sRGB. This is also the best type of file for your own printing at home, with an ink jet. He also doesn't mention and appears to assume that the photographer is shooting RAW files. If they were instead shooting 8-bit JPEGs in sRGB color space, there would be little to be gained converting them to 16-bit, Adobe RGB color before sending them to the printer!

2. I also don't agree about monitor calibration and ICC profiles. Yes, you need a monitor that can BE calibrated (many can, some cannot). Once again, Print Lab makes the final adjustments (and probably charges more for the service), so it's not necessarily very critical for people using that particular printing service to set their monitor precisely. He also references Apple monitors, which not everyone uses! For many other printing services, you will usually be better off using a properly calibrated monitor. Calibration sets the brightness of the monitor as well as fine tuning the color rendition. And calibration needs to be re-done periodically because as it ages a monitor will gradually lose brightness and change how it renders color.

It also is helpful to install and use the printing service's ICC profile for your soft-proofing, to have as close as possible image on your computer screen, as it will appear once they print it. It's not 100%... never will be... because there's a difference between viewing a back-lit illuminated image on a computer screen versus viewing a print by reflected light. He does bring up a good point about how the light under which a print will be viewed will have some effect on its appearance.

3. He also states a preference for prints displayed without glass (the big prints behind him on the wall appear to be held up by thumb tacks!) I'm not surprised that a professional printer would appreciate the raw print without any glass to protect it.... after all, the print is what they are all about! But an unprotected print displayed the way theirs were won't hold up very long... Plus we don't get free reprints, the way I'm sure they do! Maybe it's a little self-serving too, since we'll need to replace our prints fairly often and spend more money with them if we hang our prints that way. If someone prefers to display without framing under glass there are other possibilities: printing directly onto other types of surfaces or mounting a print and coating it with something protective.

While that's an interesting video with a lot of good info, I'm most certainly going to continue to calibrate my monitor. I'll also consult with the printing service I'm using as to what type of file and color space they prefer or require. While I shoot RAW and Adobe RGB, and do post-processing work on my images in 16-bit mode (TIFF or PSD), one of my last steps will continue to be to reduce to an 8-bit JPEG and sRGB color space. With those I see no difference in prints from 16-bit TIFFs (which just seem to take longer and use more ink). 8-bit JPEGs in sRGB are also what my primary printing service prefers (although they don't require it).

Rich1939 Loc: Pike County Penna.

I too disagree with him as far as monitor calibrating. DO IT! It certainly can;t hurt.
I do find using Adobe RGB gives me the most consistent results (I print my own 'cause I can) and he did qualify his recommendations, pro and con about the use of glass for display. I personally no longer use glass. 1st because I'm on a fixed income and getting more miserly all the the time but, I have found I actually like my prints that way.

bpulv Loc: Buena Park, CA

Thank you for the link. It is a very informative video.

cjc2 Loc: Hellertown PA

I do much of my own printing so calibrating my monitor is important, but I also believe it's important in general if you expect your files to have a chance of displaying properly on other monitors. If I was spending the kind of money Print Lab is charging I would let them do the corrections because I would expect that they know what needs doing. I try to correct my images before distribution so they look their best and, when I have them printed, no additional correction is needed. I like the idea of being in charge of my images. Best of luck.

Curmudgeon Loc: SE Arizona

Really enjoyable for someone who has never used a print service. There was a lot of interesting information there. What I took away from this is, talk to your print service. If they want 16 bit tiff and sRGB, give them 16 bit tiff and sRGB. You pay a printing service for two things, their expertise and their equipment take advantage of both.

Now a question. Should I expect to pay more for Print Lab Chicago than for Costco and would I get a superior product?

cjc2 Loc: Hellertown PA

Yes and Yes!