Printing Chinwag with Don Komarechka (Podcast 366)

Article from Martin Bailey Photography Blog

This week, TWiP co-host Don Komarechka and I hook-up again to talk about printing, a passion we both share.

Use this audio player if you’d prefer to listen:

There are also download and subscription options at the end of the post.

Here are the points discussed:

PHOTO OF TOOLS

- Why print?
- A photo isn’t truly done until it’s printed
- Helps to hone your craft

- How big can you print an image from a typical digital file?
- Choices of paper: discuss our favourites and why

- Do it yourself or get someone else to to do it?
- How much does a good printer cost? Paper & ink?
- How big do you go?
- Expect to waste money and consumables while learning

- Colour Management
- Screen & Printer
- What does spending more on calibration gear get you?
- Why it’s necessary – prints come out too dark!
- Soft-proofing

And here are some of the images that I mentioned during our conversation…

5 Meter Wide Wall Mural

Here’s a photo of me with that 24×48″ print that I mentioned. This was from a 10 megapixel image,embiggened in Perfect Resize.

Martin with 2 x 4 Foot Print

Here’s the comparison between five of Breathing Color’s papers — All excellent papers, but reflectiveness is something to bear in mind, especially if you’ll be framing under glass or perspex, which adds another layer of reflectivity, unless you go for anti-glare glass. I actually just really like matte prints anyway, and Optica One, on the very left here is my favorite. Just look how deep those blacks are and how rich the rest of the colors are!! From left to right these are Optica One, Elegance Velvet, Vibrance Rag, Vibrance Luster and Vibrance Gloss . My favorite gloss paper is Vibrance Rag, the middle one.

Paper Samples

By the way, if you buy anything from Breathing Color, use the code MBP20 for a $20 discount off any order of $20 or more.

And I thought I’d throw this in for good measure. My Canon imagePROGRAF iPF6350 printing out a couple of profile charts.

Printing Printer Profiling Targets

Here are the three main tiers in X-Rite’s line up – from left to right, the ColorMunki Photo, the i1 Pro 2 and the i1 Display Pro.

X-Rite Calibration Product Comparison

Support Don’t Snowflake book here, and more importantly get your own copy, or one of the other great value packages!

You can pick up my Craft & Vision ebook, Making the Print – Printing Techniques for the Digital Photographer – A MASTERCLASS here.

You can also read the article I mentioned, “Why Resolution Matters, But Doesn’t Matter”, in Craft & Vision’s digital magazine, PHOTOGRAPH Issue #2.

Show Notes

See Don’s work here: http://www.donkom.ca/

Help fund the Snowflake Book: http://igg.me/at/skycrystals/

Don on Google Plus

Music by UniqueTracks

Audio

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