CONTENTS
Mastering Digital Printing is divided into four parts. These parts are further subdivided into eleven chapters, the Gallery Showcase, and the Appendix:
Part I: Digital Printing Basics
Chapter 1: "Navigating the Digital Landscape." This chapter puts digital printing into context and gives you a basic understanding of its role in the printmaking process. You'll learn the history of digital fine-art printing and the term "giclée" along with an analysis of the different types of prints. We then explore the reasons for going digital, and who's "doin' the digital." The question of digital's acceptance is tackled next, and the chapter wraps up with the advantages and disadvantages of printing yourself or sending it out, plus the crucial difference between a reproduction and an original print.
Chapter 2: "Understanding Digital Printing." You'll learn about the components of a digital image and how digital prints are made. I cover pixels, bit depth, and resolution, plus halftones, contones, and dithers. We go over the elements of a basic digital system including options for computers, monitors, scanners, digital cameras, and graphics tablets. You'll even see two, actual system-setups, one by a photographer, one by a digital artist. The chapter closes with an overview of printer drivers, PostScript, and RIPs.
Chapter 3: "Comparing Digital Printing Technologies." This is the chapter that shows you the differences among the four major types of digital printing. It's not just about inkjets! I also cover digital photoprint and photo process, dye sublimation, and electrophotography (laser printers). How each technology works is explained along with the advantages and disadvantages of using each. There are also plenty of visual examples to help you make up your mind.
Chapter 4: "Creating and Processing the Image." You'll learn all about how to input the image via non-camera scanning, camera scanning, or digital drawing and painting. The next step is image-editing, and I discuss all the major software with examples of each. An image-editing workflow is then described with step-by-step instructions. The chapter concludes with a discussion of file formats, image compression, and file transport, storage, and archiving/asset management.
Chapter 5: "Understanding and Managing Color." This is one of the least-understood digital-printing subjects, and we jump right in with a complete explanation of color basics and color spaces. Next is a thorough overview of color management including monitor matching and printer profiling. Finally, I cover all the main ways to get the color you want using: printer settings, the transfer function, image-editing adjustments, printer profiles and soft-proofing, and RIPs.
Chapter 6: "Not Fade Away: Print Permanence." The classic song title serves as a perfect backdrop for this controversial subject. We start by asking (and answering) the main question: How long is long enough? I explain the meaning of image stability and print permanence and describe the major factors that contribute to its failure. A complete analysis of permanence standards, tests, and claims follows, including the major testing organizations. The chapter ends with explanations of how you can do your own permanence testing, how to maximize the permanence of your own prints, and why all this matters.
Part II: The Main Event: Inkjet Printing
Chapter 7: "Picking an Inkjet Printer." Inkjet printers are the output devices of choice for many photographers and traditional and digital artists, and we dive right in by asking nine important questions that form the backbone of this chapter: (1) "Can I Use It to Print...?" (2) "Which Inkjet Technology?" (3) "What's the Print Quality?" (4) "What Different Paper and Inks Can I Use?" (5) "How Permanent Are the Prints?" (6) "Speed: How Long Does It Take to Print...?" (7) "How Easy to Set Up and Connect? How Big? How Noisy?" (8) "What About Printer Software, Drivers and RIPs?" and (9) "What Does It Cost?" The chapter closes with a summary of each major inkjet brand.
Chapter 8: "Choosing Your Consumables." Consumable supplies are the inks and papers you put through an inkjet printer, and they are important keys to the whole process. We start with inks, and you'll learn about the differences between dye-based and pigment inks as well as the different options for third-party inks and inking systems. Moving to paper, the different types of substrates and coatings are analyzed along with third-party papers and the key paper characteristics. You also find out about alternative media and ways to find the best paper for you. We end with the best ways to match inks to paper.
Chapter 9: "Putting It All Together: Making a Great Inkjet Print." In this important chapter, you'll learn the key steps--and pitfalls--of the digital printing process. We start by setting you up with a digital workflow that includes ten specific steps for preparing and outputting a perfect inkjet print. There's even an alternative workflow to show you how to use third-party materials and how to prepare your images for the Web. The chapter concludes with "Finishing and Displaying Your Prints," which includes coatings and how to store and display prints.
Part III: Beyond the Basics
Chapter 10: "Print for Pay: Using a Professional Print Service." There are advantages and disadvantages to doing your own printing, and sometimes, it makes sense to farm out some or all of the process. In this chapter, we take a closer look at the role of printmakers and printing services. You'll learn what printmakers do, and why you might want to use one. I cover how to pick an inkjet printmaker, what to look out for, and how the artist/printmaker relationship works. You're also walked through a step-by-step giclée-print workflow. Finally, you'll learn about working with non-inkjet providers plus online printing and image-sharing services.
Chapter 11: "Special Printing Techniques." While the majority of people are content--and adequately challenged--to output a decent digital print, there are others who want to push the envelope and go beyond the basics. This is where you find out how to do just that. You'll learn about hybrid printing processes, making books and cards, dye-sublimation transfers, making digital negatives, and printing oversized prints. I follow with a complete section on monochrome options including: converting color and printing to monochrome, using special monochrome inks, and taking advantage of specialized drivers and printers. In the final portion of this chapter, you'll learn about CMYK proof printing and how graphic artists and designers are using it in a commercial context.
Part IV: Gallery Showcase
The Gallery Showcase features 18 photographer-artists and images that illustrate the variety of digital imaging and printing being done today. These examples, along with the descriptions of how they were produced, are divided into five categories or types: Photography, Enhanced Photography, Digital Drawing/Painting, Hybrid Process, and Reproduction from Another Medium (Giclée). Enjoy the show!
Appendix. Finally, I wrap up the book with one of the most extensive resource sections you'll find anywhere, listing: photographer-artists, print-service providers, equipment, software, and related-service suppliers, suggested reading and information sources, digital-friendly art resources including galleries, showcases, art festivals, workshops, print exchanges, and more.
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Book Errata
(a list of errors, corrections, and updates)
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