300 million are photos taken each day generating over 100 billion a year. While 20 years ago 10% of photographs made were printed, today less than 1/10 of 1% are ever printed! Historically, what’s printed lasts; what’s not, doesn’t. Has this changed?
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Find out more about printing in my free Digital Printing Lessons.
Learn more about printing in my Digital Printing Workshops.
Blurb recently announced it’s new online bookmaking tool Bookify.
“Some projects are simpler, just begging for a streamlined solution. If what you want to create is a beautiful photo book – tonight – then you really should give our new online bookmaking tool, Bookify, a spin. It’s a fantastic new way to make books at Blurb.
Bookify features a specially curated set of our most popular layouts – or you can just drag and drop your photos and the page will design itself. Amazing. Plus, the whole thing is online so you can make a book from wherever you are.
So while PDF to Book is great for more involved projects, Bookify is ideal for simpler work.”
Here’s why:
• It’s streamlined. Curated layouts and our most popular fonts.
• It’s convenient. No download necessary. Simply import your photos from Flickr® or your computer, and start making your book instantly. You can even work on your book from more than one computer.
• It offers all the Blurb goodness – professional quality, stellar image printing, great paper choices, hardcover or softcover, and five of our book sizes – and all at affordable prices.
Make a book with Bookify by November 2 (11:59 p.m. PDT) and save 25%.*
Just type in the appropriate promo code at checkout and you’re set:
• USD $ coupon code: BOOKIFY
• GBP £ coupon code: BOOKIFY1
• EUR € coupon code: BOOKIFY2
• CAD $ coupon code: BOOKIFY3
• AUD $ coupon code: BOOKIFY4.
Find more resources in my Bookmaking lessons.
Learn more in my bookmaking workshops.
Thought you knew what a hickey was? Never knew paper had a tooth? Had no idea it out gasses? Learn these terms and you’ll not only be able to speak more knowledgeably about printing, you’ll also know what to look for in prints and how to get the best results in your prints.
Epson’s Dan Steinhardt assembled a great Glossary of Fine Art Related Terms.
It’s not published; it’s a useful resource that’s circulated around the web.
Dano generously shares it with us here!
Thanks Dano!
Find out more about Dan Steinhardt here.
Bookmark this post and you’ll be able to quickly find terms anytime anywhere.
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Dano’s Glossary of Fine Art Related Terms
Abrasion Resistance
The resistance to scratching of a surface of paper by other paper surfaces or other materials.
Absorbency
The ability of a material to take up moisture.
Acid Free
(Neutral pH of 7.0) During paper production, treatment employed with a mild base is employed to neutralize the natural acids occurring in wood pulp. Buffering may also be used to prevent the formation of additional acids. If prepared properly, papers made from any fiber can be acid free. Read More
Find out how Neil Enns creates custom portfolios and portfolio covers on my Alumni Blog.
He can do it for you too! Find out about what he has to offer you here and here.
Do you need to make your own printer profiles?
Probably not, if you’re using a printer manufacturer’s standard papers.
Yes, if you’re using 3rd party or exotic substrates or inks.
Is it hard?
No! This video highlights several easy solutions.
Learn more on my DVD Fine Art Digital Printing.
Learn even more in my Fine Art Digital Printing Workshops series.
You’ve been framed. It sounds terrible right? But, when it comes to your prints, it’s great. It’s a sign that after all that work you’ve arrived.
Think of how many photographs you make; a lot. Now think of how many of those actually get selected and processed; a few. Now think of how many of those actually get printed; fewer. Now think of how many of those actually get prepared for formal presentation, mounted and matted, perhaps for a portfolio; fewer still. Finally, think of how many of those actually get framed; even fewer still. The images you frame are a very small percentage of the total umber of images you create. They’re the rare few.
Framed images represent your very best work. Framed images are the ones that go on your walls or someone else’s walls. You spend the most time with them and live with them the longest. They represent your work publicly. They’re the ones used for exhibitions. They establish your reputation, and once made, reinforce or elevate it. If you’re a fine artist, framed images are the images that generate a significant amount of your income.
You’ve got choices. And the choices you make speak volumes to your viewers. There are so many framing choices available to you it’s easy to get lost in endless details. Identifying a few broad categories or types of frames can help you focus on specific areas, where details become important rather than superfluous.
Frames can be simple or complex.
Frames come in many sizes, from thin to thick.
Two framing materials are used more than any others – wood or metal.
Consider framing fashion for your images. Dress your images appropriately. The right fit will make your images look like a million bucks. Presentation enriches a viewing experience. The wrong fit may seem cheap, be distracting, or even send conflicting signals to viewers and put them off. Your viewers may not think twice about or have a second look at your images. Since there are so many types of images, no one size or style fits all.
Would you go out in public naked? Don’t let your artwork go out into the world poorly presented and unprotected.
This is an excerpt from the current issue of Photoshop User magazine.
Read more in PhotoshopUser magazine.
Find out more with my free Lessons.
View more on my DVD Fine Art Digital Printing.
Learn more in my Workshops.
PixelGenius has added a free ICC profile for the new Epson Stylus® Photo 2880 Printers designed to work with Epson Exhibition Fiber Paper. Many free profiles are available at the PixelGenius web site. (Printers supported include Epson R2400, 3/4/7/9800 series and 4/7/9/11880 series.)
Learn more from Jeff Schewe at PhotoshopNews here.
Get the PixelGenius profiles here.
Gloss differential is an uneven reflectance of the surface of a print. In inkjet printing, very dark colors are produced with substantial amounts of ink while very light colors are produced with little or no ink. This can produce differences in reflectivity throughout the surface of a print in many images. While this is not an issue for most matte surfaces, it can be distracting when looking at glossy prints under specific angles of light.
Recent ink technology includes additives designed to reduce gloss differential to produce more even print surfaces. In addition, some separation routines reduce it even further. Epson printer drivers include two features in their Advanced Black and White mode, Highlight Point Shift and Highlight Tonality slider, that can be used to reduce gloss differential. Running these settings to a maximum virtually eliminates gloss differential. Because clear and very light black ink are used in these delicate areas, this darkens the print only slightly. You can compensate for this by lightening the file before printing.
How can you identify gloss differential? Make a print with very bright highlight areas. Look at those printed areas under bright light while varying the angle of the surface of the print and compare the reflectance you see there to darker surrounding areas.
What can you do to reduce gloss differential? Use the latest inksets. Optionally, use the most recent black and white software routines to reduce it even further. (Epson’s Highlight Poiint Shift is designed for this.) Hold your highlights slightly full to avoid paper white, which will be less reflective. Finally, consider spraying, varnishing, or waxing the surface of your prints.
Read more with my online Printing Resources.
Learn more in my digital photography and digital printing workshops.
Bronzing is an iridescent flash of color, typically bronze, produced when viewing prints under varying angles of light. It’s produced by pigmented ink’s tendency to refract light. It’s most visible in black and white prints but affects color prints as well. It affects glossy surfaces almost exclusively.
Optimum choice of ink and precise placement makes the difference. Recently, new separation routines and screening algorithms have been devised to place droplets of specific ink colors, in specific patterns, in combination with other inks to dramatically reduce bronzing.
How can you identify bronzing? Look at the surface of a glossy print in near direct light. Change the angle of the print and look for a flash of bronze near areas of glare.
What can you do to eliminate bronzing? Choose the best inksets and drivers. (Optionally, print on a matte surface.) This will all but eliminate bronzing in your prints.
Read more with my online Printing Resources.
Learn more in my digital photography and digital printing workshops.
