The Fine Art of Digital Printing Workshop Returns

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You can learn from two master digital print makers at the same time, fresh off their highly successful tour in the Epson Print Academy, in The Fine Art of Digital Printing workshop. It’s the chance of a lifetime.
The Fine Art of Digital Printing workshop with John Paul Caponigro and Mac Holbert (supported by Epson) returns in 2009 after four highly successful events. August 31 – September 4 and October 26 – 30 at the Brooks Institute of Photography in Santa Barbara, CA. Space is limited to 24 participants and made available on a first-come-first-serve basis. The event was so popular in 2008 and 2009 it sold out within days.
Visit thefineartofdigitalprinting.com to learn more and to sign up for the workshop or waiting list.
Schedule
Seminar style sessions are run morning, afternoon, and evening with breaks only for lunch and dinner.

Topics covered include …
Color Management
Proofing
Workflow
Raw Conversion
Noise Reduction
Sharpening
Media Choices
Print Presentation
One-On-One Reviews
And much, much more!
The workshop emphasizes hands on productivity. Late nights are spent in the lab producing work while Mac and JP conduct one-on-one review sessions.
Included with the workshop are John Paul’s workshop DVD (packed with exercises, reading, test files, and actions) and Mac and JPs handouts (a binder compiling the best of their years of relevant writings).
This workshop is right for those who want to master digital printmaking and take their digital imaging skills to the next level. This workshop has a strong photographic perspective but is applicable to all types of artists who want to reproduce their work in digital media. Intermediate skill levels with Photoshop are required. Lightroom is covered but not required.
Check out Mac’s website with free resources here.
Check out Mac’s book here.
Check out Mac’s DVD here.
Check out my conversation with Mac here.
Check out my DVDs here.
Check out my free printing PDFs here.
Check out my other Printing workshops here.
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Epson's Dan Steinhardt On Photoshop Insider

Photographers, Printing  Comment
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Dan “Dano” Steinhardt, industry veteran, a driving force behind Epson shares his personal journey in and insights on photography on Scott Kelby’s blog Photoshop Insider.
“I travel a lot in my job. I also have the incredible honor to work with the some of the most well-known photographers on the planet. One of those legends is Jay Maisel who has become my new mentor. With all my business travel I took Jay’s advice, “Carry the camera because without it, it’s really tough to take pictures.” In the process I essentially returned to my roots of street photography versus the comfort and control of the studio”
“In the end it’s really not about exotic travel but about seeing the exotic that is all around us. In the past few years virtually all of my images have been captured, literally, between meetings.”
See the rest here.
Find out about the Epson Print Academy near you here.

Epson 7900/9900 Printers with Ultrachrome HDR Ink

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Epson recently announced their new 7900 24″ and 9900 44″ printers and ink technologies Epson UltraChrome HDR Ink.
Find out more about the new Epson printers here.
LONG BEACH, Calif. – Oct. 28, 2008 – Representing a level of technology unprecedented in Epson’s history, Epson America today announced its next generation of professional ink jet printers – the 24-inch Epson Stylus® Pro 7900 and the 44-inch Epson Stylus Pro 9900. This Epson Stylus Pro series incorporates Epson’s latest achievements in photographic ink jet technology, including Epson’s MicroPiezo TFP™ print head with new Epson UltraChrome® HDR Ink technology, to deliver a higher level of print quality, increased performance with speeds almost twice as fast as previous models, and the widest color gamut ever from Epson Stylus Pro printers. Read More

Printing – Humidity

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Extreme humidity can impact print quality. This is particularly true for but not exclusive to matte papers, which are more absorbent.
We printed for my Annual Exhibit in high humidity. The paper had absorbed a lot of moisture and so there was substantially more dot gain. The prints were coming out substantially darker and we were having trouble maintaining shadow detail. It’s made me want to store all of my paper in a climate controlled environment (using a dehumidifier or air conditioner). Or, climate control my entire studio. Rather than reprofiling for an atmospheric condition that changes unpredictably, we compensated with proofing. We lightened the files selectively before printing. With a little testing, we came up with standard adjustments that could be used on multiple images, with customized shadow masks for individual compositions. It pays to think about the impact of humidity on your printing. Control humidity when you can. Compensate for it when you can’t. You get better prints.
What do you do to compensate for excessive dot gain due to environment or overinking? Comment here.
Check out my Printing downloads here.
Check out my DVD The Art of Proofing here.

Find out about my The Fine Digital Print Workshop Series here.

Printing – Proofing

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Proofing is an essential part of making the finest prints possible.
While color management and softproofing get you 90% of the way there, there are all kinds of things you still need to check in hardcopy – materials, ink limit, sharpening to name a few. Every time I print an image, I create a BAT (a final proof) that I archive for future reference. The next time I print the same image the BAT tells me how I got the best results the last time it was printed. That then becomes a starting point for future improvements. Combine advancing technology (printers, ink, substrates) and good color management / proofing practices and you’ll find your print quality will constantly evolve.
Do you proof? What kinds of things do you routinely proof?
Check out my DVD 6 Simple Steps to Good Color Management here.
Check out my DVD The Art of Proofing here.
Check out my Proofing downloads here.
Find out about my digital printing workshop series The Fine Digital Print here.

Printing – Glass / No Glass

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It can be helpful to see what presentation behind glass / plexiglass will do to print quality. The appearance of prints can shift slightly; darker and/or towards blue or green.
You can preview this before framing by keeping a sheet of glass/plexi-glass in your printing area and looking at final proofs and finished prints under glass / plexiglass to see the impact it will have on print quality. On occasion you may want to make small adjustments to a final print based on what you see. But remember, glass is often replaced. If you compensate for glass and the glass is replaced, make sure the new glass matches the old glass.
What kind of glass do you use for presentation? Do you use it? Comment here!
Check out my Printing downloads here.
Check out my DVD The Art of Proofing here.

Find out about my The Fine Digital Print Workshop Series here.

Printing – Dot Structure

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What’s the big deal about dot structure? Fine detail. Smooth gradients.
It’s more than small dots (picoliters). It’s also how the dots are placed (screening algorithms). And, how precisely the dots are placed (piezo-electric or heat-based). And, what shape they are. And, which colors are used with other colors. It’s complex! Thankfully, inkjet printers are easy to use.
I print a lot of smooth gradients. Gradation is a key component to the way I use color. All my exhibition prints are made on an Epson 11880. The dot structure and gradation generated by the latest generation print heads and screening algorithms from Epson are simply the best on the planet.
Dots structure has advanced so far, so fast it’s dizzying. A decade ago inkjet printers produced prints that looked like Roy Lichtenstein paintings. Now you have to look very carefully to see the dots. Sometimes you may be tempted to confuse grain or noise with dot structure, but if you look more closely you’ll see the difference; grain/noise is usually larger, softer, sometimes more random, and sometimes it collects in distracting clumps. Pretty soon, you won’t be able to see the dots in inkjet prints with the naked eye.
Find Epson printers here.
Check out the Epson Professional Imaging website here.
Check out my Printing downloads here.
Find out about my digital printing workshop series The Fine Digital Print here.

Printing – Ideal Viewing Distance

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Scale changes ideal viewing distance.
To see a 4×5” print you have to get close to it. You can’t see anything but its shape and color from the end of a long hall. To see a 6×10’ print in its entirety you have to stand well away from it. If you stand very close to it, you won’t be able to see the whole image, much less anything else.
The rule of thumb for determining ideal viewing distance is to stand at three times a print’s diagonal dimension. This tends to place the entire image well within a viewer’s field of vision in such a way that overall general detail can be resolved at once, minimizing panning and scanning.
Of course, zooming happens. Both artists and viewers tend to view works of art from many different distances; examining details closely and evaluating a total composition distantly. Viewing distance changes perceived scale. Viewing distance subtly changes the quality of the viewing experience. So viewers tend to compare a variety experiences, dynamically forming a total impression of a work of art.
What do you think the ideal viewing distance for prints is? Comment here!
Check out my Printing downloads here.
Check out my DVD The Art of Proofing here.

Find out about my The Fine Digital Print Workshop Series here.