Canon imagePROGRAF PRO-2600 Print Workflow
This post jots down some key aspects of my print workflow, from processing the image to final inspection of the print. Much more detail on the various topics is available on the internet and it will be better summarised by ChatGPT!
Monitor Brightness
If there’s one single thing to do when preparing an image for print, it’s setting the monitor / screen brightness. Many monitors and screens default to an extremely bright luminance (including the MacBook I’m currently typing on). If you prepare an image on such a bright monitor don’t be surprised if it results in a dark print. My Dell UltraSharp monitor is set to a luminance of 120 cd/m2 (far below the brightness of the Mac), which matches the output of the printer.
Monitor White Point
The Dell is set to D50 or 5000k, the “standard” white point for daylight. The word “standard” comes with caveat that it’s impossible to tie the whitepoint of daylight down to a single temperature, but it helps to be consistent throughout the workflow and D50 is my go to for (a) lighting art work (b) processing an image and (c) inspecting the final print.
Monitor Colour Space
The Dell is set to Adobe RGB (rather than sRGB) to ensure it displays a wide colour gamut. It also has built in calibration which I run every few of weeks to ensure accuracy. Note that Lightroom’s colour space is ProPhoto RGB, which is an even wider colour gamut, so wide in fact that, at time of writing, no monitor can display it in its entirety and no printer can print it.
ICCs
Different printer/paper combinations have different colour gamuts (the range of colours able to be printed) and typically the colour gamut of the printer / paper is smaller than that of the gamut of the image (Adobe RGB). An ICC profile (in this context) converts the colour space of the image to that of the target printer / paper. Paper manufacturers create “generic” ICCs for each printer / paper combination. It’s also possible to create an ICC that is specific to your printer. The ICC’s job is to ensure that the colours of the final print, as far as possible, match the colours you see on a (calibrated) monitor. ICC’s are used in both soft proofing (see below) and when printing.
Soft Proofing
Lightroom, Canon Professional Print & Layout and other processing tools, offer soft proofing features, which, using a selected ICC (see above) simulate the look of the print and allow you to adjust the image (brightness, contrast, saturation) accordingly. I no longer adjust the image, but instead use soft-proofing to help determine whether a particular paper is suitable for a specific image.
Paper Selection
Paper selection is a huge topic and will be the topic of an up and coming post, but it’s worth reiterating some truisms. The first is that the ordinary punter (as opposed to collector) doesn’t give a fig about archival properties of paper or ink. The second is that most paper types (matt, glossy, lustre, etc.) look (for most purposes) much the same under glass, at least as far as a customer’s buying decision is concerned. The third is that handling characteristics are as important as anything else. Stiff, matt paper is much more robust and easier to handle than thin, finger print prone, gloss paper, especially if you print big. The fourth is that choosing a bright white paper with a large colour gamut will make it easier to re-produce the image you see on your screen.
Printing
Due to the buggy interface between Lightroom and Canon’s print driver on MacOS I no longer print direct from Lightroom, but instead export in a Tiff file in Adobe RGB colour space with a bit depth of 16 bits. I then use Canon Professional Print & Layout (CPP&L) to print. CPP&L allows me to select all the parameters I need (media type, ICC profile, print quality, perceptual or relative rendering intent, etc.) to have complete control over the print. It also allows me to soft proof (and play with parameters such as rendering intent) before I hit the print button
Inspecting
After printing I inspect the print using a D50 (5000k) light. If it matches what I see on the monitor, bingo, job’s a good ‘un.
