Instructor Insight: Get Your Screen and Print Images to Match with David Saffir

David shares five universal tips for getting the best prints out of your inkjet printer:

I.  LOCATION
Park your printer in a cool, dry place and ensure moderate humidity.

II.  INKS
Always use manufacturer’s inks. Third party inks are OK for many uses, but I don’t recommend them for photography.

III.  CALIBRATION
A quality display and calibration go hand in hand. Using calibration software, set screen brightness to 90-110 cd/sqm. Most screens are 200+, ruining any chance of matching the image on your screen to the final print.

IV.  SOFT PROOFING
Soft Proofing in Photoshop is a valuable, but overlooked, tool. Learn to use it! Locate it in the menu bar: View > Proof Setup > Custom.

V.  PROFILES
When printing, use “Photoshop Manages Color” or ”Application Managed Color.” Make sure your paper profiles (sometimes called ICC or ICM profiles) are in the right folders:

• Mac OSX: User > Library > Colorsync > Profiles
• Windows NT, 2000, XP and Vista: Windows > System32 > Spool > Drivers > Color 

Check out the step-by-step instructions to match your screen to print.

You can learn more from David in his workshop with Jack Duganne
Fine-Art Digital Printmaking
February 28-March 6, 2010

Visit his blog at davidsaffir.wordpress.com to see what he's up to.