DigitalImpressions

40 PFM December 2013

by Hal Schmitt

As a custom framing retailer, you are in thebusiness of using your expertise to provideyour art clients, whether photographers or

artists, with professionally finished pieces. The artistsand photographers trust your products and your abil-ity to provide them with the quality they need tokeep their clients happy. However, as you receiveprints from your art clients, you may often find your-self wondering if you are leaving money on the tablebecause another business is printing your clients’images. The question is, as a custom framer, does itmake sense for your business to enter the productionprocess earlier by offering digital printing services?

Today’s printers, inks, and media choices makeprofessional digital printing more accessible and reli-able than ever, but the printing process can some-times be intimidating and expensive, which maymake you hesitant about jumping into this market.As a framer, you are used to providing the attentionto detail and the discipline needed to make digitalprinting simple and manageable. To make a sound,informed business decision about getting into fine artdigital printing, you need to look a bit deeper intothe realities of starting and maintaining a digitalprinting service. At that point, you’ll be able to makea cost-benefit analysis to determine if printing willbenefit your business.

Hardware is the first consideration. Digital inkjetprinters are available from several manufacturers,most notably Canon or Epson, and their professionalseries will deliver outstanding, archival print perform-ance. There are many factors that can lead you tochoose one model over another, but the primary con-sideration is size, with pro-level printers available

The Canon Pixma Pro-1 is a lower-cost starter model desk printer that delivers professional inkjet images in an 11”x14” format.

Getting Started in DigitalPrinting

from 13” to 60” wide. In today’s market, a 24” or 44”model will give you the most options. At a minimum,consider other variables, such as ink tank size, print headclog characteristics and history, manufacturer support,and feed (roll/cassette/manual/straight path) options.The quality of today’s inkjet output and significantlyexpanded paper choices leads most small print servicesto go with a professional inkjet printer.

While a printer is normally the largest and mostexpensive piece, it is definitely not the only device youneed to get started. A desktop computer optimized fordigital photography will allow you to run the necessaryimage optimization and output software. Along with thecomputer, you’ll also need a good monitor and a profil-ing device.

Color management and the hardware and softwareassociated with it is very important. It is the processphotographers and printers use to ensure consistent andaccurate color and tone throughout the digital workflow,from image capture to output. Every device like a moni-tor or printer/paper combination renders color and tonedifferently. Color management allows the operator tomeasure how particular devices perform and to translatecolor and tone from one device to the next. Color man-

PFM December 2013 41

agement also allows what you see on amonitor to look very similar to theprint.

In a color-managed workflow, thefirst step is to calibrate and profileyour devices. A colorimeter or spec-trophotometer from manufacturerssuch as X-Rite or DataColor is neces-sary to profile your monitor so thatwhat you see is as accurate in colorand tone as possible. Fortunately,many spectrophotometers can also beused to profile printer/paper combina-tions, another step in a color-managedworkflow.

A final, larger-ticket item is alighted review booth where you canexamine your prints for color andtonal accuracy as well as any otherdefects. You can easily construct yourown or look to a supplier such as GTIfor an off the shelf option. As youbegin to print you will probably findother hardware such as print drawers

or other small items are also necessaryto streamline your process.

Fortunately, the software side ismuch simpler. Basically, a digital printservice needs a software package tomanage client files, possibly optimizeimages for print, and to execute theoutput workflow. There are manyoptions, but the gold standard is stillAdobe Photoshop. Other programs orplug-ins may be combined withPhotoshop, but this is not necessary.

Printing begins with receiving,storing, and accessing your clients’digital files; known as digital assetmanagement (DAM). DAM is easilyhandled via the Bridge, a browser-likefunction in Photoshop. Photoshopalso excels at image optimization (ifyou offer that service) along with theactual steps of making a print.Although the software choice is sim-ple, Photoshop normally requiressome level of formal training to oper-

42 PFM December 2013

ate the interface effectively. The final components of print mak-

ing are the consumables—ink and media.Inkjet ink is one of the most expensivefluids on earth, often costing in excess of$3,000/gallon. So ink costs should beexpected to equal or exceed the amountyou spend on media. As a rule of thumb,ink costs about $1/square foot for largerprofessional printers that have ink tanksof 80 ml or greater.

There is an incredible selection ofinkjet media available today, from metal-lic gloss to canvas to fine art. Paperchoices fall into three broad categories:photo, fine art, and canvas. Photo papershave a reflective surface and includegloss, luster, pearl, and metallic gloss.They typically deliver excellent blacksand a wide color gamut. Fine art papershave a matte surface, are typically madefrom either 100 percent cotton or alphacellulose, and deliver slightly brighterblacks along with wide color. Lastly, can-vas is a weave of cotton or polyester orboth. Canvas is suitable for all images asit delivers great blacks and color gamutwhen coated for presentation. Most fineart papers and canvases may also be fin-ished with alternative coatings to providearchival, non-glass finishing.

Most print services start by offeringone or two photo papers, one fine artpaper, and possibly one canvas. The deci-sion is normally based on client prefer-

Hal Schmitt is the director and lead

instructor of LIGHT Photographic

Workshops in Los Osos, California. Hal

instructs workshops and photo tours on

all levels of photography, Lightroom,

Photoshop, and printing with a simple,

easy to understand approach.

ences and finishing options.While adding a digital printing

service can allow you to expand yourbusiness, taking all these factors intoaccount means there will be significantequipment and training overhead. As aresult, you’ll need to analyze yourpotential market, pricing, and revenueversus the expense of hardware, soft-ware, and consumables.

Assuming those numbers lookfavorable, the next step is to set up aworkflow and make some prints. Theworkflow involves only five steps todeliver consistent, repeatable results.That topic will be covered in the nextcolumn. ■

The Epson 9890 is one of the latest wide-format digitalprinters.

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