AWPS How To… Preparing a print for DSCL 1

How to… prepare a print for DS Colour Labs

DS Colour Labs(DSCL) is an on-line printing company widely used by camera clubs to print high quality competition and exhibition prints at very competitive prices. JPEG image files can be uploaded directly to their website via your web browser or via a free app available from their site. They print on 3 FujiFilm papers - Glossy, Lustre and Pearl (a metallic effect) using Fuji Frontier printers (this is a chemical process, not ink-jet, DSCL offer an ink-jet printing service on a wider range of speciality papers but at a much higher price). Paper sizes for Fuji Frontier prints range from 5” x 3.5” to 18” x 12”.

All competition prints must be presented within 50cm x 40cm mounts, so in this How To… we’ll look at preparing a print for 16” x 12” paper. The image we will use is sized at 14.3” x 9.5” (a 2 x 3 ratio) at 300dpi, so printing on 16” x 12“ paper will leave a white border all round to allow for applying the print to the back of the mounting board.

DSCL recommend assigning their colour profile for each of their 3 papers. These profiles can be embedded in JPEG images in Photoshop CS but not in Elements, however an sRGB profile can be applied and the results are very close.

This step-by-step method was made using used in Adobe Elements 10 but it also can be followed in Adobe Photoshop.

Note: All image correction and editing should have already been made to your image before you begin this procedure.

Step 1: In Elements create a new document. This will be the exact size of the DSCL paper you want your image to be printed on: Menu/File/Blank File.

In the pop-out box change the unit sizes to inches (DSCL give their paper sizes in inches). Enter a Width of 16” and a Height of 14”. The resolution should be 300dpi, Colour RGB, Background Contents (the colour) White. You can should give the document a title, e.g. ‘16”x12” Paper’. Then click OK (see diagram A).

Step 2: Save this document - you will be able to use it again to make further prints, so you don’t have to recreate it each time.

Step 3: Open the image you want to print: Menu/File/Open The image may initially appear next to your ‘16”x12” Paper’ document in the tabs.

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Step 4: Check that your image is correctly sized for the paper: Menu/Image/Resize/Image Size (see diagram B). If your image appears too big you can resize it at the next stage, but if it’s much too small you will need to go back to your original and see if you can make a bigger image. It’s not a good idea to enlarge an image (beyond a few percent) at this stage, you risk producing a poor quality, pixilated or ‘blocky’ looking printed image.

Step 4: The default setting in Adobe Elements does not allow for Floating Documents, so to release documents from the tabs go to Preferences/General and tick the box ‘Allow Floating Documents in Full Edit Mode’. (see diagram C).

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C

TIP: Alternatively you can select the image, copy it, return to the ‘16”x12” Paper’ window and paste, your image will be pasted centrally as a new layer.

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Step 5: Drag the image tab down and to the side so the image document is now floating on top of the ‘16”x12” Paper’ (see diagram D).

Step 6: Choose the ‘Move Tool’ from the tool pallet (see diagram E).

Click on the image and keep the mouse button down, now hold down the keyboard shift key while dragging the image out of it’s frame and on top of the 16”x12” Paper’.

If done correctly your image should now be placed centrally over the 16”x12” template’ document. The image will appear as a new layer in the Layers Pallet (see diagram F).

Move Tool

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F

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Step 7: If your image is too big you can reduce the size to fit the paper by clicking on you image in the Layers Pallet, holding down the shift key and dragging the image inwards from a corner square and repositioning the image over the paper. If you drag the image while holding down the alt/shift keys the image will be resized centrally on the paper.

Step 8: When you are happy with the size and position your image on the paper, and you’ve left at least an inch of white border on all sides, you can flatten the image (see diagram G).

Step 9: Save your image as a JPEG: Menu/File/Save As Give your image file a new title, include the size of the image too and the finish required (Gloss, Lustre or Pearl) this info will be helpful when you come to upload your image to DSCL. Save as a JPEG with the Embed sRGB profile box ticked. (see diagram H).

Your image is now ready to be uploaded to DSCL.

www.woolwichphotgraphic.com

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H

Marshall Pinsent 13-03-13