The Darlow Report
by Andrew Darlow
9/03/09
Hi folks:
With a sudden drop in temps, it's like someone turned on the A/C
outside in my area of the northeast USA. I hope that RDJ readers are
not being adversely affected by the bad wildfires in California. We
drove past a raging home fire visible from the highway yesterday and
that alone was very bad. I can only imagine what it must be like right
now in parts of CA.
For this edition, I share a new product announcement, a tip from my
book, 301 Inkjet Tips and Techniques, and mention some upcoming
Photoshop and fine-art printing workshops in Ohio and New Jersey.
New Product Announcement: Epson Stylus Pro 3880
The Epson Stylus Pro 3880 was announced on September 1. It replaces the
Epson Stylus Pro 3800, which was a groundbreaking 17-inch-wide machine
that I've used and recommended highly for years to my students and
friends. The primary changes compared with the Epson Stylus Pro 3800
are as follows:
- Uses Epson UltraChrome® K3 with Vivid Magenta Ink and Vivid Light
Magenta Ink for a wider color gamut (the 3800 used UltraChrome K3
Magenta and Light Magenta ink).
- The printer uses new AccuPhoto HD2 technology, that provides
smoother color transitions and better highlight and shadow detail for
prints with a true photographic look.
I had an opportunity to see a number of prints made on the printer at
a press event in New York City, and I was impressed by the black and
white and color print quality, sharpness and detail.
Pricing is as follows (at least in the USA):
Standard Edition: MSRP: $1,295
Graphic Arts Edition (includes a version of the ColorBurst RIP): MSRP:
$1,495
For much more info about the Epson Stylus Pro 3880, visit:
http://www.epson.com/proimaging/StylusPro3880.html
--
Printing Tip: Print a test at multiple resolutions and with different
settings.
I mentioned print quality in the review above, and getting a high
quality print, even from a high quality printer, can be tricky.
Because every printer model is different, you can find just the right
settings by running a few tests. First, output a test print of a small
image, or a small section of an image, at different printer
resolutions, such as 720 DPI, 1440 DPI, etc. Then print the same
cropped section from an image at different resolutions, such as 180
PPI, 240 PPI, etc. It’s best to start at higher resolutions and then
size down your file in increments to test it at lower resolutions. You
don’t want to size up or "interpolate" your file when doing this test
because that will degrade image quality.
(Click to enlarge)
You can also print with certain features checked (above), then unchecked, such
as "High Speed," which on Epson printers causes the printer to print
in bi-directional mode (the print head puts down ink in both
directions), as opposed to uni-directional. Other printers, such as
some HP Pro-level printers might use the term "More Passes," or
Maximum Detail to indicate more passes and/or uni vs. bi-directional
printing. The only way to know for sure whether this reduction in
print speed is worthwhile is to test! Yes, you will sometimes have to
wait 2, 3, 5 or even 10 times longer for your print to be done
depending upon what options you choose!
Excerpted from Chapter 2 of "301 Inkjet Tips and Techniques:
An Essential Printing Resource for Photographers by Andrew Darlow" - To
download the full chapter from which this tip was taken (Chapter 2),
visit: http://www.inkjettips.com
--
Photo Tech 2009 Seminars: Cincinnati, OH
This information came to me from a member of the ASMP in Ohio. It
looks like a fantastic educational program, and you don't have to be
an ASMP member to attend.
ASMP Chapter Brings National Caliber Seminar to Cincinnati. Photo
Tech 2009
The Ohio Valley Chapter of the American Society of Media Photographers
is proud to present Photo Tech 2009, a comprehensive two day seminar
on November 12th & 13th at the Holiday Inn Eastgate in Cincinnati,
Ohio. This is the sixth year the chapter has hosted a two day Adobe
Photoshop Seminar but the first year that they have incorporated three
additional speakers that will be presenting timely topics dealing with
the Transition from Still Photography to Video, New Media Marketing,
and Digital Photography Best Practices and Workflow.
These are challenging times for the photography industry. Media
outlets are changing all the time and the still photographer is in
flux. This seminar is built to give photographers a new direction in
technology, a new avenue for marketing and an opportunity to see the
new photography tools that are changing the current landscape for
photography businesses today. After delivering five years of
consistently great photoshop programs, the Ohio Valley Chapter decided
to ratchet it up a few notches and make this year even better by
delivering even more content. Content relative to the changing market
for photographers.
The main body of Photo Tech 2009 will still be a two day Adobe
Photoshop & Lightroom seminar (The Best Damn Photoshop Seminar #6)
presented by David Marx. Marx is an ASMP Member, Instructor of 7
years at the Rocky Mountain School of Photography and a thriving
photographer shooting sports for publications such as Skiing Magazine,
National Geographic Adventure, and Outside Magazine. Marx has
extensive knowledge of digital photography, he is an Adobe Certified
Expert in Adobe Photoshop and Adobe Photoshop Lightroom and will be
presenting his best new tips and tricks in Photoshop CS4 and Lightroom
2. He will also present an extensive look at Lightroom 2, and will be
presenting from 9:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m. Thursday and Friday.
Three half-day seminars will run simultaneously with the Photoshop and
Lightroom seminar presented by Marx.
Thursday afternoon, Transitioning from Still to Video, will be
presented by Indianapolis Star Photographer / Videographer, Sam
Riche. Riche has taken the lead at the Star in successfully
transitioning the photo department to Video. He is a respected
speaker in the journalistic community and will be speaking about the
technology and software you must be aware of to be able to transition
to Video, along with his trials and tribulations in actually making
the transition himself.
Friday morning, New Media Secrets: Marketing & Your Message, will be
presented by ASMP Member, Rosh Sillars. Sillars is a veteran
photographer with a photojournalism background specializing in people,
food and interiors. Rosh offers his services to traditional media,
new media and corporate clients. He owns the creative representation
firm The Rosh Group, Inc. and teaches photography at two
universities. This program is about sharing the new rules in the
continuously changing landscape of communication. Sillars discusses
new internet tools and applications developed almost daily to help
individuals and organizations better tell their story through digital
marketing and personal branding.
Friday afternoon, DP Best Flow: Digital Photography Best Practices
and Workflow, will be presented by ASMP Member Jay Kinghorn. Kinghorn
is a prolific author, provocative speaker and Adobe Photoshop
Certified Expert trainer. Kinghorn uses his unique skill to help
companies and organizations strengthen their workflow processes and
envision creative uses for photography. His company, RGB Imaging,
works with clients to develop automated workflows for print, Web and
interactive marketing. This seminar will cover all you could ever
want and need to know about: Capture, Color, File Formats, Resolution,
Metadata, File Naming, Storage and Output / Delivery. After a two
years of research and a grant to ASMP, this program was developed and
is now being sponsored and presented by ASMP's national speakers.
Date: November 12 & 13, 2009
Location: Holiday Inn Eastgate, 4501 Eastgate Blvd, Cincinnati OH.
45245 (513)752-4400
Cost: ASMP Members - $135, ASMP Member Guest - $160, Member of Other
Professional Photographic Organization - $195, Non Member - $275
What you get for your money: Two Continental Breakfast's, Two sit
down Lunches, Thursday evening Vendor Reception, Thousands of dollars
in giveaways from some of the best companies.
Contact: Joe Harrison, ASMP Ohio Valley Co President, (859)240-9319
or joe@jhphoto.com
To register or for more information, visit www.asmpovc.org
--
Current Exhibition in New Brunswick, NJ
In my last column on RDJ, I announced a show of my prints in New
Brunswick, NJ. New York City and Japan are places that have had a
profound effect on me and in this show, I include about 25 images from
both places, from 20x24 framed prints to 40x70 inch prints on canvas.
Below is the show information:
East + West: Photographs of New York and Japan by Andrew Darlow
August 28 - September 16, 2009
For more info and to see some of the images from the show, visit:
http://www.alfaart.org/exhibitions_events.php#eastwest
--
Upcoming Fine-Art Inkjet Printing Workshops in NJ
On Sat. September 12 and Sun. September 13, 2009 from 10AM-5PM I'll be
conducting two separate one-day color management and inkjet printing
workshops.
The workshops are limited to just eight participants each, and both
will be held at Alfa Art Gallery in New Brunswick, NJ. For more info,
visit either of the following sites:
http://darlow912.eventbrite.com
http://darlow913.eventbrite.com
RDJ Readers can use the discount code "RDJ30" for $30 off the regular
workshop fee of $179 (coupon expires Sept. 8).
--
That's all for now. If you'd like to share any thoughts about my
thoughts, feel free to contact me through the contact form here:
http://www.inkjettips.com/contact-us/
...and here are a few of my social media links if you'd like to connect
(please just mention that you are a RDJ reader for Facebook and
LinkedIn):
Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/andrewdarlow
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/adarlow
LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/in/adarlow
All the best!
Andrew
*******
About Andrew:
Andrew Darlow is a photographer, author and digital imaging consultant
based in the New York City area. He is editor of The Imaging Buffet, an
online resource with news, reviews and interviews covering the
subjects of digital photography and printing. His new book, "301 Inkjet Tips and
Techniques: An Essential Printing Resource for Photographers" (Course Technology,
PTR), covers tips and techniques for prepping, printing and displaying
prints made using inkjet printers. For more information, and free chapter downloads,
visit http://www.inkjettips.com.
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