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CHOOSE THE RIGHT PRINTER
Digital SLR
Reviews on Epson A4, A3+ and A2+ inkjet models
Advanced Photographer
CREATE THE perfect print The kit and techniques you need for great results – every time
get pro quality RESULTS
Produce prints you’ll be proud to hang on your wall EPSON 01.indd 1
20/2/13 17:13:37
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Digital SLR
Join our Campaign for Real Prints Along with Epson, we’re on a mission to get photographers printing and have tried the latest Expression models to demonstrate what modern inkjets have to offer
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ewer numbers of us are printing our images. After spending hours filling memory cards in pursuit of the perfect image, it seems that many of us are happy to let the resulting files gather fluff on a hard drive. This, obviously, is a bad thing. Producing an A4 print is the ultimate accolade for your photographic endeavours. It’s a physical confirmation that you’ve produced shots to be proud of; shots that you want to instantly share with friends and family members or frame and put on a wall so everyone can enjoy them for years to come. That’s why we want to get photographers printing again through our Campaign for Real Prints. And one of the best ways to produce a high-quality print that shows your work at its finest is to use an Epson A4 inkjet printer. Epson’s range of Expression models puts high-quality printing within reach of every photographer, regardless of space, ability or budget. Rest assured, there is an Expression printer that’s suitable for your needs. To find out what’s on offer we tried the Expression XP-750 and XP-850 models, which combine both printing and scanning functions for an all-round home printing solution. Here we’ve picked out just a small selection of our favourite features that will help you get highquality results in a matter of minutes. Simple set-up The XP-750 and XP-850 both offer Wi-Fi connectivity so the only cable you have to plug in is the mains lead. What’s more, setting up the Wi-Fi connection couldn’t be any easier. Pop the CD into your PC or Mac and let the software do the rest. It took less than 10 minutes from unpacking the printers for them to be ready for action! The XP-750 or XP-850 can then be positioned anywhere in your house – no need to be in the same room as the computer – and being 40 per cent smaller than previous models, they won’t take up much room wherever they go. Further Wi-Fi functionality is offered by the Wi-Fi Direct feature, which enables another Wi-Fi device to connect
straight to the printers without the need for a Wi-Fi network. This makes printing from smartphones or tablets easier than ever. For those users who don’t want to use Wi-Fi, both printers also offer Ethernet and USB connections. Easy to use With a whole host of features on offer, the XP-750 and XP-850 could be daunting to use, but the printers sport a refreshingly clean design thanks to the 8.8cm touch-screen control panel. Whether you want to print, scan, scroll through images on a memory card or change printer settings, it’s all done through the touch screen and it’s as easy and intuitive as using a smartphone. The panel also provides access to ink levels and displays simple status updates so you know exactly what the printer is doing. Impressive print quality The XP-750 and XP-850 deliver a consummate printing performance that will show your work off at its very best. Six Claria Photo HD inks are used to deliver great prints in both colour and black & white. Both models produce results that wouldn’t look out of place in an art gallery and will certainly grace any wall or mantelpiece. Two sizes of the Claria Photo HD inks are available – standard and XL for even better value for money – and with the vibrant colours, smooth tones and deep blacks we saw on offer, you wouldn’t want to use anything other than Epson’s own inks for the very best results. Using Epson’s inks also guarantees that your images will last a lifetime, and beyond. Store them carefully in a photo album and they’ll last up to 300 years. As for the print itself, both models feature motorised output trays so there’s no need to worry about prints getting mangled in the printer. The paper trays accept a wide range of paper thicknesses and if you want to print onto thicker card, this can be fed through the back of the printer. Even CDs and DVDs can be printed on to using the removable tray.
Both the XP-850 (right) and XP-750 (below) are fully featured A4 all-inone printers that will help you get highquality results.
“Producing an A4 print is the ultimate accolade for your photographic endeavours” CAMPAIGN FOR REAL PRINTS
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right Epson’s iPrint app allows printing direct from tablets and smartphones. BELOW The touch screen makes the XP-850 simple to use. Individual ink cartridges offer better economy.
All-round versatility To be honest, we were already sold on the XP-750’s and XP-850’s capabilities simply after setting up and printing, but they both offer much more. For those times when you don’t want to print out high-quality images and just want to print documents, for example, the duplex (double-sided) printing option will save paper, plus the scanner can also be used as a copier. There are some fun features too, our favourite is the Colouring Book option that enables you to convert a photo or scan into a line drawing for the kids to colour in. Plus the Photo Layout Sheet option enables you to print a sheet of thumbnails of images directly from a memory card. But arguably the best technology is through the remote services on offer. Download the free Epson iPrint app, for example, and you can print straight from your iPad or Android tablet, while the cloud-based services allow you to email images directly to the printer for output from anywhere in the world! Find out how Epson can help you to get great prints at home by visiting www.epson.co.uk or calling 0871 423 7766 CAMPAIGN FOR REAL PRINTS
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Advanced Photographer
The bigger, the better
Want to see your digital images in all their glory? Epson’s R3000 A3+ printer will help you do just that. But as Roger Payne finds out, printing big can be seriously addictive
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month doesn’t seem to go by these days without a new camera coming out with a higher megapixel count. Today, most models have at least 16 megapixels and a fair number have 20+. The upshot of all this is bigger image files that can be printed out far larger than A4 without a drop in image quality. As an owner of a 20+ megapixel DSLR, I regularly have to downsize my images to print them out on my A4 unit at home. And while a high-quality A4 print can still cut it as a way to display images, there’s no doubt that when it comes to prints, bigger is most certainly better. The problem with using postal labs for larger sizes is that print costs are relatively high, plus you’re always at the mercy of the postal service when it comes to delivery. So, why not take quality control and delivery into your own hands and produce lab-quality prints in the comfort of your own home? That’s what our Campaign for Real Prints is all about. Along with Epson, we want to get more people printing their photographs, so with this in mind, I got my hands on Epson’s R3000 inkjet printer and prepared to do true justice to some of my images. As I discovered, though, once you start printing out at larger sizes with the R3000, it’s difficult to go back. Here’s why... Wireless connectivity I’ll admit it, I’ve found A3+ printers like the R3000 a little daunting in the past – the set-up alone seems to have required some specialist knowledge – so it was with some trepidation that I unpacked the Epson. I needn’t have worried. I quickly had the unit primed, the ink cartridges in position and then set about loading the drivers.
Thanks to the R3000’s Wi-Fi compatibility, I was ready to print in no time. Configuring the Wi-Fi connection using my home broadband was as simple as clicking a few buttons and it meant I could site the printer anywhere I wanted in my house. There’s no longer any need to make the space on your desk. Not that a huge amount of space is needed for the R3000 – it’s surprisingly small given its print size capability. If you don’t want to print wirelessly, Ethernet and USB connections are also on tap. With drivers loaded, all I needed was a quick nozzle check to confirm the ink was flowing and the print head aligned. From unopened box to print ready took less than 30 minutes. Ease of use Many of the technologies housed in the R3000 are taken from Epson’s large-format printers - if it’s good enough for professional printers, it’s good enough for me and everything about the R3000 makes it easy to get high-quality results. I chose to print all my images through Photoshop, allowing the software to manage the colours while I just resized images before selecting paper type and image quality. I found the standard 1440dpi output, which produces an A3+ print in just over three minutes, to be more than adequate for most of my shots, but if you’ve got a really special shot, go for 5760dpi and use specific ICC profiles supplied on the bundled CD. Those of you concerned by the cost of duff prints can rest assured that my number of rejects was precisely zero. Functions-wise, you’re kept fully informed by the backlit colour LCD on the front of the R3000, which constantly displays ink levels and also has an easy to use menu system should you want to run simple maintenance checks or use different print media. It also takes you through ink cartridge changing, step by step. When it comes to printing on different paper, there isn’t much the R3000 can’t handle. Normal printing papers are fed through the rear, but thicker media up to 1.3mm can be fed through the front of the printer via a dedicated tray. There’s even the capacity to attach rolls of paper via the feeder supplied, plus the ability to print on to CDs and DVDs.
ABOVE Thicker media – up to 1.3mm – is fed through the dedicated slot at the front.
ABOVE Wi-Fi connectivity means the R3000 can be sited anywhere in the house.
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From the moment the first A3+ print dropped into the R3000’s output tray, I was hooked
TOP Large ink cartridges mean you can produce plenty of A3 prints between changes. ABOVE Colour LCD keeps you well informed.
Print quality From the moment the first A3+ print dropped into the R3000’s output tray, I was hooked. There really is nothing like seeing your efforts printed out and before long I was in a frenzy of printing and ferreting back through my archives to find favourite shots. 50 sheets of paper and a morning disappeared rather quickly. Oops! The print quality is addictively good. The unit uses eight separate UltraChrome K3 inks which deliver smooth tones and highly accurate colours across a wide range of subjects. From subtle greens and browns through to punchy primaries, the R3000 was more than a match for anything my digital files could throw at it. The real revelation, however, came when I printed some black & white images. The results reminded me of my days spent elbow-deep in darkroom chemicals with a full range of blacks, whites and greys displayed in every image. You can even add a cool, warm or sepia tone to your shots via the printer driver – the warm tone proved to be a particular favourite. One of the secrets are the four densities of black inks. Only three out of the four are used at any
one time, with the printer automatically switching between photo and matte black according to the media being used. Also impressive is the ink cartridge capacity. Each one holds 25.9ml of ink and,
after the aforementioned morning of frenetic printing, there was still plenty left to keep me printing through the afternoon, evening and into the wee small hours.
Find out how Epson can help you to get great prints at home by visiting www.epson.co.uk or calling 0871 423 7766
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PROFIT FROM PRINTING
Printing images for clients keeps margins and quality high. We tried out Epson’s Pro 3880 A2+ inkjet to see just how much it offers the pro looking for a new revenue stream hen was the last time you looked at the prints you supply to your clients? And when we say ‘look’ we don’t mean a cursory glance, we mean thoroughly studied the print quality. Checking it for depth and accuracy of colours, how well the more subtle tones are reproduced and, of course, the condition that the print itself is in. Many working photographers don’t take the time to ensure the products they’re passing on to clients are the very best they can be. That’s a dangerous game to play, of course. Those prints are what your clients will keep in the months and
Bigger cartridges = better economy
years ahead, so it’s imperative that they reflect well both on your photographic talent and your business as a whole. There are many high-quality labs around the country that will deliver fantastic results for you and your clients, but for real peace of mind and unrivalled quality control you can’t beat printing the images yourself. That’s why we’ve got together with Epson to spearhead the Campaign for Real Prints, in a bid to get more photo enthusiasts and pros printing. Epson produces a huge range of inkjet printers and media that are designed to cater for every printing need and budget. When it comes to the professional, however, one model in the range stands out as a real workhorse that can sit at the heart of any pro photographer’s workflow; the Stylus Pro 3880. We took one for a test drive.
The Stylus Pro 3880 uses the same Epson UltraChrome K3 inks as the company’s large format printers with nine pigmented inks delivering a huge range of colours. The inks are supplied in 80ml cartridges, which provide an economical solution for pros producing a variety of print sizes. What’s more, the Stylus Pro 3880 offers a clever feature whereby you can see how much ink has been used on each of the last ten prints so you can quickly work out your actual print costs. The cartridges include two Vivid Magenta inks, which are designed to deliver better results on normally tricky colours such as blues and purples. These are joined by four black inks with the Stylus Pro 3880 automatically switching between Photo and Matte black according to the media you select. Yellow and two Cyan cartridges complete the ink line-up.
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Winner of multiple photographic awards, the Epson Stylus Pro 3880 is an A2+ machine that accepts paper up to 17 inches wide. Despite this impressive media handling capability, it’s a relatively compact unit. If you already have an A3 printer, don’t expect a huge leap in dimensions, so it will comfortably fit into the corner of an office or studio, providing you leave enough space behind it to accommodate the heavier weight media that has to be fed from the front. Most ‘normal’ printing papers feed from the back and land in the extendable front tray.
ABOVE The nine pigmented inks come in large 80ml cartridges. This makes the Stylus Pro 3880 more economical than smaller models.
ABOVE LCD interface and cartridge changing makes the Stylus Pro 3880 simple to use.
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How much does a print cost? The Stylus Pro 3880 offers a handy feature that enables you to check how much of each one of the nine inks has been used to produce a print. Data is collected for the last ten jobs so be sure to do it regularly if the printer gets some heavy use. Here’s how it’s done: 1) Press the Menu button on the far right of the LCD, then use the up and down arrows to select Test Print.
2) Use the up and down arrows to scroll through the options again and select Job Information, then choose Print and press the central button.
High-quality prints in minutes With the inks in place, the printer driver loaded and the nozzles checked, it was time to get down to printing. There’s no Wi-Fi connectivity here, just good old USB or Ethernet, which gives you the option to create a wireless network via a router. Naturally, we went straight for a borderless A2 print and were immediately impressed with the output quality. Two printing options are available – 1440dpi and 2880dpi – both were excellent, but we’d be inclined to stick with the lower resolution and make those cartridges last a little longer. All the prints were produced through Photoshop where we left the software to manage the colour accuracy and chose the necessary profiles for the variety of media tested. Most profiles come with the bundled Epson software, although there are some papers for which you’ll need to visit the Epson website for the correct
profile. Third-party media profiles are also supplied but, again, you may need to download additional ones. Using the Stylus Pro 3880 to produce highquality prints that both you and your clients will be delighted with is extremely easy. Just as you would have produced test prints in the darkroom, getting the initial print right may take a few pieces of paper, but this likelihood is reduced with an accurately (and regularly) calibrated monitor, plus a few minutes spent tweaking settings for optimum results. When you look at the facts, it’s hard to argue against taking more control of your printing output. Of course there’s the initial outlay for the printer itself, but doing so opens up a wealth of new revenue opportunities. Take advantage of just a few of them and the Stylus Pro 3880 could soon be paying for itself.
Using the Stylus Pro 3880 to produce high-quality prints that your clients will be delighted with is extremely easy
3) The Stylus Pro 3880 produces an A4 sheet showing individual ink cartridge usage for the last ten jobs, the most recent job is at the top.
Based on Epson RRPs for inks and media, we calculated that an A3 print with a half-inch white border cost around £2.58 in ink and Premium Glossy paper.
Find out how Epson can help you to get great prints by visiting www.epson.co.uk or calling 0871 423 7766
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Advanced Photographer
Produce your best ever prints
Stick with Epson and you’ll be producing great prints in no time. We show you how simple it is to get results good enough to hang on your wall
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ur Campaign for Real Prints is all about helping you get the best quality prints from your favourite images. In order to do that, you need to take matters into your own hands and print your images at home using one of the comprehensive range of Epson inkjet printers. Packed with the latest inkjet technology and user-friendly features including
wireless connectivity, Epson’s latest models deliver high-quality results, print after print, and are far more economical than going to either a high street or professional lab. Models such as the Epson Stylus Photo R3000 enable you to produce high-quality A3+ prints at home, but many users make the common mistake of buying the
printer and then skimping on media or inks. That’s akin to cooking fillet steak and serving it up on paper plates! While Epson papers and inks may cost that little extra compared to some third-party products, there’s good reason for that. And after taking a trip to the company’s ink manufacturing plant in Telford, we’ve seen at first-hand exactly why that is.
The secret’s in the ink
The Stylus Photo R3000 uses nine UltraChrome K3 inks, which represent the pinnacle of Epson’s ink technology. UltraChrome inks are pigmented so they deliver superior results over dye-based inks on a wide variety of media, including a large gamut of colours, deeper blacks and impressive water resistance. Print longevity is also excellent – stored in optimum conditions, a print from an R3000 will last up to 300 years, so your work will be enjoyed by many generations to come! Every aspect of cartridge manufacture is strictly monitored in Epson’s Telford plant, which produces over 80 per cent of the cartridges for the whole of Europe. From the moulding of the cartridge itself through to the ink that is put in it, all aspects are checked and double-checked throughout the manufacturing process to stringent quality control standards. There are also numerous patents covering the cartridges’ design, so although other cartridges claim to be the same, they aren’t. In short, using Epson’s inks ensures not only that you’ll get the highest quality images, you’ll also extend the longevity of the printer itself. ABOVE The Stylus Photo R3000 uses high capacity individual ink cartridges to ensure the value for money. You’ll get the best results with genuine Epson inks.
Using Epson inks ensures the highest quality images and extends the longevity of the printer
Choosing the right media
ABOVE Print using Epson inks and media and you’ll be producing results good enough to grace any wall.
Photography is all about selfexpression and that isn’t limited to how you frame an image or how you set the exposure, it also comes down to how you print the resulting file – and the media you use. Epson offers a vast range of printing media all of which can be used to convey a different feeling or mood in your shots. If you want to produce prints that will look great on any wall or mantelpiece, the more conventional Premium Gloss, Semigloss and Luster papers will deliver superb, bright
colours that show your shots at their very best. But if you want to be more creative, consider one of the matte, fine art or traditional photo papers. Black & white images, meanwhile, look superb on Epson’s Hot and Cold Press papers, which are available in both Bright and Natural finishes, plus there are also canvas materials and thick boards that can be used to personalise your images further. For more on getting the best possible print, see the step-by-step guide on the page opposite.
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Get great results, first time You can get great prints straight out of the box, but spending a few minutes on each file will help you get consistent results every time. We used the Epson Stylus Photo R3000 to get this perfect A3 print. Here’s how:
1) Make sure your monitor is calibrated Monitor calibration is vital in your quest for consistently high-quality prints, so if you don’t have a monitor calibrator, we’d advise you to get one. A variety of models is available, but they all do essentially the same thing, ensuring that what you see on the screen is what you get from the printer. Be sure to recalibrate your monitor regularly – at least once a month – and more often if you do a lot of printing.
3) Use the correct ICC profile The software that’s supplied with the R3000 contains a number of ICC profiles for different Epson printing media. In addition for being used to print out, these profiles are used for soft proofing. Select View>Proof Setup>Custom and the Customize Proof Condition dialogue box will open. Under the Device to Simulate pop-up menu, find the correct profile for the printer and media you’re using. If the profile isn’t available, visit the Epson website.
2) Set up for soft proofing Soft proofing enables you to check that what you see on screen is what you’ll get on the resulting print. With the image open in Photoshop, start by creating a duplicate (Image>Duplicate) and on the duplicated version perform a Gamut Warning by choosing View>Gamut Warning (short cut Ctrl+Shift+Y). This will give you a quick visual indication of the areas of the image that may not print exactly as they are on screen. That’s because monitors have a wider gamut than printers. If it’s a large area, you may wish to make some tweaks to the image.
4) Make corrections as required Once the ICC profile is selected, from the Rendering Intent menu choose Perceptual, then make sure that the Black Point Compensation and Simulate Paper Color boxes are both ticked. Now click on Preview to view what the image will look like. There could be a large difference, in which case you may want to bring the duplicated copy as close to the original as possible before printing. Once you’re happy, you can save the profile and give it a name by clicking on Save, or simply OK if you want to move on.
5) Preparing for printing Select File>Print to open Photoshop’s Print dialogue box. Start below the preview by clicking on the correct orientation. Then move across to the centre controls making sure the correct printer is selected. Now choose Page Setup and ensure you have the right paper size selected. If you want to fit the image to the paper, tick the Scale to Fit Media box.
6) Set colour management and print One the right-hand side of the Print dialogue box, make sure the Proof button is selected then, working down the window, select Photoshop Manages Colors in the Color Handling menu and the same ICC profile is chosen in the Printer Profile menu, making sure Simulate Paper Color is also ticked. When you click Print, a second Print dialogue box will appear and, again, just hit Print. You don’t need to set all the settings a second time. Then it’s simply a case of sitting back and letting all the Epson technologies do their job!
Soft proofing enables you to check that what you see on screen is what you’ll get on the print Find out how Epson can help you to get great prints at home by visiting www.epson.co.uk or calling 0871 423 7766
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PRINTING EXCELLENCE
If you’re serious about printing and want to take your images to the next level, here are two ways in which Epson’s committed to helping you achieve your best ever prints Digigraphie by Epson
ten of). The print run of each Digigraphie In the age of digital printing, it can be work will be displayed on the Digigraphie difficult to reassure yourself – and certificate that accompanies each print, anyone who purchases your prints – that and if the photographer is found to your work will last the test of time. That’s transgress these guidelines, Epson can why Epson created Digigraphie: a mark remove them from the programme. of excellence that gives your creations For those willing to abide by the the seal of approval. guidelines, there are several ways that Launched in 2003, the Digigraphie photographers can become Digigraphers. ABOVE Digigraphie represents the very guidelines are in place to ensure If you’re keen to print images yourself, photographers maintain the Digigraphie pinnacle of printing with an Epson inkjet you could choose to purchase the standards, protecting both Digigraphers model. Digigraphie Box and sign the official (as they’re known) and collectors from Artist’s Charter, promising to abide by the inferior products. Only an Epson Stylus terms of the standard. The box contains Pro professional printer can produce (amongst other items) the official printer Digigraphie prints, and it must use profiles for Epson certified printers, a Epson UltraChromeTM inks on certified media sample booklet and the highDigigraphie paper. The final print must quality cold-stamp embosser, which all also be authenticated: numbered, signed quality assurance, there’s a network Digigraphie prints are marked with. You by the artist, marked with the official of Digigraphie-certified labs available can even order a special customised Digigraphie stamp and accompanied throughout thefile UK will who’ll provide stamp that shows your signature, giving by the print’s certificate. If any of these You can get great prints straight out your of the box, but spending a few minutes on each help youtheget official paperwork to accompany each work an extra level of excellence. four rules are not met, the print is not consistent results every print and stamp your work for you before There’s no annual fee or subscription to a true Digigraphie creation andtime. there’s returning it. become a Digigrapher, just a one-off cost no guarantee of quality. There’s also a So whether you choose to print your ‘Moral Commitment’ to be undertaken by for the box – which you can order, along own photographs or use the services with specialist Digigraphie-standard the photographer, where they promise of a specialist lab, you can still proudly printers, inks and media, from one of to observe the limits they’ve placed on say that you’re part of an elite group of Epson’s accredited Digigraphie resellers. the printing of their own work (ie. not printing specialists – the Digigraphers. If you’d rather have a lab handle printing hundreds of versions of an And even if the accolade isn’t the your printing but still want the same image that they promised to only print be-all and end-all for you, by using the suggested equipment that’s part of the Digigraphie experience, you’re guaranteed superior print quality every time. www.digigraphie.com/uk
Digigraphie by Epson
Proudly say you’re part of an elite group of specialists – the Digigraphers
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Print perfect black & whites
COLOUR ORIGINAL
MONO IMAGE
Want to produce black & white prints as good as the pros? It’s easy with the Epson Stylus Photo R3000 The real acid test for an inkjet printer is its ability to print black & white images. Epson’s Stylus Photo R3000 offers an advanced black & white printer driver and three black inks to deliver a superb range of tones. Better still, you can even select a tone to add to your monochrome images. Here’s how you can create brilliant black & white prints in four simple steps. We used a Mac, on a PC the layout is slightly different and it’s even easier!
1) Convert your image to black & white Using Photoshop CS3, we converted the original colour image to black & white by using the Channel Mixer (Image>Adjust>Channel Mixer). Don’t use the Grayscale conversion as this gets rid of lots of vital image data. Make any further tweaks until it looks perfect on screen.
2) Change Print settings in Photoshop Go to File>Print to open the Photoshop print dialogue. It’s important that you leave the printer to manage the colours so select this from the dropdown menu on the right. Then, make sure that you’ve selected the right paper size and type and scaled the image up as you require.
3) Make further changes in second Print window Hit Print in the Photoshop window to bring up a second print window. Start by going to the central drop-down menu and choose the Color Matching option. Here, EPSON Color Control needs to be selected, not ColorSync. These options may be greyed out, but it’s a good safety check.
4) Select Advanced B&W settings, then print From the same drop-down menu, choose Print Settings and under the Color menu, select Advanced B&W. Move down to the Color Toning menu and then choose your tone of choice. We opted for Neutral, but Warm looks great too. Finally, choose Print Quality, then hit Print.
EPSON PRINT ACADEMY For those who need a few pointers to finetune their printing, Epson and the training company Aspect2i have joined forces to offer a series of workshops known as the Epson Print Academy. The collection of training days exists to give keen printers a helping hand with all aspects of their work. With different courses covering a whole spectrum of printing essentials, there’s something to help photographers of every ability level – and with prices around £75 for a full day including lunch, they’re excellent value for money too. We spoke to Paul Gallagher of Aspect2i about the Print Academy and their mission to equip photographers with the necessary skills to create fantastic prints. For starters, a Print Academy course will help you unlock the potential contained within the kit you already own as a photographer. “Since the onslaught of the wonderful digital age, people get printers, take them out of the box and just start using them – but they’re quite a technical bit of kit,” Paul says, also mentioning image-editing software as “amazingly powerful programs” that offer so many unexplored possibilities.
“The idea of the Print Academy is to give people the opportunity to explore the learning curve of making a print,” he says. “For me, the tail end of the photographic journey has always been holding a finished print. The Print Academy will teach people the skills they need and get them off the ground with printing.” There are many roads to the end of a photographic journey and the Print Academy caters for all types, running different courses specialising in different genres of picture-taking. If you’re a black & white worker, the course on the perfect monochrome print might be for you – or if you prefer landscapes, why not take the Master Post Processing workshop, where the focus is on adjusting landscapes? Courses take place in locations throughout England and the team is hoping to even start days in Scotland later in the year. Around 15 people usually attend each full day of learning that’s completely focused on the subject in question. Run by experts who are both excellent printmakers and experienced photographers, the advice given is a combination of real world experience and technical know-how.
The idea of the Print Academy is to give people the opportunity to explore the learning curve of making a print
to Find out more about the print academy and digigraphie, visit www.epson.co.uk or call 0871 423 7766
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JANUARY 2013 PHOTO PROFESSIONAL 12
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