subscribe 0330 333 1113 I http://www.amateurphotographer.co.uk I 14 March 2020 35
Top tips for
printing
1
Don’t print for the
sake of it
Printing your images is an investment
and there is no point in doing it just for
the sake of it. Think about how you want
your printed image to be viewed. Is it
part of a series or a standalone piece?
Is your image going to be framed, or
mounted? Is it for yourself or for a
client? Answer all these questions fi rst
before you splash out.2
You still need to
calibrate your screen
Although you might not think you need
your screen correctly colour calibrated
for black & white printing, you do. If
your screen is too light you won’t see
the highlight detail and if it’s too dark
you won’t get accurate shadows.3
Which paper?
When picking the right paper for
black & white there are many things to
consider, from the weight of the paper
to the fi nal fi nish (do you want it matte,
glossy, silk). For black & white printing
it’s also crucial to look at the paper’s
Dmax rating (this is the deepest tone of
black available to your paper/printer/ink
combination). Matte papers absorb more
ink, whereas glossy papers don’t and have
a higher Dmax rating. This means on a
glossy print the blacks will be deeper.4
I C C p r o fi l e
Whether printing from home or
sending your image to a lab you’ll need
to use the correct ICC profi le for your
paper. An ICC profi le basically tells your
printer how to handle the colour space
to get the colours or tones in a black &
white image correct.IN ASSOCIATION WITH
‘ClaireGillo’sblack& whiteimage above
perfectlycapturestheintimateatmosphere of
a concert.In ordertounderlinethe original
grungelook,I wouldrecommend going with
WhiteWall’sDirectPrintonAluminium Backing.
AnotheroptionwouldbeourBaryta Paper.
Thisheavyblack& whitephotopaper has a
glossysurfaceanda silkyshimmer because of
thebarytatexture.Andasa finishingtouch,addingour solid wood
frameHamburgin blackoakanda whitepasse-partout gives the
pictureanelegant,high-classandextraordinarylook.’
Jan-OleSchmidt,ProductManager
WhiteWall.comWhiteWallrecommends
4 The right profi le
Companies such as WhiteWall enable you to
download ICC profi les for your paper. Once they
are downloaded and installed on your computer
you can select it from the Profi le list on the side
bar. Also check Simulate Paper and Ink, and
tweak your image until you are happy with the
tone and look of the end result. Export out.
requires thought and cost,
even if you are doing it
yourself from home. What
paper are you going to use?
Are you going to frame it?
Do you want a mount?
Glass? However, if you invest
time into printing your
images (even if it’s just one a
year) you will pick up new
skills and have something to
hang on your wall and show
for all your hard work. I
rarely print more than one or
two images a year, however
I’m a great believer in quality
over quantity. If I’m going to
turn one of my images into a
material object – I want to
do it well.
I love capturing people and
this image was taken at a
festival last year. I decided to
convert the image to black &white at the editing stage
and make a few basic
adjustments to tweak the
end result. See my top tips
and step-by-step workfl ow
for advice on how to print in
monochrome.
You can fi nd out more
about me and my work at
http://www.clairegillo.com or
follow me on Instagram
@clairegillophotography.