subscribe 0330 333 1113 I http://www.amateurphotographer.co.uk I 8 June 2019 33
ways to
prepare
your images
forprinting
W h iteWa l l’s
Product Manager,
Jan-Ole Schmidt,
shares his helpful
tips and tricks on
effectively preparing your
photosfor printing1
Resolution and file format
Foroptimal production, use the
highestresolution available and don’t
scaleyourphoto up or down. Don’t
worryaboutwhether the resolution is
toolow:theWhiteWall configurator only
offerssizesthe resolution of your photo
is sufficientfor. Ideally, you don’t want to
compressyour image at all. Save it with
8-bitcolourand an sRGB colour space.
Whetheryouuse TIFF or JPG format,
youcanupload multiple pictures up to
1GBin sizeat once.2
Colour and brightness
WhiteWall can optimise your file for
thebestpossible quality. Keep in mind
thatcolourand brightness can appear
differentona monitor compared to on
a print.There are two reasons for this.
First,a monitor is illuminated and paper
is not.Hencea monitor can display a
photoasbeing much brighter than
whatthephoto actually is. The second
reasonis that different papers have
theirownbase tone, meaning a pure
whitewilllook different from paper to
paper,affecting the overall brightness
andcolour.3
ICCcolour profiles for
softproofing
If youhavea calibrated monitor, ICC
profilesarethe perfect way to assess
howyourpictures will look on a
specialisedproduct. At WhiteWall, you
willfinddownloadable ICC colour
profilesformany product options (see
bit.ly/2vYhnHU).4
Testprints
Forthose who don’t have a
calibratedmonitor, WhiteWall offers a
hard-proofoption for all its different
papers.Fora lower price, you can order
a watermarked test print on the paper
of yourchoice, which lets you see how
yourpictureactually looks on that paper.Above:Thephoto
paperdevelopment
stageofprintingAboveleft:
WhiteWallensures
labourquality
assurancefor
allprints,
mountingsand
framingsWhiteWallis oneof theworld’stopandbiggestonlinephotographylabsbasedin
Frechen,Germany.It shipsbespokeprintedproductsworldwide,includingto the
UK.WhiteWalloffersa largerangeof servicesto photographersandconsumers,
withthelatestadvancedprintingtechniquesandhighestqualityresults.
Findoutmoreatwww.whitewall.com/ukor followtheirsocialmediaat
http://www.facebook.com/WhiteWallandInstagram@whitewall_lab.4
produces custom-sized mountings
and framings. Speak to the
WhiteWall customer service team if
you have a particular need.
If you need a nudge in the right
direction one of the most popular
papers for black & white fine art
photographers is the Ilford Baryta.
The paper gets its name from the
chemical it’s coated with – barium
sulfate, also known as baryta. The
process works by first using a
cutting-edge LightJet laser process
to expose the print, followed by a
traditional silver halide developing,
fixing and washing process. This
desirable and durable black & white
paper not only stands the test of
time, but it also ensures the whites
in your print are brilliant and the
blacks deep for a perfect contrast.
If colour photography is more your
style, then another paper worth
looking at for its advanced qualities
is ultraHD print (that uses Fuji
Crystal Professional Archive
Maxima paper). By undertaking a
revolutionary exposure process
using a solid-state laser, WhiteWall
can bring even the minutest details
to life, crystal clear and razor sharp.
It’s these extra steps that WhiteWall
takes to ensure its products and
equipment are at the cutting edge of
technology and ready to take your
images to the next level.
Once you’ve chosen your paper
and printing technique it’s time to
ensure your image is ready for the
lab. WhiteWall accepts both JPG
and TIFF file formats, and if you
haven’t made any image
adjustments for printing then
WhiteWall has an ‘Automatic
Image Optimization’ option at the
shopping cart stage. When
selected, WhiteWall runs an
automatic brightness and contrast
enhancement tailored to your
image, as monitor displays are
often very bright, meaning photo
prints can often appear darker or
less colourful in comparison.
WhiteWall’s Product Manager,
Jan-Ole Schmidt, has top tips for
getting your image print ready...