Digital Prints

with all the layers and adjustments, and while you can usually print from PSD, final work
destined for output is usually saved in a format like TIFF.
TIFF
Tagged Image File Format (TIFF) is the standard image
file format accepted by virtually all painting, image-editing,
and page-layout programs. And starting with
Photoshop 6.0, TIFFs have most of the same layers, vector
shapes, paths, and channels that exist in the native
PSD format. What most people do is store the master,
layered PSD file and make a flattened TIFF copy for
sending to the printer (yours or anyone else’s) or for
importing into a page-layout program. TIFFs also compress
very nicely (see below) and support color management
profiles. Macs and PCs each deal with TIFFs differently; if you’re sending your
file out for printing, make sure you find out which version they want (see Figure 3.22).
EPS
EPS stands for Encapsulated PostScript, and while on the surface it may seem even better
than TIFF because it supports both bitmapped and vector-based art, it’s not the best choice
for most photographer-artists. As you’ll learn in Chapter 11, EPS requires a PostScript
workflow, either in the form of a PostScript-enabled printer, RIP, or through a PDF
workaround. Graphic designers use EPS files all the time, but usually for importing vector
art into page-layout programs that will ultimately be sent to a PostScript imagesetter.
If you’re placing bitmapped image files into QuarkXPress or InDesign, you’re better off
using TIFFs, which also process faster than EPS files.
PDF
PDF (Portable Document Format) is gradually becoming the standard transport format
for complex graphics including text and images. With a PDF (which is in reality a
PostScript file that has already been pre-interpreted by a RIP), all the fonts and images
have been converted to objects that can be seen by anyone with Acrobat Reader, which is
freely available. PDF file sizes can be tiny, depending on the image type, and this file format
will continue to play a large role in all types of digital printing.
To make a PDF, you’ll need to use Adobe Acrobat or some form of PDFWriter, if your
software program includes it; some applications (such as Photoshop and InDesign) also
create PDFs directly. If you’re using Acrobat, its Distiller function acts like a PostScript
RIP, converting an intermediate PostScript file into a PDF. This is one way to get around
having to have a RIP or a PostScript printer if you’re printing EPS elements to an inkjet
printer from a page-layout program.
There are also plenty of other file formats out there, but they’re used mostly for specific purposes
that usually have little applicability to the digital printing of high-quality bitmapped
images. Examples: DCS, a version of EPS; PICT (Mac)/BMP (PC), mainly for internal Mac
or PC use; GIF and PNG, primarily for web compression; and PCX, for limited Windows use.
(For information about color models such as RGB and CMYK, see the next chapter.)
Chapter 3 ■ Creating and Processing the Image 109
Figure 3.22 Photoshop CS offers
plenty of options for saving in TIFF
format, although not all are compatible
with other or older applications.