Digital Prints

258
Mastering Digital Printing
Step 2: Edit
and Prep the
Image
Because I decide to crop
in tight on this image,
and because I know that
cropping permanently
alters the file, I do
another Save As to create
a new file with the word
“crop” in the title. This
way, I can always go back
to the earlier version and
start over, if I want. I
check for squareness and
then crop the image to be
much tighter at the top
and bottom.
To continue the editing, I only do a minimal “move” by adjusting the Levels. I finish by
going over the entire image removing dust spots and repairing defects wherever I see them.
Normally, I would save a print-specific version of the file at this point and then sharpen it
as needed based on the type of output I’m doing. However, because I’m only doing a basic
workflow, I simply duplicate the base layer and rename it “sharpen” before doing a minor
amount of sharpening to this layer. (By doing this, I can always remove the sharpen layer to
get back to where I was.) Figure 8.3 shows the resulting image and its Layers palette.
Step 3: Choose and Load the Paper
I’m using Canon’s
Matte Photo Paper,
which is a recommended
paper for the
Canon. After I turn on
the printer, I load the
paper (letter size) so that
it’s leaning against the
back paper support with
the printing side in the
correct orientation (see
Figure 8.4). Because this
paper is thin enough, I
load a few sheets.
Figure 8.3 The cropped, edited, and
sharpened image file.
Figure 8.4 The printer is ready with
the paper loaded.