Digital Prints

Keeping Track of Tests
Step 10: Make Adjustments and More Test Prints
You’ll notice that I didn’t say in this heading “Make Adjustments and One More Print.” I
usually go through at least a few rounds of adjusting, printing, re-adjusting, re-printing,
and so on. That’s why it’s important to take notes and to consistently number the prints
as soon as they come out of the printer.
I saw some good potential in the Option B workflow (using a built-in ICC printer profile),
so let’s take that one a little further to get an even-better print.
Tweaks for Using a Built-In ICC Profile
This was the workflow based on the built-in HP ICC profile for the specific paper and
resolution combination I’m using: HP Photo Satin paper and Best resolution. Let’s try
adjusting three parameters.
Print Resolution: A brief digression to explain HP’s print resolutions—Normal, Best,
and Max DPI—is in order. Normal on this printer means 600 × 600 dpi with eight passes
of the printhead. This is the faster print mode, but the worst in terms of quality. I never
use it. Best is 600 × 1200 dpi with 12 passes. Max DPI is 2400 × 1200 dpi with 12 passes.
My original test print was done in Best mode, so the obvious next test is with Max DPI.
The main difference between the resulting Max print and the Best one is the time it took
Chapter 8 ■ Making a Great Inkjet Print 273
A big part of printing is keeping track of what you’ve done so you can use your experience to improve the next prints down the line. That’s why I
always take the time to pull out a blank legal pad and jot down all the specifications, settings, and decisions made during each step of the workflow
(see Figure 8.22).
Figure 8.22 It’s a good idea to keep
records of test-printing settings. These
were from an earlier test printing.