Digital Prints

Johnson explains that “while the printer is remote, the relationship hasn’t been. With good
technical support, I’ve been able to keep close to the action. There’s a consistency and an
understanding of just how important the work is to the art photographer. The printing
itself is one thing I don’t have to worry about.” Calypso also offers exhibition framing, “so
prints now can be shipped direct. However, when signed prints are required, they must
still go back and forth.”
Digital photo process is a subset of digital photo print that applies to smaller-format sizes
and involves the use of digital minilabs that employ the Fuji Frontier, Noritsu QSS, Agfa
D-Lab, or similar devices. There tends to be less customer interaction with these smaller
formats since volume and lower prices are more important. But you can still make your
voice heard, and the better providers will listen. Photo Craft Laboratories’ Ron Brown
explains that, even though they use the Frontier as their main consumer device for smaller
prints, they look at and customize every job that comes in the door. “The Frontier has an
Auto mode, and a high-school student running one at the corner drugstore may be more
prone to use it. But, with our qualified technicians, everything is custom.”
Profiles for Digital Photo Print: Printer profiles (see Chapter 4) can be just as important
for digital photo printing as they are for inkjet. Unfortunately, your success in finding
service-provided profiles from digital photo print shops will be hit or miss, and even
an understanding of what profiles can do is scattered. My local pro photo lab, for example,
doesn’t provide them for either its LightJet 5000 or its Fuji Frontier. Larger providers
like Calypso Imaging and Photo Craft, however, provide their clients with calibrated workflows,
and they make it very easy to download profiles from their web pages.
There are several ways to deal with any non-profiled lab devices. One workaround is to
do what’s called reverse proofing. Send the lab a small target-test file to print. If you like
Chapter 10 ■ Using a Print Service 331
Paul Eric Johnson’s Pearly Everlasting
(named for the white flower) is output
on a LightJet printer, which he prefers
for its chromagenic depth, especially in
the dark shadow areas.
© 2000-2004 Paul Eric Johnson
www.paulericjohnson.com