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Posted on by Michael Clementi Posted in Tips & Tricks
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Step 2 in Color Management: Printer and Media Color Gamut

In Step 1 of the color management to-do list we discussed how the quality of your monitor impacts the precision of your output. Step 2 of 3 focuses on understanding how your printer and the inkjet media choices affect color.

Print accuracy doesn’t rely solely on your use of a custom profile and an accurate monitor, though these two components guide you toward the closest possible result. There are two additional variables that can have a big impact on the types of colors you can hit with any printer…

The first is the gamut of the printer. How an ink is formulated in order to print a Coca-Cola red or a Pepsi blue, for example, may differ slightly from technology to technology.

These days I field a lot of questions about choosing between an 8-color system and a 12-color system.  Or, should I use the 9-color or the 11-color printer? Is there a noticeable difference between them?

The answer is yes, there is a noticeable difference any time you add colors. However, the next question I usually follow up with is, “What are you using the printer to print?”

When considering printing technology, there are printers made for higher-speed production (HP Z5200, Canon S Series, Epson T Series, to name a few) that can print a sellable photographic image, but would not be the ideal to use for an artist, photographer or fine art reproduction house. These printers have fewer inks, which cuts down on gamut but improves on speed in most cases.

If you’re in the market for a printer, talk to a LexJet customer specialist and explain the market you are in. We will make sure that you are using the right equipment for the job.

If you are seeing a color that is in your photograph or art piece that you just can’t nail with your printer, it may be out of gamut for the printer or out of gamut for the media you chose to print to.

If you’ve calibrated the monitor, make sure your printer is running at 100 percent capacity, that you’ve soft-proofed the image with the chosen rendering intent, and used a specific printer profile to print. If it still doesn’t portray what’s on your screen, then either of the above mentioned may be at fault.

Now I just spit out a bunch of jargon that may be foreign to you, so click on the links to the tutorials here to find out more…

Download and install ICC Profiles:

PC: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8W-F-k8z5io

MAC: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vuOhztAqoyY

How to Softproof before Printing using Photoshop:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ahf9yEPO4zA

How to print using ICC Profiles (find your printer and computer combination):

http://www.youtube.com/user/LexJet/search?query=Printing+Through

Color gamut difference between a gloss and matte photo paper.
Figure 1 shows the difference in gamut between a gloss and a matte paper in the high, mid and low range of color (top to bottom). The gloss paper is our Sunset Gloss Photo Paper (red line) and the matte our Premium Archival Matte Paper (green line) as profiled on the Canon IPF8400 with the X-Rite DTP70. Click on the image for a larger version.

You can’t do anything to increase the gamut of the printer, but you can make the right decision based on your needs at the time you purchase the equipment. Making sure you use the right equipment for the type of work you are doing will dramatically increase the quality of your print.

Our second extremely important variable to understand is the media with which you choose to print. The less reflective the media, the less light that reflects back into your eyes, and therefore, the lower the gamut and detail your print will realize (see Figure 1).

Artists have come to love matte watercolor papers and canvas, yet always demand the best color on those surfaces. This is where the owner or production manager at a fine art reproduction house runs into the biggest conflict.

The reflectivity of your media is not the only aspect of the printable supplies that affects color outcome.  White point can change your gamut as well. The brighter the white point, the more gamut you’ll pick up, not to mention an increase in that lovely term the experts like to use, Dmax, which is the darkest measurable value your printer-media combination can hit.

For canvas, Sunset Select Gloss Canvas has the highest dynamic range and color gamut of the canvas offerings LexJet produces. The highest-gamut matte canvas is our Sunset Select Matte Canvas, which has a very punchy white base. Partnering the Sunset Coating line with Sunset Select Matte Canvas has been a very popular choice amongst artists and photographers.

If you are trying to appease the artist crowd who prefer fine art papers, the highest-range matte paper is Sunset Fibre Matte (a very smooth bright-white fiber cellulose paper). If you need 100% cotton with a smooth finish, Sunset Hot Press Rag will be close behind.

If they would like texture on their cotton paper our latest addition to the line is Sunset Bright Velvet Rag.  This paper has the highest Dmax of our cotton line and prints very elegant-looking velvet-textured prints.

On the photographic side of media options, all of our bright white glossy and semi-glossy fibre-based papers put out a phenomenal range. They are all meant to emulate different versions of old-style air dried chemical bath papers that film photographers were used to exposing in the darkroom. These papers include Sunset Fibre Gloss, Sunset Fibre Elite and Sunset Fibre Satin.

Our newest paper in this category is Sunset Fibre Rag, which is 100% cotton and has a warm tone to the base. Even though it is warm in tone, the range is very large and the texture is very fitting to that style of paper.

For RC photo-based paper replicas, nothing tops the gamut of the Sunset Photo Gloss Paper. It reflects the most light, has a high-gloss wet-looking surface like one you would receive from a photo lab providing chemical-style glossy prints.

Also ever so popular for printers looking for a beautiful thick luster paper (e-surface) is our Sunset Photo eSatin Paper. This paper has a very cool white point and the surface is the most popular amongst the RC-emulating class of papers.

LexJet will provide you with the ICC profiles for every media above mentioned. If we do not list one here for your technology we will happily make one for you free of charge! Next time, we’ll tackle Step 3 in the color management to-do list: understanding ICC Profiles and settings. In the meantime, feel free to call us any time at 800-453-9538 with questions.

Posted on by Regan Dickinson Posted in News & Trends, Technology & Products
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The Professional’s Choice: LexJet Sunset Inkjet Products Win Hot One Awards

Professional Photographer Magazine Hot One AwardA panel of judges made up of professional photographers selected LexJet Sunset Production Matte Canvas and Sunset Fibre Rag for 2013 Hot One Awards.

The annual Hot One Awards recognize photography and imaging products the judges consider their top choices and the hottest products of the year in a number of categories, including inkjet printers, inkjet media, cameras, software and more. Winning products will be featured in Professional Photographer’s August 2013 issue and at www.ppmag.com.

“The Hot One Awards help us establish a benchmark for future product development by providing insight into the types of inkjet media photographers, fine art reproduction companies and wide format print shops need for a successful and profitable print workflow,” says Dione Metnick, LexJet product manager. “We continue to work closely with our printer manufacturer partners – Canon, Epson and HP – to bring inkjet media to the market that maximizes their latest technology innovations and ink sets while providing a consistent and reliable product to our customers.”

Sunset Fibre Rag won a Hot One Award in the Fine-art Paper category and Sunset Production Matte Canvas won in the Canvas category, taking two of the five Inkjet Media categories.

LexJet’s previous Hot One Award winners include: Sunset Photo Metallic Paper, Sunset Select Gloss Canvas, LexJet 8 Mil ImagePro Satin, Sunset Photo eSatin Paper, Sunset Fibre Gloss, Sunset Fibre Elite, Sunset Fine Art Satin SUV by Hahnemuhle, LexJet Prime Gloss SUV, Sunset Velvet Rag 315g and Sunset Select Matte Canvas.

Sunset Fibre Rag wins Hot One Award
Jon Scott, owner of JS Graphics Inc., Chicago, has made Sunset Fibre Rag a staple of his fine art printing for its wide color gamut, consistency and flexibility.

Sunset Fibre Rag, introduced in March 2012, was developed based on demand from photographers and fine art reproduction companies looking for the high-end air-dried look and feel on a 100 percent cotton rag base.

“This paper has a great Dmax, the color gamut is pretty amazing and the surface is nice and consistent,” says Jon Scott, owner of JS Graphics Inc., a fine art reproduction company based in Chicago. “It also comes in various sheet and roll sizes, which is great, because it gives us more flexibility in our printing.”

Sunset Production Matte Canvas Wins Hot One Award
Richard Herschberger, owner of Herschberger Galerie, Arthur, Ill., says he gets “more bang for the buck” from Sunset Production Matte Canvas.

Sunset Production Matte Canvas, introduced in December 2012, complements LexJet’s Sunset Canvas line by providing an economical but consistent option for higher production workflows.

“Of course I really like the price of this new canvas from LexJet, but it still provides good color reproduction. It has a little more tooth to show the canvas texture for mass production projects that require that look,” says Richard Herschberger, owner of Herschberger Galerie in Arthur, Ill. “I also like the fact that I can get it in 60-foot rolls so I’m not changing it out as often; you get more bang for the buck that way.”

For more information about the full line of LexJet Sunset photo, fine photo, fine art and canvas products, contact a LexJet customer specialist at 800-453-9538.

Posted on by Regan Dickinson Posted in Case Studies & Profiles
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The Ties that Bind Analog and Digital Imaging at Colortek of Boston

Fine art and photographic reproduction

Reports about the demise of traditional film processes are greatly exaggerated, at least at Colortek of Boston, which has a healthy mix of digital and analog processes to serve a growing and dynamic client base.

Printing and reproducing fine art with inkjet printing
The image on the left was reproduced on Sunset Photo Metallic Paper. Colortek of Boston uses this paper for specific clients looking for the pearlescent pop that best represents their work.

Like most photo labs, Colortek of Boston transitioned to digital imaging and inkjet printing in the early ’90s. And like other labs, this watershed industry migration to digital and how each company handled the transition would determine long-term success or failure.

It was during this crucial time that Colortek of Boston decided to embrace the future without forgetting the past. The decision served the company well since local universities and their photography programs continued teaching the art of film for capture and processing.

“They still teach film and film processing at all the universities in the Boston area. Even MIT teaches a film class. It’s a unique art process that won’t go away, and it’s magical,” explains Jackie Anderson, Colortek of Boston’s owner. “Students need to go somewhere to process their film, so we offer student discounts and processing for 35mm, 2 1/4, 4×5 and 8×10 formats. We end up with good relationships with the students who then go out in the field and work at different places.”

Reproducing digital artwork on canvas
Colortek of Boston's owner, Jackie Anderson, designed this piece of digital art that combines photography with Photoshop printed on Sunset Select Matte Canvas.

The relationship between Colortek of Boston and the local universities acts as a feeder program of sorts. Former students often become loyal clients. Moreover, since Colortek is part of a shrinking group of companies with full processing capabilities, a dedicated legion of film enthusiasts from all over employ Colortek’s film processing services.

Even with this loyal band of film aficionados, inkjet printing reigns supreme at Colortek of Boston. Film processing usually ends up being inkjet-printed after it’s scanned and digitized. Plus, inkjet printing opened doors to other types of accounts, like museums, architects, lawyers and other more commercial accounts who need large reproductions of their work for displays and presentations.

Photo lab and fine art reproductionThis client base supplements the foundation of artists and photographers seeking consistent, quality output. “I’m beginning to see a lot more mixed media people because digital has become part of the process where I do a base print and they work on the print afterwards. For example, I have a client who gives me a file that I print it on Sunset Fibre Rag, then she draws on and manipulates the print and frames it,” says Anderson. “We have a loyal customer base; the people who are printing with me are coming back because they get what they see. We keep a close watch on our color calibration to make sure they’re doing what we see on-screen. A lot of people don’t have large printers at their home, business or studio, and they know they can get a quality print at the size they need.”

Colortek of Boston focuses almost exclusively on printing, preferring to farm out mounting and framing to local vendors. In order to satisfy an increasingly diverse client base Colortek of Boston relies on LexJet for a diversity of materials as well as expertise in finding and selecting inkjet materials for the project at hand.

Canvas photographic reproduction“I just started using Sunset Fibre Rag and that’s become my favorite paper because it feels like the old fibre prints and it provides more shadow detail than a cotton rag paper,” explains Anderson. “We started our inkjet printing with Sunset Photo eSatin, and that’s our staple paper, but now I can offer canvas, metallic paper, banner materials and even wall graphics with Photo Tex. Someone came to me recently looking for freestanding banners for their coffee shop so I called Rob Finkel at LexJet for some direction. He recommended LexJet Water-Resistant Satin Cloth and they’re very happy with the end product.”

Anderson adds that having LexJet’s resources available means never having to say no. “Whenever someone comes to us with a project, we figure out how to get it done. We’re trying to offer unique products to meet the needs of anyone who comes to us for images.”

Posted on by Regan Dickinson Posted in News & Trends, Technology & Products
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A Second Opinion: Sunset Fibre Rag Reviewed at Shutterbug

Inkjet photo paper reviewIf you’re looking for an in-depth review on LexJet’s latest fine art/photographic paper, Sunset Fibre Rag, and how it might fit into your workflow check out George Schaub’s post at Shutterbug. Schaub tested 17″ x 22″ sheets of Sunset Fibre Rag on an Epson 4900, putting the paper through its paces in both color and black-and-white images.

“I tested the paper on monochrome, color and low saturation images, and worked with Photoshop CS6 Beta software on a MacBook Pro V6.2. The monochrome images displayed a deep, rich black with fine repro of the mid-tone values. When an image had a range of bright highlights, the slightly warm base added to their reproduction while not muting their place in the image. This encouraged me to work with numerous images that often came out too contrasty on pure gloss or metallic base papers (and too flat on purely matte surfaces) and I found that they had newfound life on the LexJet surface,” wrote Schaub.

Schaub’s review covers the entire process, from print preparation to the characteristics the paper brought out of the images Schaub printed, and all the details in between. As an example, Schaub writes: “And when you rub your finger across the surface of the paper you get that satisfying sound that only a medium to heavyweight fine art paper delivers. That is what could count as a ‘feel the material’ type of qualification, but I often use that as part of how I judge a paper. The weight of the paper makes it easy to work with when matting and mounting, and the durability is a strong factor in paper choice.”

To read the entire review of Sunset Fibre Rag, click here. And, for more information about Sunset Fibre Rag, the Sunset line of fine art and photo papers, or anything else in the inkjet printing workflow, contact a LexJet customer specialist at 800-453-9538.