A Computer Darkroom Tutorial

 

When I wrote the CS2 equivalent of this tutorial it was in the expectation that the engineers at Adobe had finally come up with a print dialog and options set that would make sense to Photoshop users of all skill levels.

Note that this tutorial has been updated to include Mac OSX 10.5 (aka Leopard) settings.

OK, so my expectations and those of the folk at Adobe with responsibility for such things seem to have been a tad optimistic because the print dialog in Photoshop CS3 is different from CS2. In many areas it's better, but in others there is still scope for improvement. On this first page of the tutorial I will discuss these differences in detail. Hopefully, by the time you finish reading it, you too will be an expert in Photoshop printing ;-)

Before I get into describing the various Photoshop and Print Driver configurations I need to clarify two aspects of print making that still seem to confuse a lot of Photoshop users:

1. Desktop inkjet printers from Epson, Canon, Hewlett Packard, et al may use CMYK or CcMmYK coloured inks but this doesn't make them CMYK printers. Occasionally you'll see this type of printer referred to as Non-Postscript printers. The reason I stress this point so much is that the device drivers supplied with these printers are not designed to print CMYK mode documents. So be warned, any attempt to produce a CMYK document directly  from a desktop inkjet printer will result in disappointment.

2. The image displayed on a typical computer monitor whether it be a CRT or LCD cannot be fully replicated in print. Yes we can often get close, but an "exact" match is rarely if ever possible.

Note that while the initial screenshots used for this tutorial are based upon the Mac OSX version of Photoshop CS3 they should still provide more than ample guidance those of you using either Windows XP or Vista. The printer driver screenshots are OS specific; therefore I've included separate instructions for both Mac and Windows XP. Depending on the operating system you choose, the instructions and screenshots are based on the Epson Stylus Photo R2400 or Epson Stylus Pro 3800, but should be compatible with most other current models from Epson.

Producing a Print

As I mentioned at the outset Adobe has made some very significant changes to the Print workflow, alas I fear that many of these changes will likely lead to as much confusion as previous attempts to simplify printing from within Photoshop. Most of the confusion will likely be experienced by Windows users and is a result of the shift to "Document Specific" settings. In other words, users will need to reconfigure the Print dialog for each and every image rather than once for any given print session. OK, so that was the bad news, on a more positive note Photoshop CS3 only has 3 menu options (CS2 had 5) associated with printing : Page Setup, Print, Print One Copy and Print Online. The old Print with Preview option is gone, but don't despair you still have a preview.

Tip: Remember, the Print  menu option is only available for selection when an image is open on your desktop so if you're going to read this tutorial whilst following along I suggest that you open an image now. Figure 1 below shows the default view of the Print dialog.

 

Figure 1 - Photoshop CS3 Print dialog

Even if you've been using a version of Photoshop as recent as CS2 you'll immediately notice that the Print dialog has undergone a radical rework. We now have a more extensive and very different  list of print options available. You'll also notice that Color Management is still the default view for this dialog, but the preview window is now fully color managed with the ability to soft-proof images (i.e. Match Print Colors).  Anyway, to keep things simple I will focus on only those settings that fall within the Print and Options area in figure 1 above. I will also give a brief summary of each option and hopefully give you better idea which combinations are best suited to particular print tasks:

Print:

• Document: denotes the ICC profile embedded within or assigned to the source document. The example shown in figure 1 shows ProPhoto RGB, but it could be any user specified profile (e.g. sRGB, Adobe RGB (1998), ColorMatch). If the document has already been converted  to a printer/media profile using the Convert to Profile command, then it will be the printer profile name shown rather than a Photoshop working or color space profile.

• Proof: this field will normally display as (Profile: N/A). Once it's activated via the radio-button it tells Photoshop to convert the document on-the-fly from the source documents color space to the ICC profile shown in brackets. You can only alter the destination profile from within the Proof Setup dialog (see: Photoshop View menu). Also, note that you'll only ever need to use this option if you are intending to make Hard Proofs or Match Prints (i.e. emulating another printer such as a press), therefore I don't intend to elaborate on this workflow.

Options:

• Color Handling  - this is the pop-up menu  from which you choose the preferred method of managing color when printing from Photoshop CS3. By adopting this approach Adobe have separated the workflow aspects of  printing from the media choices. It was first adopted in CS2, and the theory at the time was that it would be a lot more intuitive. However, I'm not so sure that it actually achieved this. Anyway, there are still four different color handling options, but the names used by CS3 are slightly different from CS2. Also note that each has its own associated preset configuration within the Print dialog thereby helping the user avoid erroneous settings.

1. Printer Manages Colors - with this option Photoshop instructs the printer to carry out the conversion between the document color space and the printer vendors preferred color space. Photoshop will not change (convert) the document if this option is selected. This is the most appropriate option when you don't have ICC media profiles for your particular printer/media combination.

2. Photoshop Manages Colors - with this option Photoshop will convert the document to the printer/media profile that you have selected in the Printer Profile pop-up. Many desktop printers are now supplied with generic media profiles, but much more accurate prints can be obtained if custom profiles are used. However, for this option to work correctly color management must be switched off in the printer driver (more on this later).

3. Separations - this option is used when printing CMYK images where each channel is handled separately. If your document is RGB the option will be greyed out.

4. No Color Management - with one important difference, this option is similar to the Printer Manages Colors option described above. The difference being, that with this option, Photoshop will not instruct the printer to change or convert the document color space. This option is intended for special cases such as printing custom profile targets that require document color management to be turned off in both Photoshop and the printer driver.

• Printer Profile - as its name implies this is the pop-up menu from which you choose the ICC profile associated with the printer/media combination you'll be using. This pop-up will only be active when Photoshop Manages Colors is selected in the Color Handling pop-up. By default, it will actually show the document color space, so make sure that you don't forget to choose the appropriate printer/media profile before hitting the Print button.

• Rendering Intent and Black Point Compensation - again, depending upon your choice in Color Handling one or both of these settings may be greyed out. Irrespective of whether it's greyed out or not, most desktop photo printers (inkjets) will ignore these two settings when Printer Manages Colors is selected from the Color Handling pop-up.

• Proof Setup - by default, this pop-up menu is greyed out and will only be activated when the Proof radio button is selected. As mentioned above, this option is normally only used when simulating or proofing other output devices such as a Press. Simulate Paper Color allows you to simulate, the shade/color of the paper white, whereas Simulate Black Ink will enable you to simulate, the dynamic range defined by the media profile (i.e. how dark black will appear on the media you're printing to) However, it is important to note that they are only available as options for Proof printing, so don't expect them to be available when Document is selected.

• Description - this is a useful addition to the Print dialog in so far as it provides short explanations for each of the settings and options. The description itself is triggered when you hover the mouse over the various buttons and pop-up menus (e.g. Color Handling, Rendering Intent, Black Point Compensation, etc).

The last item I want to mention is new and very welcome Match Print Colors checkbox that you'll find tucked away at the bottom of the Print dialog. With this checkbox activated the Preview display will show a screen rendered soft-proof of the document - the preview shown in Print dialog is now color managed.

It's all about Workflow

As outlined above there are four choices or more accurately workflow options contained within the Color Handling pop-up. However, this tutorial will only discuss three of them, leaving the fourth (i.e. Separations) for others to explain. Most of what follows has been copied across from my Photoshop CS2 tutorial, which should explain why it looks familiar to those who have already read it.

Print Workflow 1

The default configuration for the Print dialog is shown below as Figure 2. Notice that Color Handling is set to Printer Manages Colors. For the purpose of this tutorial we'll call this setting Print Workflow 1.

When you choose Printer Manages Colors you're informing Photoshop that the document should be passed directly to printer driver with instructions on how to convert the document colors into the printer optimised equivalent. Photoshop CS3 will not convert the document nor will it take any account of the media specified in your printer driver. Using this option Photoshop tags the document  so that the printer driver has all of the information needed to ensure accurate color rendering of the print. The document color management is handled solely by the printer driver.

 

Figure 2 - Print Workflow 1

Tip: Depending upon your printer model it is possible that Rendering Intent may not be active for this workflow. Even if it is active there is every possibility that the printer driver will ignore your choice and use Perceptual, but don't worry either way.

Print Workflow 2

This workflow, which is often referred to as application color management, is really intended for the more advanced/demanding Photoshop worker who needs total control of how their documents are rendered to print. With Color Handling set to Photoshop Manages Colors you are able to choose: specific ICC media profiles, the Rendering Intent, and whether or not Black Point Compensation is to be used. Trying to relate this particular option back to versions of Photoshop prior to CS2 (aka Photoshop 9 and before) is difficult because there was no direct equivalent.

When Photoshop Handles Colors is selected you'll immediately be given access to the Printer Profile pop-up. By default the profile shown in this pop-up is the Working RGB profile (defined in Photoshop Color Settings), but you'll very seldom want to leave it at Working RGB. As mentioned above it's important that your actual choice of Printer Profile matches the media and printer model that you'll be using, otherwise poor quality prints are a virtual certainty. The best quality will be obtained when you use an ICC media profile that has been created for your specific printer. These can be created by you using specialist software/hardware or purchased from a third party.

Tip: Many Epson photo printers are now supplied complete with ICC media profiles for a range of media types although with some models you may have to install the PIM driver (see the cd-rom supplied with your printer) before they become available. You should also check the Epson support sites to see if new ICC profiles are available.

Figure 3 - Print Workflow 2

 

Notice that once a printer profile is selected both Rendering Intent and Black Point Compensation" (BPC) are activated. Generally you'll want to use Perceptual or Relative Colorimetric, and have BPC checked. It's worth noting that with many of the newer models from Epson (e.g. Pro3800, SP2100, SP2200, R1800, R800, etc.) it is probable that choosing Relative Colorimetric will produce the more pleasing prints.

Tip: The important point to note about this workflow is that your printer driver MUST be configured so that ALL color management features are disabled. Often you'll see this workflow referred to as the No Color Adjustment (NCA) or Application Color Management workflow.

Print Workflow 3

The final workflow choice is No Color Management. This particular workflow is primarily intended for users who are creating customised ICC media profiles or printing the multi-patch targets for others to create them on their behalf. It's NOT recommended when printing normal documents. If you've just upgraded to Photoshop CS3 from CS or earlier then No Color Management is the direct equivalent of Same As Source. With this option Photoshop simply passes the document straight to the printer driver without making any color adjustments or conversions.

Figure 4 - Print Workflow 3

Tip: As with Print Workflow 2 it is important that your printer driver is configured so that ALL color management features are disabled. I'll show this can be achieved later in the tutorial.

Tip: by holding down the Alt/Option keyboard button you will find that the Done button changes to Remember. Using this keyboard modifier will allow you to save the document specific print settings for future use.

Once the Print dialog has been configured to suit your requirements it's time to press the Print button.

For more details on how to configure the printer driver you should follow one of the links shown below. Each link will take you to an Operating System specific set of instructions. Alternatively you can simply press the arrow button at the bottom of the page and progress to the page appropriate to your operating system: the Mac OSX 10.4 (aka Tiger) driver is discussed on page 2, Mac OSX 10.5 (aka Leopard) driver is discussed on page 3 and the Windows XP driver on page 4)

1. Epson Printer Driver Settings for Mac OSX 10.4.x (Tiger)

2. Epson Printer Driver Settings for Mac OSX 10.5.x (Leopard)

3. Epson Printer Driver Settings for Microsoft Window XP

 

© 2007 Ian Lyons. All Rights Reserved