How to Print Hdr Photographs – Part 3: Printing Tips for Prints That Really Pop

A robust explanation of how to photograph and print the high dynamic range image.

This three part series on HDR Photography is incredibly thorough. If you’d prefer to download them all in a single document for viewing later or printing at home.

Producing HDR Prints

We’ve come a long way in ensuring our HDR image files have been generated and processed to give us the greatest possible dynamic range and color gamut, with the least amount of noise and artifacts. We have applied proper color management principles and post-processed and stylized our images to give the look that we want in a way that is non-destructive to our image pixels. Finally, we are ready to begin the printing process. In the past, printer and paper technology would have limited our HDR vision in print. But with incredible advances in the art and science of these technologies, the choices are nearly endless. As an unabashed paper fiend, I am thrilled at the vast array of amazing papers available on the market today that produce wide color gamuts, deep rich blacks, smooth color gradations and tonal transitions, highly-refined shadow details, and great longevity. These include fine art matte papers made from cotton, sugar cane, and bamboo, to the newer glossy baryta and metallic papers. The perfect union of advanced inkjet printer technology and paper manufacturing has made this possible. Things have come a long way since I made my 2005 foray into digital printing with an Epson Stylus Photo 2200.

In the final section of this article, I will be demonstrating the entire printing workflow using a Mac computer running OS 10.6 Snow Leopard, an Epson Stylus Pro 3880 printer, and Photoshop CS5. The sheer number of printer makes and models, computer operating systems, and versions of various image editing programs make the task of demonstrating each scenario impossible. So apologies upfront for not being able to include screen captures appropriate to your particular hardware/software combination. However, the principles still remain the same and workflows that cover these scenarios are readily available online. I have chosen to use an Epson printer in this demonstration not only because they still garner the most market share in the photographic printing market, but also because they are pioneers in inkjet technology and, in my humble opinion, still produce the best quality prints.

Printer & Ink Types

For our purposes here, there are two main types of inkjet printers on the market today: those that utilize dyes, and those that have pigment-based inks. Note that although dye-based inks have traditionally been known for their very wide color gamuts, pigment ink technology has greatly improved, narrowing the advantage. More importantly, dye-based inks fade much more quickly than their pigment counterparts; thus any benefit they may have at the outset is eventually erased. The three major manufacturers of inkjet printers today are Epson, Canon, and HP. Numerous reviews of various makes and models can be found on the web, but here are some general considerations to keep in mind when shopping for a printer:

• Printers using dye versus pigment inks – pigment is preferred for longevity purposes.
• How many dilutions of black ink are installed? High-end printers usually have at least three: Black, Light Black, and Light Light Black. Epson refers to this as their K3 inks (K stands for black, a term that originated in the printing industry that refers to the ‘key’ or black printing plate). This is especially useful when making black and white prints. Canon also offers three levels of black inks called Black, Gray and Photo Gray.
• How many inks in total are installed? For example, Epson’s Ultrachrome K3 inks with Vivid Magenta come with nine total: four blacks (including matte black); cyan; vivid magenta; light cyan; light vivid magenta; and yellow. The new Ultrachrome HDR inks add green and orange to the mix. Canon’s newer 12-color LUCIA EX inks also include three levels of blacks (plus matte black) and similar cyans and magentas, but also add red, green, and blue inks to the mix. These inks are capable of producing very wide color gamuts never before achievable.

Stylus Pro 3880 with Ultrachrome k3 inkset (9 color)

• Do you often print on both photo and matte papers? If so, consider purchasing a printer with both types of black ink installed onboard to avoid the need to swap out inks each time you need to print on photo versus matte papers. Some makes and models of printers offer automatic ink switching, while others have dedicated lines for both matte and photo inks, the ideal situation to avoid wasting ink and time.
• How wide do you need to print? For casual printmakers, a 13″ wide printer may be adequate, while those who are more advanced and print in larger volumes may be better off purchasing a 17″ or wider printer. Commercial printers and those who earn their living printing for artists and other photographers most likely own a 24″ or 44″ printer.
• How many ml (milliliters) does each ink cartridge hold? If you intend to print a lot and want to keep your costs down, go for a printer that has larger ink tanks installed, not the small cartridges found on 13″ or smaller printers. The cost per print will be much less. These are usually installed on the 17″ and higher printers and range anywhere from 80 to 220 ml per tank. You may be surprised to find out that a 17″ printer may end up costing less than a 13″ printer since it ships with a full set of much larger ink tanks. When taking into consideration the cost of these inks, 17″ may be the way to go.
• What length do you need to print? Do you intend to print panoramas? If you print many panoramas, choose a printer that accepts roll paper. Also be sure to check the printer manufacturer’s specifications on the maximum achievable paper length the printer driver can handle. For instance, on the Epson 3880 – which does not utilize roll paper – the maximum paper length you can print is 37.4 inches, not 22 inches as many believe. Although the printer accepts sheet paper up to 17×22, setting a custom paper length out to 37 inches can be achieved. This has been confirmed by Epson. In addition, the investment in separate RIP (raster image processor) software will allow you many more options in terms of paper length and much more. Simply put, a RIP is third party software that can be used instead of the standard printer driver that ships with your printer. Discussion of RIPs is beyond the scope of this article, however.
• What is the size of the ink droplets and how are they sprayed onto the paper? The smaller, the better, for smooth color gradations and tonal transitions – today’s high-end printers spray droplets as small as 3.5 picoliters, resulting in extremely minute detail. Some printer models use a thermal head to spray ink onto the paper, which certain experts find objectionable. Do your research on this.

Sittin’ on the Dock of the Bay ©Renee Besta

Can I Print in 16-Bit?

Since I have emphasized the importance of keeping your HDR image file in 16-bit mode, a discussion of this issue is relevant. The answer is yes and no, depending on your setup. The ability to output a 16-bit image to print is dependent upon many things: your specific operating system; whether you use a Mac or PC; the version of Photoshop or Lightroom you are using; the make and model of your printer; and, specifically, what your printer driver can handle.

For example, Macs have been able to output 16-bit data since OS 10.5 Leopard, two OS versions ago. Both Photoshop CS4 & 5 and Lightroom 2 & 3 can send off 16-bit images to print, but only the Mac OS is able to take advantage of this feature. Unfortunately, Windows-based computers cannot yet handle 16-bit printing. This is an operating system problem that has not yet been addressed by Microsoft, despite rumors to the contrary. Epson Pro Imaging and Adobe technical support have confirmed this.

Because I am using a Mac running Snow Leopard, Photoshop CS5, and Lightroom 3, the driver for my Epson 3880 printer allows me to choose to send 16 bits of data per channel when printing. Note that not all makes and models of printers may support this option. Nonetheless, even if you can’t produce a 16-bit print, this does not mean there aren’t advantages to keeping your image in 16-bit mode until you hit the print button. As mentioned before, editing images in a high bit mode is much less destructive, reduces banding and posterization, and results in smoother tonal transitions. And keep in mind that there will come a time in the future when Windows users will be able to utilize this feature, so it is still best for so many reasons to start out with and maintain 16-bit image files. Note that if your image is in 16-bit, the printer driver will normally automatically convert it to 8-bit for printing.

Another controversy revolves around whether printing in 16-bit mode makes a visible difference. Many photographers and experts claim that they cannot see a difference, while others do. Of course this will depend on the quality of your particular image, printer, and paper, how large a print you are making (bigger prints are more apt to benefit from 16-bit printing as artifacts are more visible), and what colors and tonal values are present in the image. Personally I have run tests and can see a difference with some images. In addition, since I often upsize my images to obtain the necessary resolution for large prints, I feel printing in 16-bit can be an advantage. As with everything else, run some tests and do what is right for your situation.

If you would like to test a 16-bit image on your printer and see how it performs, I would highly recommend master printer/photographer Bill Atkinson’s Twenty-Eight Balls test image. This page has many ICC profiles you can download for free, in addition to test images and profile making targets.

Note that this Twenty-Eight Balls test image is a large TIFF file in the ProPhoto RGB color space and 16-bit mode, and sized at 14.125 x 23.5 inches at 360 ppi, resolution ready for print. Note that this is a layered file and contains a type layer for you to make notes on your printing conditions. Below are two screen captures of what this image looks like: the first is in the ProPhoto RGB color space – not optimal for web viewing, but I wanted to demonstrate the differences; the second is the same image in the sRGB color space for viewing on the web. When printing the test file, be sure it stays in its original condition. Do not alter the color space, bit mode, or file type. Simply print it out using the appropriate ICC color profile for your printer, ink, and paper combination, and view the results. These balls contain gradients which will test your printer and profiles for smoothness, linearity, and gamut. The file is certainly a challenging one to print and you will want to compare it to the original in Photoshop.

The Importance of ICC Profiles

One of the most critical elements of the printing workflow is the proper use of ICC color profiles (we will go through the application of these profiles in the printing workflow section). ICC stands for International Color Consortium, a group of industry vendors/color experts who first established the standardization of an open, cross-platform, color management system. Every printer needs specific directions on how to spray ink on various types of paper in order to achieve accurate colors. An ICC profile helps accomplish just that. In simple terms, ICC profiles are small text files containing instructions on how a given make and model of printer should lay down ink on a particular paper and inkset. For instance, photo papers (glossy, semi-glossy, satin, luster, pearl) and matte papers (cotton, canvas, bamboo, alpha-cellulose) have much different surfaces – a cotton paper will absorb ink much more readily than a glossy paper. Even within a given category (photo or matte), paper coatings vary widely as does the surface texture, or tooth, of the paper. For example, some cotton papers are very smooth (hot press papers), while others have much more texture (cold press papers). Thus the need for individual ICC profiles for each printer, paper, and ink combination. Matte black inks render images very differently than photo black inks on various papers, so be sure you are using the correct black ink (matte or photo) that is appropriate for a particular paper. For example, you do not want to print using photo black ink on a matte surface paper – the print will look very dull and washed out. Similarly, use photo black ink to print on glossy papers. Sometimes you will find profiles on paper manufacturers’ websites that allow for printing with either matte or photo black inks on certain papers. Be sure, whatever your choice, that you choose the correct ICC profile.

When you purchase a photo inkjet printer, the manufacturer will usually supply you with a set of ICC profiles for the papers they make. These are referred to as generic or ‘canned’ profiles, as they are not optimized for your particular hardware and software. If you wish to test third party papers from another manufacturer such as Breathing Color, you will need to either download the appropriate ICC profiles from the manufacturer’s website (if available), or make your own custom ICC profiles. Keep in mind when using third party papers that you need to download and install the ICC profiles specific to the printer, paper, and ink combination you will be using. Nearly all paper manufacturers provide these on their websites; however, not all makes and models of printers are supported, especially older ones. Instructions are usually provided on how to download and install these profiles. Be sure that the profiles are installed in the correct folders before launching your image editing program.

For the very best results, many photographers make their own custom ICC profiles with devices such as the i1 series or ColorMunki Photo by X-Rite, or the Spyder products by Datacolor. In years past, generic profiles were scoffed at for producing prints with less than optimal color accuracy; however, this is no longer true and most will give you good results to start with. Note that if you are familiar with the Monaco and GretagMacbeth brands, they are now under the X-Rite umbrella and have either been discontinued, or revamped into X-Rite-branded products. So in essence there are now two major manufacturers of color measurement devices: X-Rite (now part of Pantone) and Datacolor.

As mentioned before, I personally use the ColorMunki Photo device to make my own custom ICC profiles, with excellent results. Datacolor makes a Spyder device at a similar price point. Are there better and more expensive devices on the market? Absolutely! Is it necessary to purchase such an expensive device (many thousands of dollars) in my particular situation? No. Many self-proclaimed color experts scoff at the idea of using a device that costs less than $500 to make custom ICC profiles. Perhaps this is because they have not tested these devices or analyzed the resulting profiles. I would like to point out that the ColorMunki contains a spectrophotometer, a high-end, very accurate apparatus for measuring various wavelengths of light previously found only in devices that cost well over a thousand dollars. Previously, one could only purchase a colorimeter at this price point. Again, I have no affiliation with X-Rite, but can attest to the fact that the ColorMunki makes great profiles for my Mac Pro, laptop, printer, and projector. Datacolor devices have also received favorable reviews, so do some research to determine if such a device is right for you. Since I have owned and used Monaco devices and software in the past, it was a no-brainer for me to purchase an X-Rite device.

One of the features I like best about the ColorMunki is its ability to improve upon an existing profile by loading an image I intend to print, then letting the device analyze that image and generate a new test target to measure. I then print out another series of color patches specific to that image and scan them with the device. Each time this is done, the profile is made more accurate – thus it is called an iterative process. There is no question that the more color patches measured, the more accurate the ICC profile will be. The most expensive devices require you to print and scan hundreds or thousands of color patches to generate a single ICC profile. The question is, how much time and money are you willing to invest to chase down that extra 5 or 10 percent improvement, which you may or may not notice. The screen capture below demonstrates the ColorMunki dialog box for optimizing an existing profile:

Color Profile Visualization

For those of you who are interested (if not, feel free to skip this section), I will discuss a method to visualize your ICC profiles by use of 3D color plots. I honestly find this method much more useful in determining how an image may print on a particular paper than traditional soft-proofing in Photoshop (more on soft-proofing later). On the Mac, there is a wonderful built-in utility called ColorSync which allows you to analyze and compare profiles to determine their specific color gamuts. It also includes a feature called Profile First Aid which will repair profiles so they meet certain ICC specifications. Color-Sync can be found inside your Mac’s Utilities folder. On PCs, there is an applet called MS Color Control Panel that can be downloaded and installed. These comparisons are useful in determining which paper may be best suited to print a particular image on a particular printer. Another more comprehensive, professional tool is ColorThink, a program by Chromix which helps evaluate, graph, and repair your ICC profiles and much more. ColorThink also allows you to visualize your images via a 3D graph and overlay them with the ICC profile you intend to use for printing – a very useful feature. You can then see which colors may be out of gamut when printing.

Since color spaces are three-dimensional and consist of three variables (L for luminance and two color components, a and b – also known as L*a*b* or LAB), these graphs show the following: luminance values from dark to light along the L* axis; magenta to cyan along the a* axis; and yellow to blue along the b* axis. Note that the proper designation of these components includes the star (*) symbol.

An important caveat is necessary here before we proceed: please remember that these plots are only one tool in deciding which paper is appropriate for a particular image. Just because a certain paper may appear to have a huge color gamut does not mean it is the best paper choice to print a particular image on. As with all things in this life, bigger does not mean better. Choosing a paper is a very personal choice laden with certain emotional and spiritual aesthetics. There are no wrong choices, only a lack of experimentation.

For instance, the feeling you may want to convey to your print viewer/buyer may be best expressed on a textured matte paper with a smaller color gamut than a bright, shiny, ‘in-your-face’ photo paper with a huge color gamut. Again, these choices are more emotional than physical, and all the 3D color charts in the world only serve as tools to guide you in making a decision. In addition, please remember that the color gamuts are only appropriate if they are present in the image you are going to print. And still, certain subjects may be more suited for some papers than others. This is another reason HDR photography has altered the face of printing due to challenges posed by its huge dynamic range and color gamut. However, each image is different and may or may not reflect a particular range of colors. My advice is to experiment with a wide variety of papers by making test prints of the same image on multiple papers, both matte and photo. More on making test prints later.

Now that we have gotten that out of the way, let’s get started with the color graphs of various ICC profiles. To begin with, I would like to show differences using the same paper on two Epson printers. The color graph below compares ICC profiles for the same Epson photo paper – Exhibition Fiber Paper (EFP) – on two different models of Epson printers, the 3880 and 7900. Since the newer 7900 printer has better technology and includes green and orange inks, one would expect the 7900 profile for the EFP paper to have a much wider color gamut than the 3880 profile, especially in the green and orange areas. And indeed this is confirmed in the graph below. The 7900 profile (which nearly swallows the 3880 profile) is represented by the grayish-white wireframe, while the 3880 profile is shown as the colored cube. To keep things even, I compared profiles provided by Epson for the EFP. Now you know why I am salivating to purchase an Epson 7900 or 9900 printer. See the screen capture below:

The next set of color plots below compare custom ICC profiles I made using X-Rite’s ColorMunki Photo for the Epson 3880 printer on Breathing Color’s Elegance Velvet and Optica One fine art cotton matte papers. The grayish-white wireframe area represents the Elegance Velvet profile, while the colored cube the Optica One profile. Note that there are two different views of the graph that show how various colors and lightness values are affected (accomplished by rotating the cubes). Since we are comparing cotton matte to cotton matte papers, the differences seen are mainly due to the fact that the Elegance Velvet has a textured surface with a lot of tooth, while the Optica One has a very smooth surface. It is apparent, at least on the Epson 3880, that both papers have advantages and disadvantages in rendering particular colors when compared to one another. This is the case with most all papers.

The second set of color plots below compare custom ICC color profiles (also made using the Color-Munki) for the Epson 3880 printer on Breathing Color’s Vibrance Rag (a thick fine art cotton-baryta paper) and Vibrance Luster (a thinner photo paper). Both papers require the use of photo black ink. The grayish-white wireframe area represents the Vibrance Rag profile, while the colored cube the Vibrance Luster profile. Again, note that there are two different views of the graph that show how various colors and lightness values are affected. Since we are comparing two photo papers, the differences seen are mainly due to the fact that the Vibrance Rag is a baryta paper with a slightly textured surface, while the Vibrance Luster has a smoother finish and is meant to be a substitute for Epson’s Premium Luster Photo Paper. Once again it is apparent, at least on the Epson 3880, that both papers have advantages and disadvantages in rendering particular colors when compared to one another; however, the Vibrance Luster has an overall greater color gamut due to its surface characteristics. The glossier the paper surface, the wider the color gamut in most cases.

The third and final set of color plots below compare custom ICC color profiles (again made using the ColorMunki) for the Epson 3880 printer on Breathing Color’s Vibrance Rag and Elegance Velvet, both high quality fine art papers with cotton bases. Vibrance Rag requires the use of photo black ink, while Elegance Velvet requires matte black ink. The grayish-white wireframe area represents the Vibrance Rag profile, while the colored cube the Elegance Velvet profile. Again, note that there are two different views of the graph that show how various colors and lightness values are affected. Since we are now comparing a photo paper to a matte paper, the differences are much more pronounced. As expected, the Vibrance Rag exhibits a wider overall color gamut since it has a glossier surface. Your particular image and the feeling you are trying to convey will determine your paper choice. I suggest you make some test prints on various papers to give you an idea how your image will look on different substrates. The outcomes may surprise you.

Soft-Proofing & Test Prints

Most color experts have long-since advocated the use of soft-proofing your images in Photoshop prior to making a print. This is done by having Photoshop try to simulate the application of a particular ICC profile on your image, using your monitor to judge the results. The idea is to avoid wasting paper and ink by applying corrections to the image prior to output such as Curves, Hue/Saturation, and other adjustments. However, Photoshop does not make the best use of this feature, which has not been updated in many years. More importantly though, since the soft proof largely depends upon the quality of your monitor, and because printers can render colors and tonal values a monitor can’t display (and vice versa), it is largely a very tricky simulation that may or may not be put to accurate and efficient use.

For all practical purposes, I’ve found that the best method is to simply make a small test print using the correct ICC profile and paper of my choice. A hard proof, so to speak. Epson’s Professional Imaging Marketing Manager, Dan ‘Dano’ Steinhardt – a Brooks Institute graduate and photographer, as well as a color and printing expert – seems to agree with the latter: just make a small test print. Mr. Steinhardt has rendered this opinion in online printing classes I have taken, and is certainly highly experienced in the art and science of printmaking.

While I am not advocating you should never attempt to soft-proof your images in Photoshop, I am merely offering an opinion on what has worked best for me. Nothing will give you a better idea on how an image will print on a particular paper than simply making a hard proof and holding it in your hands under proper lighting conditions. This also saves a lot of time and frustration. For more on problems with soft-proofing, refer to the excellent article “The Hard Truth About Soft Proofs” by Melanie Crutchfield of West Coast Imaging by clicking HERE.

Whenever I purchase paper, I always buy a couple of boxes of letter-size paper in addition to larger sizes. This is because I use 8.5×11 paper to make test prints as well as my custom ICC profiles. I find I can get two reasonably sized images out of one sheet of letter-size paper by printing a scaled-down image close to one edge of the paper, then simply turning the paper around and printing another. If you are using double-sided paper, then it’s four times the merrier! To do this, the image needs to be scaled down in Photoshop’s print dialog box (not in Image > Image Size) and moved to the proper area on the paper.

Some photographers are unaware this can be done by simply unchecking both the Center Image and Scale to Fit Media boxes (be sure the Bounding Box is checked first), then using the cursor to simply drag the image proxy to the top (or left) side of the paper, depending on whether you are printing in portrait or landscape mode. After making the first test print, simply turn the paper upside down (not over) and repeat this process with another image you want to test, or the same image with any needed corrections applied. The screen capture below demonstrates an image that is 7.2×10.7 inches at 360 ppi, scaled down (in the print dialog box) to around 65% for making a 4.7×7 test print on 8.5×11 paper (note the subsequent increase in print resolution to 552 ppi).

Will My Prints Match My Monitor?

While the principle behind consistent color management practices is to attempt to have the final print match as closely as possible to your original edited image, it is not practical or possible to ever have an exact match between your monitor and print. This is due to several reasons: a monitor emits light while a print reflects light (two different processes); a print will always look different depending on the light it is viewed under (incandescent, halogen, or fluorescent bulbs, indirect sunlight, etc.); a monitor can display certain colors and tones that a printer can’t render; and a printer can render certain colors and tones that a monitor can’t display. These are but a few reasons your print will never be an exact match to the image displayed on your monitor. But of course the goal is to achieve a print that is worthy of your vision and faithful to the feeling you had when capturing the image.

Printer Evaluation Images

An excellent way to test your printer and avoid problems is to download and print a so-called printer evaluation or test chart. Readily available for download on the websites of many professional photographers, these test images attempt to detect problems ahead of time by including highly saturated, hard to render colors; various skin tones; gray ramps to test for banding or color casts; smooth color gradations and tonal transitions; and deep shadow details. I would recommend a test image developed by Bill Atkinson and improved upon by Uwe Steinmueller and Jack Flesher, all experts in this area. You can find the file on Mr. Steinmueller’s superb Outback Photo website along with an explanation on what to look for when analyzing the print test chart. The image looks like this: