Digital photographers have two options when printing their images. Our first option is to print at home, using one of the high quality inkjet printers currently available. For those who either do not have access to a printer or who want to print larger images, outsourcing the image to a professional photo lab is another option. Of course, in either case, our main goal is to apply color management so that the image on the calibrated monitor matches the final print.

Color management during printing involves color profiles. Similar to the monitor profile created during monitor calibration, a printer profile provides instructions to the printer about how color is to be rendered. Most inkjet printers come with a selection of preinstalled printer profiles. In many cases, these profiles are excellent and will produce good prints for years to come (such has been my experience with the profiles that came with my Epson 2200). Unfortunately, some profiles are mediocre at best. Despite the best Photoshop technique, these profiles will produce prints with color shifts that defy even the best attempt to correct. Before giving up on a printer's profiles, see if an internet search can locate free custom profiles.

When quality profiles are not available, photographers have two options. First, the hardware can be purchased to produce a custom profile. This provides the greatest degree of control, but comes at a significant cost. Fifteen hundred dollars to be exact. Cheaper options are available, but most color management experts agree that $1500 is the minimum one can expect to spend for acceptable results. Fortunately, there is a second, much less expensive option. Several internet based companies create custom printer profiles for a small fee. One of the most popular is ProfileCity (www.profilecity.com) which creates custom profiles for $100. Be aware, however, that since each type of paper absorbs ink differently, a profile must be created for each printer/paper combination. If you find yourself using dozens of printer/paper combinations, the profiling hardware just might make sense.

Fine tuning images for print involves viewing the image with Photoshop's soft proofing feature (View → Proof Setup → Custom). This process is virtually identical to proofing images for the web (discussed previously in part 2), except the profile used is the printer profile for that specific printer/paper combination. Assuming the monitor is properly calibrated and the soft proofing feature is activated, the screen image should provide a fair representation of how the final print will look.

Once image adjustments are complete, I check the image for out of gamut colors. Each color space is able to reproduce a limited range of colors, generally referred to as the color gamut. Since no color space is able to faithfully reproduce every color, it is important to verify that the image colors fall within the range of the profile's gamut. To check the colors, go to View → Gamut Warning. Once selected, any out of gamut colors will change their color (the color used can be set in the Photoshop preferences). No changes indicate that the entire image falls within the profile's color gamut and the image should print as displayed. Significant changes, on the other hand, indicate many out of gamut colors.

Once the image is prepared, the key to successful printing, is to use "print with preview" (File → Print with Preview) rather then "print." Print with preview opens a dialog box that offers several color management controls. Select "show more options" and set the tab to "color management" and view the settings. Several options are available:

Source space: For printing, the document setting should be selected and the image's color space should read Adobe RGB (1998). If a different color space is indicated, return to the image and adjust the color space.

Profile: The profile selected is a key aspect to any color management system. The specific profile designed for the printer/paper combination being used needs to be selected here. This should be the same color profile used during soft proofing. Incorrectly setting the profile may result in strange color shifts during the printing process.

Intent: The intent setting instructs Photoshop on how to deal with out of gamut colors. Out of gamut colors can't be reproduced by the printer, so Photoshop alters the colors slightly until they fall within the printable range. Of the four options, the two I use most frequently are Relative Colorimetric and Perceptual. Relative colorimetric maintains the colors in the image, only altering colors that do not fall within the printer's color gamut. This option works well for images that have few or no out of gamut colors. In cases where a significant portion of the image's colors are outside the color gamut, perceptual is usually a better option. The perceptual rendering intent alters all the colors in an image, but maintains the overall color relationship that exists.

Black Point Compensation: This option ensures that black on the monitor matches black in the print. Applying black point compensation helps to ensure that the print contains a complete tonal range.

After adjusting the color settings, I access the printer controls directly by selecting "Page Setup" in the upper right corner of the Print with preview dialog box. From there I select "printer" and finally "properties." When the printer dialog box appears, a variety of setting will be available. Most of the setting are entirely up to the photographer and have little or no bearing on color management. What does need to be adjusted are the color controls. Once located, the "no color adjustment" option must be selected (the location and precise name will vary depending on the printer being used). No color adjustment instructs the printer to print the image as is, without providing additional color changes. Failure to turn off the color adjustments will result in the printer altering image colors to fit a preconceived idea of the "correct" image rather then the image as it was created in Photoshop. After spending hours fine tuning an image, the last thing I want is for the printer to alter my image based on the ideals of some computer programmer. Once the color controls or disabled, simply return to the Print with Preview dialog box and select "Print."

For those who prefer to outsource their images, the printing process is largely the same, only the precise settings will depend on which lab is used. The key to quality prints is good communication between the photographer and the lab. Work with them and ask how they want the image to be prepped. Once they provide this information, make sure to follow it.

Recently, when I decided to create a series of large inkjet prints (16 by 20 inch prints which is larger then my trusty Epson 2200 can produce) I contacted my local professional lab and asked them how I should prep the image for their large format printer. The first thing they told me was that they offer two levels of service. Level 1 includes a series of color adjustments to ensure the best results. They recommend this option as their experience has been that most photographers have limited knowledge of color management techniques. This service also includes proofs to ensure that color accuracy would be maintained. This cost $60 per print and was guaranteed to match my creative vision or they would reprint for free. The level 2 service requires a detailed understanding of color management techniques as the lab does not provide any guarantee if the colors are off. For only $20 I could have the same print, only I was responsible for all color adjustments. I chose the reduced price, and performed all the color adjustments myself. The lab e-mailed me a copy of the printer profile so that my soft proof would be accurate. At the same time, I asked how they wanted the image to be set (resolution, color space, sharpening, etc.). Following these instructions, I used the steps outlines above and am now preparing to hang the images on my wall. Did I mention one was good enough to win the Grand Prize at the Utah State Fair?

I do feel I should offer a word of warning about color management. A good color management system will go a long way toward solving color conflicts as you move from screen to print. Even so, prints that perfectly match a screen image are the exception rather then the rule. Monitors produce images by projecting light onto a screen. Prints, on the other hand, involve the reflection of light off a reflective surface. These are very different ways of displaying images and our eyes perceive the images differently. Producing a perfect match is virtually impossible. Fortunately, it is possible to get very close and you should be able to produce prints that satisfy the artist within.

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