Top 6 Photo Printing Tips (with Printlab Chicago) | PHLEARN

Today we demystify the photo printing process with help from the experts at Printlab Chicago! Monitor Calibration? Paper? CMYK? DPI? Join Aaron as he sits down with Xander from Printlab to answer your top printing questions.
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Not an ad, just some tips from our friends at Printlab. Here are the topics we cover:
► Why does my photo look different in print? 1:04
► Does my monitor need to be calibrated? 2:57
► Do I need to convert to CMYK color space? 4:45
► What DPI or resolution do I need? 6:24
► What is a printing profile (ICC)? 8:43
► What is the best paper for photos, if any? 10:55
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[@phlearn]

Did we miss anything? Have any other printing questions that we didn't cover? Let us know!

[@henri.witteveen]

Can you say something about discoloration of prints or rather avoiding that.

[@SamStormbornOrmandy]

Really helpful video, thank you Aaron and Xander. 😃👍

[@stevenelson43]

More, specific info on obtaining custom, paper/printer-specific ICC profiles for home printing please. Recommendations for sources and a rough sense of cost would be helpful. Thanks!

[@salemfotografy2938]

thats a very informative video thank you so much...can you do a follow up and show us how to apply all these tips on ps?

[@ArletteTatsuno]

Your video is the most informative source that i have found but: .-If i'm not not using photoshop and instead i'm exporting right from Lightroom, should i export directly to Adobe RGB? i think you should make more enphasis on Lightroom generally speaking. .-When you say "darken your monitor" for example an Apple Monitor, is it enough to lower the brightness with the built in function on the OS or should i mess with some other calibration tool? is known that Apple monitors don't have dedicated contrast controls. .-what do you mean by "printing monitor"? isn't my main monitor enough, should i have more than one besides my main editing monitor? Are editing and printing monitors two things that should be separated? Studios around my city (except the most expensive ones, which i can't afford) always ask for files to be in sRGB, should i send Adobe RGB files anyways, despite their request? is this a sign of poor quality that they request sRGB files?

[@julianmaster]

More Xander interviews. He is knowledgable! :)

[@martintolley9234]

Thanks. This is one of the most useful videos I've seen in a long while. Really informative about an area which as you say, is legit hard.

[@stuartpotgieter1660]

I fully agree I've downloaded to go over it again thanks .

[@cloudatlasminer478]

Refreshing to use the term “legit” hard rather, “literally” hard.

[@dummatube]

Well Done! EVERYTHING IS ABSOLUTELY CORRECT! I started the first digital photographic imaging bureau in Australia in 1985 and I now specialise in art replication and fine art and exhibition printing. It's SO GOOD to see that the new generation of fine art printers LOVE issues like precise calibration and totally understand. and teach. the tried and tested fundamentals of digital printing! THANK YOU Aaron! (David Myers of 'DIGITAL MASTERS Australasia)

[@GeirReiulfsen]

Thank you so much for this video. And thanks to Xander as well. I've read numerous articles, and watched lots of KZbin videos. This is by far the best tips I've ever gotten.

[@fielding68]

These are the type of tutorials we the people like. Straight down to earth and simple. Thank you.

[@DeathByConfetti]

Man, randomly stumbled upon this video at the perfect time. Just started printing my own photos and haven’t seen a video with as much value in regards to printing. Thanks!

[@RonnyGabriels]

As a printing professional myself, I can only agree fully with the tips given! Very to the point but nonetheless very comprehensive video, great work!

[@ekklesiagigapanography1854]

I just made use of soft proofing in Lightroom for the first time using the Arches 88 ICC to make adjustments to an image before sending off to be printed. Saved as RGB 1998. Eager to see how good things look once I have that paper in my hands.

[@zavoina]

Outstanding! Thank you, Aaron and Xander.

[@user-rw3yg4vl5m]

*Loving my **Bestt.Digital** portable Printer. Small enough to carry in my little bag and not at all heavy. Getting a lot of use out of it and having a great time printing on the go. Works for me.*

[@iulianu.4100]

Thank you! Aaron and Xander ! we needed this!

[@genesizemore]

I learned so much from this video, thank you for taking the time to do this. I do a lot of my own printing and the struggle is real.

[@cescadiebschlag5837]

Possibly the MOST useful tutorial on printing I've seen, and I've seen a few! Thanks guys!

[@VickiT158]

Brilliant Q&A. I've learned so much... and had some myths busted. Thank you, guys!

[@BeuterC]

Really great advice! Confirms my experience so far, brought to the point! Thanks!

[@IkeJr2008]

Outstanding video. You asked all the right questions.

[@loriwostal8684]

Such a useful video...thanks so much for doing this. Great stuff!!!

[@kieucuong4818]

i think this is one of the most useful video in 2019. Big thank for you, sir. Love this content!

[@shivabyri]

Helpful video. Thankyou Aaron 👍

[@VMCCompany]

This is great information - Thank you !

[@oleksiimykus9188]

Thanks for a positive and informative video, guys!

[@pascaltsering2429]

Finally. I have been looking for a video like this for years. Thx

[@tsvetelinabogdanova4695]

Bravo! You've made the best tutorial for preparing for print

[@robkr]

A dedicated & perfectionist kind of guy. So professional.

[@thomas9884]

Love it! Would love to see a full process from start to finish.

[@petemc5070]

Great questions, great answers.

[@Pyngwieee]

Excellent tips about DPIs and ProPhoto color gamut. Thanks!!

[@yveslitalien]

Two thumbs up! Very informative video... Thank you!

[@ashhersid661]

This got to be the most AWESOME episode of Phlearn.

[@TomWindeknecht]

Awesome information! You answered some of my questions.

[@danielmaxwell8394]

This has been beyond helpful 🙏🏼

[@ayeshas6537]

Awesome work PHLEARN.I was looking for whether to upsample or reduce dpi for printing an artwork for big sized hoarding.You just nailed it.

[@williamhickstein685]

Just watched this video. April 2024. Great info.

[@photographybyjcooper2648]

wow, so much info! this is great! Please do a part 2

[@Nurr0]

This was helpful, thanks!

[@Aprendizzz2009]

Thank you! It is a great video, very helpful...!!!

[@listlessh]

I worked in a print lab for 6 months in college and learned some really useful stuff, but half of this was still way out of my league. Thanks for making this video, it was truly helpful.

[@euipaik1102]

So much helpful info!

[@louissylvester]

Great! learned a lot!

[@alexcarrillo1]

Aaaaaamazing video!!!!!!

[@MohamedElHanoun]

Very informative thanks ❤️

[@juliabruzzoni]

Excellent!!! Thanks!

[@chrisjonah6575]

This was really valuable!

[@gammap6114]

Amazing! How can you read my mind? All the questions buzzing in my head you ask as if i am telling you to ask? You're awesome. Please bring your lovely Mom next time again on your next episodes

[@AndyMak-jq1py]

Great interview😊

[@TenoDaley]

Very informative thanks!

[@erwindobles]

great info!!!!

[@kevintucker6000]

Great video!

[@sunbro6998]

Great tips!

[@raulchacaltana]

thank you so much for this information

[@ShivamSingh-gv8uj]

Meanwhile this is the best informative video I've seen in a while.

[@andrewh2341]

Super useful info :)

[@macmcmillen6282]

Excellent!

[@LechmooreSimms]

Good info !!

[@bobmay3936]

Thank you Phlearn. Informative, engaging and very helpful. I prefer photo prints framed with a mat, and have been trialling glass, acrylic and anti-glare versions of each. I had not considered leaving out the glass but it works. I now plan to get some thicker, better quality mats that will compensate for the lack of glass and hopefully have sufficient rigidity to stay flat against the photo.

[@michelleoconnor8848]

This is gold - thank you so much!!! :-)

[@laurenceabrahams3996]

Thank you so much for clearing this up , makes so much more sense now , Thank you Thank you!! Happy Pensioner:)

[@darkreigncometh]

Damn!!! Awesome video!

[@SudarshanAshiya]

He is genius. Thanks for this video

[@tristanwilhelm9600]

Great video, I don't know why everybody else was making this confusing

[@kenstav1]

Fascinating 👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻

[@timkasper544]

Excellent

[@page_rage]

Point on. I use the same printer and for the most part, the same paper as well. Well done guys, good video.

[@mukeshdamodaranphotography2315]

Informative

[@rafcoutinho]

Excelent tips! Maybe you could recommend some important resources in amateur printers as well.

[@rolandf7419]

Thanks!

[@HOTTOMATOORNOT]

Hey Xander. Great stuff. Your classmate at Piezography wk/shp in Vt a few years ago.

[@abyhamouda3813]

Thank you

[@MikaLatokartano]

A terrific video on a subject that can be a bit hard to grasp overall. I would love to see a PhlearnPRO tutorial that went in-depth and hands-on to the printing process, covering everything that was explained here but in PhlearnPRO detail, with practical examples from image capture, through post processing, and finally to printing. Every step of the way, what needs to be considered, how different choices impact the photo, all the paper and print settings in Lightroom and Photoshop dialogues, making the image fit the paper etc. I wasted a lot of paper and expensive ink on my Epson SureColor P800 back in the day, trying to get everything right. There was always that one setting that I'd forgotten, which resulted in a bad print.

[@HarisNalbantic]

Hi PHlearn Team (not just Aaron 😉)... many thanks for posting videos with themes like this(!) It's informatic, simple and kompessed with powerful informations... Also chapeau to choice of interlocutor as Printlab... those guys are very familiar with that thematic and know what they talking about (Thx. to Xander 😄)... Don't want to shmooze you, just give you support for that course that you "sailing" 👍⛵📷 (We benefit from it. 😊)

[@bocothedog]

That was outstanding...i learnt so much which use to drive me insane

[@natalieminks7412]

Extremely helpful, thank you! BTW, I did not see a link on the video for the printer.

[@DaleHitchcox]

Gracias!

[@peterskowronski6248]

Fantastic video, thanks so much. Being one who “tries” to print at home on Canon Pixma Pro, I have struggled for such a long time to get a decent print. This video has pointed out a couple things I’ve been doing wrong. One question about icc profiles, if the supplied files from the manufacturers are less than desirable, can you recommend some places that will create our own?

[@shallawmuhammad468]

this video helped me alot thnx alot now I know why some of my photos are darker on different papers

[@blueknight9748]

very nice video.....

[@jazzew]

Hi! Awesome advice, and I'd been frustrated about what to do when printing a recent photo at home. It won't be big, but at least I might save some pain if it turns out nicely. :D

[@will._.x_.861]

🤘awesomeness

[@jamiekimble]

Great info! Maybe touch on "archival" quality vs non archival prints?

[@jeremyturner5449]

First off, thank you for making this photo. The information is really helpful. When he talks about darkening your screen a tad and making it a little less contrasty, does that apply to monitors like mine that have a 'Photo' setting?

[@danielfagan5429]

great video, with regards to reducing monitor brightness and contrast what values would be a good starting point?

[@MahckMedia]

hahaha I work for a large format printing company and I was taught that if a customer provides a image that's less then 150DIP.....SEND IT BACKKK haha. I gotta talk to my co-workers bout doin test prints ha. Thanks for the content.

[@NicolaCagol]

Thanks for sharing these very interesting tips! Regarding the DPI, how do I know how many DPI I can print my image and how to scale it? Changing the DPI Dow’s not effect the way I see images on my computer...

[@huwmorgan51]

Thanks for this video. As a fine art photographer and dedicated home printer, I'd agree with most of the advice. However, I think Xander's advice on ICC profiles was a little misleading. The ICC profiles that come from the paper manufacturers work quite well in my experience. I use Epson printers and papers from Canson and am able to produce very nice prints on both Baryta and cotton rag matte paper using the ICC profiles for my printer downloaded from the Canson website. The prints tend to be faithful to my profiled monitor (after adjusting the brightness). It seems rather weird that Xander would say that profiling the monitor is not important, but getting custom profiles made is important. I'd say it's the other way around based on 20 years of printing experience. The other point I'd like to make is in violent agreement with Xander. Now that I'm exhibiting my work in galleries, the reflection of light off glass and the print itself becomes really annoying. For that reason, I've gone more and more to matte prints. Yes, you give up a little bit in contrast (the blacks aren't as deep), but the prints look much better, whether under glass or mounted to a rigid substrate without glass.

[@printlabchicago6620]

Calibrating your monitor is important of course, but when people send us files, they are almost never using actualy print monitors, and if you try to profile an apple display, it can often lead to with posterizing and actually introduce new color casts, so I just tell people they might as well ball-park it, because it'll never be a perfect match to our device matching color managed system anyway. Also, part of our service is accounting for this in the first place, tweaking the files to print correctly on our specific system. Also, stock profiles can be fine, it really depends on the color and tones in your image; some you'll see the difference, some you wont. But for maximum tonal seperation and color gamut, custom printer profiles are invaluable.

[@Mrrrby]

Loved the video. Thanks for all the information and very helpful tips. (Though I will still work in Profoto RGB, to be prepared for the next ten to 20 years. 😄)

[@printlabchicago6620]

I would look into smart object workflows in photoshop. This way, you can have a flexible workflow that enables adobeRGB now, and ability to convert to prophoto later, if and when it is viable. ProPhoto also uses a 1.8 gamma, not the 2.2 gamma ideal for printing.

[@Mrrrby]

Printlab Chicago Cheers for the tip! Will have a look into it. Never included colour profiles into my non-destructive workflow before. Thanks!

[@macmcmillen6282]

Hey Aaron, how about doing a video tutorial on printing, incorporating the tips in this video? Would be cool/helpful to see how the print(s) turnout and how they compare with what's on your monitor. Thanks!

[@el0blaino]

Thank you, I am just the person you described, a hobbyist without dedicated monitors or dark rooms, and all my basic questions were asked and answered! I just got my first batch of vacation photos back that I had labored over in editing only to find them too dark and colors off … Now I know it was because my Apple monitor was cranked up to like 90% of its max! I had heard about backlighting so why didn’t I think about that before! Anyway hearing your advice I have a question. Do I have to permanently ‘disable’ my mac display so that I can edit photos on it every now and then? Make darker is something I can learn to live with, but must I never again turn it up? Do I turn off the auto ambient light adjust feature forever, or only when editing? Does toggling that on and off mean I need to recalibrate to the room and so on? Thanks!

[@Quiz-Mania-Pra-Familia]

Applause!! Excellent tips! It would be very nice to have orientation on OFFSET printings 'cause this is a very problematic printing system since it makes colors dark and dull. So, a pre color preparation, before sending the images to be printed, is very, very, important. There's a very good tutorial explaining how to do this, here on KZbin (Color Correcting and preparing images for OFFSET PRINTING). I would like to watch an interview made with a good graphic company expert. Hope you do it :)

[@bonsaipiper3773]

But how much brightness and contrast do you change on your monitor? Do I have to make a small change after small change and then order several different small 5x7's and compare?

[@danielelmore1252]

I love all your videos. However, I couldn't find one that goes well into unblurring an image, or possible a video. Any chance we can look forward to one? I will look again as I may have missed it. Thanks!

[@Lynettelucasphotography]

I like Matte too.

[@noreenkarcher7867]

This was so helpful! I don’t have an editing program. I just do minor edits on my desktop Mac and shoot in jpeg. Is it still possible to print large photographs with jpegs?

[@bobkoss280]

Have you looked at Gigapixel AI for upscaling instead of dropping DPI?

[@FutileGrief]

"PLEASE DON'T SEND US CMYK FILES" I would love to rub this video on my professor's face very much.

[@Dpixtion]

ThatOnePerson go look at the XCMYK icc, it all depends on what your printing. If it’s photo images, Adobe RGB Is great, graphics such as corporate logo that use PMS colors then yes your professor IS correct CMYK is what is needed.

[@FutileGrief]

@Tom Berryhill oh thank you for this. I literally just got a request to design a booklet that has tons of photos, not like graphic design or big one-color shapes, but they asked them to be on CMYK. I honestly don't see a big difference on my screen. I don't know if I'm doing it right or why is it better than using RGB when someone who knows about printing can do a better conversion than I can. Do you have any words of wisdom?

[@printlabchicago6620]

@@Dpixtion we're talking about fine art photo printing here, these are the industry standards.

[@VintageRacer2]

If you’re going with Adobe RGB, make sure your monitor supports it. Most don’t, and you can’t edit what you can’t see. If your monitor doesn’t support Adobe RGB, you’ll have a better chance of accurate color using sRGB. Remember, printers are capable of more colors than most monitors.

[@Lynettelucasphotography]

This is helpful. I am looking for a printing partner.

[@raruteam]

I know this is a photography channel but can you give us some tips to print digital paintings or it would be exactly the same?

[@jeanconnor7226]

Just watched Color Spaces Explained! sRGB, Adobe RGB (1998), ProPhoto RGB from 2018 where it was recommended to work in ProPhoto RGB. This is contradicting that. Now I'm confused! Should I work in AdobeRGB or ProPhotoRGB? Then export to sRGB for printing?

[@MrSerg1618]

Wanna see a PHLEARN course about printing.

[@Jack_all]

@4:37 😂😂😂