If you enjoy landscape photography then one of the best ways to enjoy your photos is by printing. Many people typically don’t print their landscaping photos because it is easy to share and showcase them on social media. However, when you do actually print these photos, you’ll find a great deal of enjoyment in looking at the physical copies.
You can print your digital photos, place them in frames and hang them on your walls. If you print a very popular print, you can even sell them. We will now dive into three top tips that will help you when printing landscape photos.
1. Calibrate Your Monitor Before Printing
One of the most important things that you need to do is calibrate your monitor. This is important so that you optimize the image so that it looks just right when it is finally printed. Now, calibrating your monitor is important so that the colors shown are standard. If this isn’t done then your photo will look quite different on different monitors. So, before you start printing, always make sure to calibrate your monitor so that you don’t end up wasting paper.
2. Choose the Right Type of Photo Paper
Next, you need to select the right type of paper for printing. Do you have a laser printer or need photo paper for an inkjet printer? If you select the wrong type of paper for your print, this can completely alter how your print looks and feels. A lot of labs have a variety of paper for you to choose from. You can also purchase tester packs that have a variety of fine art paper. Then, you can test printing your image on different types of paper to determine which paper it looks the best on.
3. Match the Right ICC Profile
Thirdly, you should look into creating an ICC profile that allows you to soft proof images using your editing software. By using software such as Adobe Lightroom, you will actually be able to see what your photo would look like when it is printed on a specific type of paper. It is also necessary to communicate to your printer the type of paper that you are using and how it should go about printing the photo.
Using Lightroom, you can soft proof your image before actually printing. In this stage, you can make some final edits such as adding some contrast, brightening the image, sharpening it etc. Once you are completely satisfied with how your photo looks, you can send it to be printed.
A Quick Intro to ICC Color Profiles
Human beings are a visual species, our evolution has made us particularly sensitive to graduations of the visible spectrum and movement. However, the color displayed on an input or output device is subject to the limitations of that device – what we see is not necessarily what we get or want – and this is of particular interest to those who are using software in the design of marketing goods and those involved in graphic design.
This has led to the development of ICC color profiles. These color profiles are the result of work by the International Color Consortium (ICC). This means that every device that displays colors can be set with a number of profiles that define the number and type of colors that can be displayed by a device.
However, there is still a challenge for those designing using these devices – how do they know that the color being displayed is the most accurate rendition of the actual color that is desired?
These designers can be proactive in making sure that the colors are as true as possible. Firstly, they need to know what sort of output colors the device can handle. A good example is a laptop that has a color output that is in sRGB format. If the monitor of the laptop is also sRGB – then the color will be true to life. However, if the monitor output range is in DCI-P3, then the designer or user must insert the DCI-P3 ICC profile into the operating system.
All digital images have their own ICC profile. Designers need to take care to ensure that the ICC color profile matches that of the output device (monitor). The correct ICC profile also needs to be set in the operating system.
By following these simple steps the designer will ensure that what they are seeing and working on is a true representation of the desired printed colors.
Is It Possible To Print Professional Landscape Photos At Home?
It is definitely possible to print professional photos from the comfort of your home. All you would need is a professional printer, the right software and high quality paper. Now, if you don’t have a professional printer at home, then you can get your landscape photos printed at a local print shop or lab. There are even online services that you can use to get your photos printed, so that is also another option.
Conclusion
We have just looked at the top tips for printing landscape photos. These tips will ensure that you’re able to properly optimize and print the best quality photos that you’d be proud to showcase to the world.