Hi,
the Iris prints on watercolour paper that I've seen have been
excellent, and unless I'd been told I wouldn't have known they were
not conventional photoprints - perhaps except for the particular
quality of the paper itself, which is very nice. So I will certainly
evaluate the final output as I would a conventional print.
In the meantime I'm boning up on the technology so I at least have an
idea of what to ask about. So I now know about the choice of papers,
their pros and cons, and something about the choice of inks. I'll
speak to the printer about the scanning requirements. I don't scan my
own stuff, I have it done on Kodak Photo CD, so I'll either go to my
regular place or have the printer do it if that's one of his skills.
I'll also need to ask him what sort of Photoshop prep work he expects,
if any.
I'll certainly ask to look at some cradle-to-grave, or slide-to-print,
examples of his work.
As for the mid-tones, my very brief review of the technology tells me
that Photoshop has a 'Transfer' function with which you can set a particular
curve that is characteristic for the particular paper stock you're going to
use so that it will start from deepest black, but put the mid-tones right
where you want them, rather than kind of randomly depending on how much the
paper changes the dot gain. I've already played around with this at
home (Epson Stylus Photo 700 and Epson Photo Paper, PCD scan from HP5
neg) and managed to get better results than I've had before, and better
results than I could personally ever get in a wet darkroom, so I'm expecting
the Iris to blow my socks off. I may see if I can get some of the
watercolour paper and fancy 4-black cartridges for my printer and see
what I can do with that before I go to see the man; that should give
me a baseline.
The recommended printer apparently has some big-name clients, and has
now been recommended independently by a 2nd person.
---
Bob
mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]
"Art is a form of play, not to be taken seriously" - Plato
Thursday, May 17, 2001, 12:28:15 AM, you wrote:
> Iris prints are gorgeous. If I had the money, I'd have an Iris printer. :)
>> The same person who suggested I use this medium has also recommended
>> somebody to do the prints. My questions are: does anybody here have
>> any personal experience of Iris prints on watercolour paper? If so,
>> what advice can you give me about getting it done? What questions should
>> I ask the printer? What information should I offer? How should I evaluate
>> his work? How should I make sure he does the best possible job for me?
> I have not ever had an Iris print made, only seen them, but the format
> has so much potential that really, you should evaluate their work like a
> conventional photographic print. Don't "go easy" on it because it's
> digital: Iris done right can have every bit as full a tonal range as a
> conventional print. A lot will depend on the scan, and lemme tell ya,
> Scala's about as easy to scan as Velvia: without a really good scanner
> (one with a real healthy density range), you won't get all you can out
> of the print.
> Here's the good news: the printers are so heavy an investment that
> buying one without the other gear to back it up would be lunacy. Before
> getting the whole pile of prints done, find out what it would cost you
> to do a test image, perhaps smaller, to evaluate the process. If
> they're happy with their work, they should be eager to knock yer socks
> off. Pick the image with the heaviest detailed blacks that you've got
> (and some bright highlights, too, if you can find both extremes in one
> image) and let them take a whack at it. If you're happy with the
> result, then great. If not, discuss it with them and find out where the
> problem lies (it can be as simple as you and whoever's printing having
> differing opinions on where the midtones should lie).
> Does the person who recommended the printer have a sample that you can
> look at and perhaps compare to a conventional print or the original transparency?
> -Aaron
> p.s. let us know how it goes.
-
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