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Lesson: Printing Images Using the Apple Preview
Application
Summary of Process
1 Make sure the image has been completed within Adobe Photoshop and a proof has been printed using a color laser printer.
2 Open the finished image file with the Apple Preview application.
3 Crop the image (if necessary) for printing at a specific size and resolution.
4 Assign color settings and profile to digital image.
5 View on-screen soft proof prior to printing to ensure desired color output.
6 Select the appropriate print configurations for paper type, print quality and color management.
Before You Begin
Before beginning to print an image a photo inkjet printer, make sure the image has been completely finished within Adobe Photoshop, including cropping the image for the specified size you wish to print, and a proof has been printed using a color laser printer. See Lesson Eight for complete directions regarding the printing of proof copies using a color laser printer.
Opening Image File With Apple Preview
The first thing that needs to be done is to open the image file using the Apple Preview application that is included with the Mac OS X operating system. If the image file was created with a version of Adobe Photoshop, the Photoshop application may automatically launch if you simply double-click the image file’s icon and a copy of Photoshop is present on the workstation.
In such a situation, you can open the image file with Apple Preview simply by dragging and dropping the image file icon on top of the Preview application icon. The application icon may be found either in your Dock at the bottom of your monitor, or by clicking on the Go menu within the Finder window and selecting Applications from the menu options that appear.
Confirming Image Size and Resolution
Once the image file has been cropped, if necessary, using Adobe Photoshop, the next thing that has to be done in order to produce a high quality image print is to make sure that the image is formatted to the correct size and resolution. In this example, a color image needs to be prepared for the printing of an 8” x 10” landscape glossy print.
To confirm the image size and resolution of an image for printing, follow these steps:
1 Within Apple Preview, click on the Tools menu and select Adjust Size from the menu options that appear.
2 When the Image Size window appears, make sure the Resample Image checkbox is deselected if you do not wish for the image to be resampled. Otherwise, using the Document Size selection area, enter the appropriate values for the final image output. In this example, the Width should be 7 inches because it will be printed in landscape format rather than Portrait. Furthermore, the Height should be 5 inches for the same reason. Finally, enter 300 for the resolution. Generally speaking, the ideal resolution for a digital color image to be formatted at for printing is 300. Black and White images typically are formatted at twice that amount, or 600. Note that when entering the values, they may not always let you enter the specific values based upon the aspect ratio of the image. If you cannot enter the specific value you wish to set for the image, either select the Resample Image checkbox located at the bottom of the Image Size window, or crop the image to the desired width and height.
3 Once you have confirmed the image size and resolution using the Adjust Size window, click the OK button. The confirmation of the image size and resolution is now complete.
Assigning Color Settings and Profiles to Image
Next, we need to make sure that the image has been assigned the appropriate color settings and profiles to produce a high quality print. To do so, follow these steps:
1 Within the Apple Preview application, click on the Tools menu and select Assign Profile from the menu options that appear.
2 When the Assign Profile window appears, select the ColorSync profile “Adobe RGB (1998)” from the popup menu. This will assign to the digital image the appropriate RGB working spaces (Adobe RGB 1998) and Color Management policies for producing high quality photographic prints. Then click the OK button.
Now we need to make sure that we have assigned the correct color profile for the image. The Adobe RGB 1998 profile is often one of the desirable working profiles for producing high quality photographic prints. It is included with the Macintosh OS X operating system as one of its primary monitor and is included with the installation of Adobe Photoshop Extended CS3. To make sure that the Adobe RGB 1998 profile is properly assigned to the image, follow these steps:
3 Within the Apple Preview application, click on the Tools menu and select Show Inspector from the menu options that appear.
4 When the Inspector window appears, make sure the first tab at the top of the window called the General Info Inspector tab is selected. Within the window, a number of image-specific information will appear, including the document type, file size, image size, image resolution and ColorSync profile assigned to the image. Make sure the ColorSync profile assigned is specified as Adobe RGB (1998). If it isn’t, return to Steps #1 and #2 above to assign the correct profile.
Viewing On-Screen Proof
One way that you can preview how a proof will look upon printing, without actually having make a print, is to use Apple Preview’s Soft Proof option. By utilizing this feature within Preview, you can assign a printer color profile to simulate printer output, paper color and more. This feature can be a cost and time saver when preparing images for print.
To view an on-screen soft proof of an image prior to printing, click on the View menu, select the Soft Proof with Profile menu option and then select the appropriate printer profile from the submenu options that appear that matches the paper type you will be printing on. The image displayed within the Preview application will adjust to give a view of what the image should look like once it is printed on the specified paper.
Printing Image
To print an image using the Apple Preview application, make sure the appropriate photo paper is loaded into the printer and follow these steps:
1 Within the Apple Preview application, click on the File menu and select Print Selected Image from the menu options that appear.
2 Using the Printer popup menu, select the correct printer that will be used for printing the image. In this example, I will be selecting the EPSON Stylus Photo R1900 model printer.
3 In the Copies field, enter the number of copies you wish to print of the image selected..
4 Using the Paper Size popup menu, select the size of the photo paper you will be using to print the image.
5 Next, within the Orientation selection area, choose whether you wish to print the image in a Portrait or Landscape mode. In this example, the Landscape mode is selected.
6 In the Preview selection area, make sure the Scale to Fit radio button is selected, along with its corresponding Print Entire Image radio button.
7 Using the popup menu provided, change the Preview selection area to the Color Matching selection area. When the Color Matching selection area appears, select the radio button for EPSON Color Controls to let the printer driver / engine determine the colors when printing. This is the preferred option when using printer color profiles provided by the photo inkjet printer manufacturer.
Alternately, if you have created your own custom printer profile and wish to use it for your color management of the printing of the image, select the radio button for ColorSync and, using the Profile popup menu provided, select the custom printer profile you wish to use. This option relies primarily on the Apple ColorSync color engine built into the Mac OS X operating system for color managing the image while printing.
8 Click the PRINT button and the photo should begin printing.
Summary of Process
1 Make sure the image has been completed within Adobe Photoshop and a proof has been printed using a color laser printer.
2 Open the finished image file with the Apple Preview application.
3 Crop the image (if necessary) for printing at a specific size and resolution.
4 Assign color settings and profile to digital image.
5 View on-screen soft proof prior to printing to ensure desired color output.
6 Select the appropriate print configurations for paper type, print quality and color management.
Before You Begin
Before beginning to print an image a photo inkjet printer, make sure the image has been completely finished within Adobe Photoshop, including cropping the image for the specified size you wish to print, and a proof has been printed using a color laser printer. See Lesson Eight for complete directions regarding the printing of proof copies using a color laser printer.
Opening Image File With Apple Preview
The first thing that needs to be done is to open the image file using the Apple Preview application that is included with the Mac OS X operating system. If the image file was created with a version of Adobe Photoshop, the Photoshop application may automatically launch if you simply double-click the image file’s icon and a copy of Photoshop is present on the workstation.
In such a situation, you can open the image file with Apple Preview simply by dragging and dropping the image file icon on top of the Preview application icon. The application icon may be found either in your Dock at the bottom of your monitor, or by clicking on the Go menu within the Finder window and selecting Applications from the menu options that appear.
Confirming Image Size and Resolution
Once the image file has been cropped, if necessary, using Adobe Photoshop, the next thing that has to be done in order to produce a high quality image print is to make sure that the image is formatted to the correct size and resolution. In this example, a color image needs to be prepared for the printing of an 8” x 10” landscape glossy print.
To confirm the image size and resolution of an image for printing, follow these steps:
1 Within Apple Preview, click on the Tools menu and select Adjust Size from the menu options that appear.
2 When the Image Size window appears, make sure the Resample Image checkbox is deselected if you do not wish for the image to be resampled. Otherwise, using the Document Size selection area, enter the appropriate values for the final image output. In this example, the Width should be 7 inches because it will be printed in landscape format rather than Portrait. Furthermore, the Height should be 5 inches for the same reason. Finally, enter 300 for the resolution. Generally speaking, the ideal resolution for a digital color image to be formatted at for printing is 300. Black and White images typically are formatted at twice that amount, or 600. Note that when entering the values, they may not always let you enter the specific values based upon the aspect ratio of the image. If you cannot enter the specific value you wish to set for the image, either select the Resample Image checkbox located at the bottom of the Image Size window, or crop the image to the desired width and height.
3 Once you have confirmed the image size and resolution using the Adjust Size window, click the OK button. The confirmation of the image size and resolution is now complete.
Assigning Color Settings and Profiles to Image
Next, we need to make sure that the image has been assigned the appropriate color settings and profiles to produce a high quality print. To do so, follow these steps:
1 Within the Apple Preview application, click on the Tools menu and select Assign Profile from the menu options that appear.
2 When the Assign Profile window appears, select the ColorSync profile “Adobe RGB (1998)” from the popup menu. This will assign to the digital image the appropriate RGB working spaces (Adobe RGB 1998) and Color Management policies for producing high quality photographic prints. Then click the OK button.
Now we need to make sure that we have assigned the correct color profile for the image. The Adobe RGB 1998 profile is often one of the desirable working profiles for producing high quality photographic prints. It is included with the Macintosh OS X operating system as one of its primary monitor and is included with the installation of Adobe Photoshop Extended CS3. To make sure that the Adobe RGB 1998 profile is properly assigned to the image, follow these steps:
3 Within the Apple Preview application, click on the Tools menu and select Show Inspector from the menu options that appear.
4 When the Inspector window appears, make sure the first tab at the top of the window called the General Info Inspector tab is selected. Within the window, a number of image-specific information will appear, including the document type, file size, image size, image resolution and ColorSync profile assigned to the image. Make sure the ColorSync profile assigned is specified as Adobe RGB (1998). If it isn’t, return to Steps #1 and #2 above to assign the correct profile.
Viewing On-Screen Proof
One way that you can preview how a proof will look upon printing, without actually having make a print, is to use Apple Preview’s Soft Proof option. By utilizing this feature within Preview, you can assign a printer color profile to simulate printer output, paper color and more. This feature can be a cost and time saver when preparing images for print.
To view an on-screen soft proof of an image prior to printing, click on the View menu, select the Soft Proof with Profile menu option and then select the appropriate printer profile from the submenu options that appear that matches the paper type you will be printing on. The image displayed within the Preview application will adjust to give a view of what the image should look like once it is printed on the specified paper.
Printing Image
To print an image using the Apple Preview application, make sure the appropriate photo paper is loaded into the printer and follow these steps:
1 Within the Apple Preview application, click on the File menu and select Print Selected Image from the menu options that appear.
2 Using the Printer popup menu, select the correct printer that will be used for printing the image. In this example, I will be selecting the EPSON Stylus Photo R1900 model printer.
3 In the Copies field, enter the number of copies you wish to print of the image selected..
4 Using the Paper Size popup menu, select the size of the photo paper you will be using to print the image.
5 Next, within the Orientation selection area, choose whether you wish to print the image in a Portrait or Landscape mode. In this example, the Landscape mode is selected.
6 In the Preview selection area, make sure the Scale to Fit radio button is selected, along with its corresponding Print Entire Image radio button.
7 Using the popup menu provided, change the Preview selection area to the Color Matching selection area. When the Color Matching selection area appears, select the radio button for EPSON Color Controls to let the printer driver / engine determine the colors when printing. This is the preferred option when using printer color profiles provided by the photo inkjet printer manufacturer.
Alternately, if you have created your own custom printer profile and wish to use it for your color management of the printing of the image, select the radio button for ColorSync and, using the Profile popup menu provided, select the custom printer profile you wish to use. This option relies primarily on the Apple ColorSync color engine built into the Mac OS X operating system for color managing the image while printing.
8 Click the PRINT button and the photo should begin printing.