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Lesson: Printing Image Proofs Using a Color Laser
Printer and Adobe Photoshop
Summary of Process
1 Make sure the image has been completed within Adobe Photoshop and that the printer is ready for use.
2 Open the finished image file with Adobe Photoshop.
3 Crop the image (if necessary) for printing at a specific size and resolution.
4 Confirm the image size and resolution.
5 Assign color settings and profile to digital image.
6 View on-screen proof prior to printing to ensure desired color output.
7 Select page setup and print preview options to configure the appropriate color management and profile options.
Before You Begin
Before beginning to print a proof image using the Xante Ilumina printer, make sure the image has been completely finished within Adobe Photoshop and that the printer is turned on. If the printer is not turned on, or if the printer display panel indicates that the printer is low on paper or toner, please ask your instructor or a lab technician for assistance.
Opening Image File With Adobe Photoshop
The first thing that needs to be done is to open the image file using Adobe Photoshop Extended CS3. If the image file was created with an earlier version of Photoshop, such as Adobe Photoshop CS2, the earlier version of the application may automatically launch if you simply double-click the image file’s icon.
In such a situation, you can open the image file with Adobe Photoshop Extended CS3 simply by dragging and dropping the image file icon on top of the Photoshop Extended CS3 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.
Cropping an Image for Printing at a Specific Size and Resolution
With the image file open within Adobe Photoshop Extended CS3, the first thing that has to be done is to have the image cropped to format it to the desired image size. If you believe your image is already formatted to the specific size you wish to print, or wish to print the image without any resampling taking place, skip this section and proceed to the next section titled “Confirming Image Size and Resolution”.
If you do need, or desire, to crop an image to format it for a specific image size, follow these steps:
1 Select the Crop tool from the Tools Palette located on the left side of the workspace area.
2 When the Crop tool has been selected, the Options bar located above the workspace area will display the Width, Height and Resolution fields for specifying the parameters for cropping. In this example, a color image needs to be prepared for printing of an 8” x 10” landscape proof print. Therefore, in the Options bar, enter 10 for the Width, enter 8 for the Height and 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.
3 With the Crop tool selected and the parameters selected, place the mouse pointer in the upper-left corner of the image to be cropped. The regular pointer transforms into the Crop pointer. Then holding down the left mouse button, drag and select the area you wish to be included in your final print. When dragging the pointer, the crop area that appears will remain proportional to the parameters you established in Step #2. Once you have selected the general area to include in the final image, release the left mouse button. The area that is to be cropped out of the image will appear in the darker shaded areas within the workspace area. If you feel that you need to redo the crop area, simply press the Escape (Esc) key in the upper-left corner of the keyboard and repeat the process again. You can also move the selected crop area around within the image simply by selecting the Move tool from the Tools Palette and drag the area using the mouse.
4 Once you have finalized the area you wish to crop, simply press the RETURN or ENTER key on the keyboard. The image will now be cropped. If the image has zoomed in too close after cropping, select the Navigator Panel to adjust the view size. The Navigator Panel is usually located in the upper-right side of the workspace area. If isn’t viewable in that area, click the Window menu within Photoshop and select Navigator from the menu options that appear.
Confirming Image Size and Resolution
Once the image file has been cropped, if necessary, using Photoshop Extended CS3, 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 proof print.
To confirm the image size and resolution of an image for printing, follow these steps:
1 Within Photoshop Extended CS3, click on the Image menu and select Image 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 10 inches because it will be printed in landscape format rather than Portrait. Furthermore, the Height should be 8 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. For instructions regarding cropping an image, see the previous section titled “Cropping an Image for Printing at a Specific Size and Resolution”.
3 Once you have confirmed the image size and resolution using the Image 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 Photoshop Extended CS3, click on the Edit menu and select Color Settings from the menu options that appear.
2 When the Color Settings window appears, select “North America Prepress 2” from the Settings 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 Photoshop, click on the Edit menu and select Assign Profile from the menu options that appear.
4 When the Assign Profile window appears, the default Working RGB profile should appear as Adobe RGB 1998. This was assigned when you selected the “North America Prepress 2” color setting in Step #2 of this section. To assign this profile to the image, simply click the radio button next to “Working Profile: Adobe RGB (1998)”. You can also select the Adobe RGB 1998 profile by selecting the Profile radio button (the third option available) and selecting the profile from the available popup menu. Once you have selected the profile using either method, click the OK button within the Assign Profile window.
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 Photoshop’s Proof Setup option. By utilizing this feature within Photoshop, 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 proof of an image prior to printing, follow these steps:
1 Within Photoshop, click on the View menu, select Proof Setup from the menu options that appear and select Custom from the available submenu.
2 When the Customize Proof Condition window appears, click on the “Device to Simulate” popup menu located within the Proof Conditions selection area and choose the appropriate printer profile that matches the model printer you will be printing on and the paper type to be used. For this example, we will be printing the image using the Xante Ilumina model printer and will be using standard 24/60 bond paper. Therefore, we will choose the XANTE Ilumina 1200 dpi (PS).icc profile. This is a printer profile prepared by the printer’s manufacturer, Xante, specifically for use with its printer. Profiles are often installed on a computer when performing the printer’s driver installation or may be available from the printer manufacturer’s Support website.
3 Within the Rendering Intent selection area, it is best to select Relative Colorimetric for photographic images. Therefore, using the popup menu appearing within the selection area, select Relative Colorimetric option and select the checkbox for Black Point Compensation.
4 Finally, under the Display Options selection area, select the checkbox for Simulate Paper Color. By selecting this option, the on-screen proof will compensate for the type of paper the image will be printed on. After making the selection, click the OK button and the image will appear in Proof Mode.
Page Setup and Printing Proof Image
Before an image is ready to print, it is helpful to confirm the setup configurations that have been performed, as well as instruct Photoshop how to manage color with the printer. To perform a page setup and print preview using Photoshop Extended CS3, follow these steps:
1 Within Photoshop, click on the File menu and select Print from the menu options that appear.
2 When the Print window appears, you will notice a number of selection areas within the window. These areas include the Printer, Page Setup and Color Management selection areas. Using the Printer popup menu provided, select the printer you wish to the digital image to print to. In this example, we have selected the Photo Lab Xante Ilumina printer. (NOTE: If you are using the Xante Ilumina printer in the Graphics Lab in Room F168, select Graphics Lab Xante Ilumina from the menu provided.)
3 In the Color Management selection area located on the right side of the window, make sure the Document Profile is selected as Adobe RGB 1998. Using the Color Handling popup menu within the same selection area, select Photoshop Manages Color. Using the Printer Profile popup menu, select the same printer profile as you selected in Step #2 for viewing on-screen proofs. In this example, the XANTE Ilumina 1200 dpi (PS).icc profile will be selected. Finally, using the Rendering Intent popup menu, select the Relative Colorimetric option and select the checkbox for Black Point Compensation.
4 Next, click on the PAGE SETUP button located in the center of the Print window. When the Page Setup window appears, select the printer you will be printing to using the Format For popup menu. Select the appropriate paper size and orientation for your image as well. In this example, we will select the US Letter 8.5” x 11.0” paper size and Landscape orientation, since we will be printing an 8” x 10” landscape image. After making the appropriate selections, click the OK button to return to Photoshop’s Print window.
5 After returning to Photoshop’s Print window, double-check your page setup and print preview options. A preview of the image appears on the left side of the window and is based upon the selections made. If all of the appropriate selections are correct, click the PRINT button at the bottom of the window.
6 Once all of the appropriate print selections have been made, you are ready to print the image. If you have to go back to any of the steps within this section to make selection changes, be sure to review each step to make sure that other configuration changes have not been made when returning to a particular step. Then click the PRINT button within the Mac OS X Print selection window and the image will begin printing.
Summary of Process
1 Make sure the image has been completed within Adobe Photoshop and that the printer is ready for use.
2 Open the finished image file with Adobe Photoshop.
3 Crop the image (if necessary) for printing at a specific size and resolution.
4 Confirm the image size and resolution.
5 Assign color settings and profile to digital image.
6 View on-screen proof prior to printing to ensure desired color output.
7 Select page setup and print preview options to configure the appropriate color management and profile options.
Before You Begin
Before beginning to print a proof image using the Xante Ilumina printer, make sure the image has been completely finished within Adobe Photoshop and that the printer is turned on. If the printer is not turned on, or if the printer display panel indicates that the printer is low on paper or toner, please ask your instructor or a lab technician for assistance.
Opening Image File With Adobe Photoshop
The first thing that needs to be done is to open the image file using Adobe Photoshop Extended CS3. If the image file was created with an earlier version of Photoshop, such as Adobe Photoshop CS2, the earlier version of the application may automatically launch if you simply double-click the image file’s icon.
In such a situation, you can open the image file with Adobe Photoshop Extended CS3 simply by dragging and dropping the image file icon on top of the Photoshop Extended CS3 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.
Cropping an Image for Printing at a Specific Size and Resolution
With the image file open within Adobe Photoshop Extended CS3, the first thing that has to be done is to have the image cropped to format it to the desired image size. If you believe your image is already formatted to the specific size you wish to print, or wish to print the image without any resampling taking place, skip this section and proceed to the next section titled “Confirming Image Size and Resolution”.
If you do need, or desire, to crop an image to format it for a specific image size, follow these steps:
1 Select the Crop tool from the Tools Palette located on the left side of the workspace area.
2 When the Crop tool has been selected, the Options bar located above the workspace area will display the Width, Height and Resolution fields for specifying the parameters for cropping. In this example, a color image needs to be prepared for printing of an 8” x 10” landscape proof print. Therefore, in the Options bar, enter 10 for the Width, enter 8 for the Height and 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.
3 With the Crop tool selected and the parameters selected, place the mouse pointer in the upper-left corner of the image to be cropped. The regular pointer transforms into the Crop pointer. Then holding down the left mouse button, drag and select the area you wish to be included in your final print. When dragging the pointer, the crop area that appears will remain proportional to the parameters you established in Step #2. Once you have selected the general area to include in the final image, release the left mouse button. The area that is to be cropped out of the image will appear in the darker shaded areas within the workspace area. If you feel that you need to redo the crop area, simply press the Escape (Esc) key in the upper-left corner of the keyboard and repeat the process again. You can also move the selected crop area around within the image simply by selecting the Move tool from the Tools Palette and drag the area using the mouse.
4 Once you have finalized the area you wish to crop, simply press the RETURN or ENTER key on the keyboard. The image will now be cropped. If the image has zoomed in too close after cropping, select the Navigator Panel to adjust the view size. The Navigator Panel is usually located in the upper-right side of the workspace area. If isn’t viewable in that area, click the Window menu within Photoshop and select Navigator from the menu options that appear.
Confirming Image Size and Resolution
Once the image file has been cropped, if necessary, using Photoshop Extended CS3, 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 proof print.
To confirm the image size and resolution of an image for printing, follow these steps:
1 Within Photoshop Extended CS3, click on the Image menu and select Image 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 10 inches because it will be printed in landscape format rather than Portrait. Furthermore, the Height should be 8 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. For instructions regarding cropping an image, see the previous section titled “Cropping an Image for Printing at a Specific Size and Resolution”.
3 Once you have confirmed the image size and resolution using the Image 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 Photoshop Extended CS3, click on the Edit menu and select Color Settings from the menu options that appear.
2 When the Color Settings window appears, select “North America Prepress 2” from the Settings 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 Photoshop, click on the Edit menu and select Assign Profile from the menu options that appear.
4 When the Assign Profile window appears, the default Working RGB profile should appear as Adobe RGB 1998. This was assigned when you selected the “North America Prepress 2” color setting in Step #2 of this section. To assign this profile to the image, simply click the radio button next to “Working Profile: Adobe RGB (1998)”. You can also select the Adobe RGB 1998 profile by selecting the Profile radio button (the third option available) and selecting the profile from the available popup menu. Once you have selected the profile using either method, click the OK button within the Assign Profile window.
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 Photoshop’s Proof Setup option. By utilizing this feature within Photoshop, 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 proof of an image prior to printing, follow these steps:
1 Within Photoshop, click on the View menu, select Proof Setup from the menu options that appear and select Custom from the available submenu.
2 When the Customize Proof Condition window appears, click on the “Device to Simulate” popup menu located within the Proof Conditions selection area and choose the appropriate printer profile that matches the model printer you will be printing on and the paper type to be used. For this example, we will be printing the image using the Xante Ilumina model printer and will be using standard 24/60 bond paper. Therefore, we will choose the XANTE Ilumina 1200 dpi (PS).icc profile. This is a printer profile prepared by the printer’s manufacturer, Xante, specifically for use with its printer. Profiles are often installed on a computer when performing the printer’s driver installation or may be available from the printer manufacturer’s Support website.
3 Within the Rendering Intent selection area, it is best to select Relative Colorimetric for photographic images. Therefore, using the popup menu appearing within the selection area, select Relative Colorimetric option and select the checkbox for Black Point Compensation.
4 Finally, under the Display Options selection area, select the checkbox for Simulate Paper Color. By selecting this option, the on-screen proof will compensate for the type of paper the image will be printed on. After making the selection, click the OK button and the image will appear in Proof Mode.
Page Setup and Printing Proof Image
Before an image is ready to print, it is helpful to confirm the setup configurations that have been performed, as well as instruct Photoshop how to manage color with the printer. To perform a page setup and print preview using Photoshop Extended CS3, follow these steps:
1 Within Photoshop, click on the File menu and select Print from the menu options that appear.
2 When the Print window appears, you will notice a number of selection areas within the window. These areas include the Printer, Page Setup and Color Management selection areas. Using the Printer popup menu provided, select the printer you wish to the digital image to print to. In this example, we have selected the Photo Lab Xante Ilumina printer. (NOTE: If you are using the Xante Ilumina printer in the Graphics Lab in Room F168, select Graphics Lab Xante Ilumina from the menu provided.)
3 In the Color Management selection area located on the right side of the window, make sure the Document Profile is selected as Adobe RGB 1998. Using the Color Handling popup menu within the same selection area, select Photoshop Manages Color. Using the Printer Profile popup menu, select the same printer profile as you selected in Step #2 for viewing on-screen proofs. In this example, the XANTE Ilumina 1200 dpi (PS).icc profile will be selected. Finally, using the Rendering Intent popup menu, select the Relative Colorimetric option and select the checkbox for Black Point Compensation.
4 Next, click on the PAGE SETUP button located in the center of the Print window. When the Page Setup window appears, select the printer you will be printing to using the Format For popup menu. Select the appropriate paper size and orientation for your image as well. In this example, we will select the US Letter 8.5” x 11.0” paper size and Landscape orientation, since we will be printing an 8” x 10” landscape image. After making the appropriate selections, click the OK button to return to Photoshop’s Print window.
5 After returning to Photoshop’s Print window, double-check your page setup and print preview options. A preview of the image appears on the left side of the window and is based upon the selections made. If all of the appropriate selections are correct, click the PRINT button at the bottom of the window.
6 Once all of the appropriate print selections have been made, you are ready to print the image. If you have to go back to any of the steps within this section to make selection changes, be sure to review each step to make sure that other configuration changes have not been made when returning to a particular step. Then click the PRINT button within the Mac OS X Print selection window and the image will begin printing.