Chapter V, Printing Digital Images: Lesson VI Evaluating the Print http://www.kodak.com/country/US/en/digital/dlc/book3/chapter5/lesson6/p01.shtml

Obtaining the highest quality print from an inkjet print may require making several test prints first. Test prints should be evaluated carefully and adjustments made as needed. Often times a good print can be made great with only minor adjustments.

As suggested in Lesson 2, print adjustments can be made either with image-processing software on the computer (see Lesson 3 in this module) or with custom printer driver settings. Don’t make adjustments with both image-processing software and custom printer driver settings at the same time. Adjustments to one can cancel out adjustments made with the other.

Begin evaluating the print by looking at its overall lightness and darkness. The picture should be light enough that the dark shadow areas of the picture show detail and dark enough that the light areas of the picture are not washed out.

While we are considering lightness and darkness, attention should also be given to the print’s contrast. Contrast adjustments control how tones between the lightest and darkest areas will be seen in the final print. Use a combination of brightness and contrast adjustments to create a print with good tonal reproduction. A print with good tone reproduction is a print that accurately represents all the tones that were present in the original scene.

The next step in evaluating a print is to consider color The next step in evaluating a print is to consider color. Look at the white and gray areas of the picture to see if there is a color cast present. A good quality print should be free of any excess color tints.

Another way to evaluate a print’s color is to look at areas of the picture that contain items with recognizable colors. For example, grass should be green, denim jeans should be blue, skin tones should look natural.

Next look at the print and consider its sharpness Next look at the print and consider its sharpness. Lines should be crisp and object should have distinct detail. Make sure that the print hasn’t been over-sharpened with image-processing software. Look at the following pictures for examples of excessive sharpening.

Next look at the print carefully for examples of defects that may be related to printer operation. These could include: Banding Bleeding Coalescence Dot structure Distorted or missing color

Examine the picture closely for examples of banding Examine the picture closely for examples of banding. Banding will be seen as light or dark vertical line patterns running through the picture. Look for banding to first appear in solid areas of color, particularly green. Using a higher printer resolution can usually reduce banding problems.

Bleeding is the result of one color offsetting or running into another color. In this situation lines will appear un-sharp and poorly defined.

Coalescence defects appear as a pooling or puddling of ink drops on certain types of paper. This causes a mottled, uneven pattern in the picture.

Prints with poor dot structure will contain visible dot patterns in areas that should have smooth even tones. These patterns will be most noticeable in white highlights and are best corrected by using higher printer resolution settings.        DLC Plus     

In some cases a picture’s color may appear grossly distorted or entire colors may be missing. This usually is an indication that one of the printer’s ink cartridges is empty or one of the print head nozzles is clogged.

In most cases the print defects mentioned above can be corrected by checking the printer to make sure the proper media type, quality/resolution, and print speed settings have been selected. Improper print head alignment and clogged print nozzles can also contribute to these problems. Always be sure to use high quality inkjet media designed for use with inkjet printer.

Making good quality prints requires practice and experience looking at subtle details. Different types of pictures will present different challenges in obtaining the best print quality

It’s a good idea to develop experience printing the following types of pictures: Indoor pictures taken under natural light Indoor pictures take with flash Outdoor pictures take with overcast skies Outdoor pictures take in bright sun Sun sets Pictures including examples of green grass, blue sky, and skin tone Pictures containing brightly colored red green, and blue objects Noting the types of adjustment and settings used can save time and money when printing similar types of pictures in the future.