Prints With Punch

[Ramonn]

I am fairly new to printing. I have the R 1900. What I am trying to accomplish are prints with colors that are bold and bright with punch. I assume a glossy paper that is very bright is what I need. I came across a deal at Shades of Paper for 13x19 Photo Gloss (20 sheets) for $8.00!! and tried it. The print looks great, but I think with the proper paper it could look better. The Photo Gloss paper is fine for the price but has been replaced by the next generation. Would you suggest the Photoglossy Premium RC from Canson or is there a better brand. Also, I think the $8.00 deal is still on. I received an e-mail offering 15% off and free shipping.

[dgberg]

In my opinion the metallic papers pack quite a punch especially when printing B&W photos. You may want to try several brands.
Shades Of Paper is a good place to start.

[Gemmtech]

You might want to try Pictorico

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/search?Ntt=pictorico+pro+hi-gloss&N=0&InitialSearch=yes

And if you want a lot of "Punch" then use it with a dye inkjet printer

[bill t.]

"Punch" is 10% media, 30% post processing, and 60% selecting punchy subjects in punchy light.  I used to get worked up about specific media, but honestly they're all about the same if you look at a large sampling of competently made prints within the same general category such as glossy, matte, etc.  It's the skill level of the print maker that counts.

[Gemmtech]

So the printer has nothing to do with "punch"?  I have done a lot of printing over the past 12 years and know that pigment ink prints
don't have the "punch" of a dye print.  There are a lot of factors, but I think your percentages are off a little.

[bill t.]

So the printer has nothing to do with "punch"?  I have done a lot of printing over the past 12 years and know that pigment ink prints
don't have the "punch" of a dye print.  There are a lot of factors, but I think your percentages are off a little.

Well maybe a little.  But I was factoring in...

Effective_Punch = Punch_a_couple_years_down_the_road / Initial_Punch

And what is punch, anyway?  7Up mixed with fruit juice?  For a Look, I usually prefer Awesome to Punchy.  Pigments are hard to beat for Awesome, they've got that oil painting look and everybody knows that oil paintings are just automatically Awesome.

[Aristoc]

I am sure there is a plug in somewhere that is suppose to add punch.

[bill t.]

I am sure there is a plug in somewhere that is suppose to add punch.

Most anything that adds midtone contrast will increase perceived punch.  But stay in-gamut for best results.

Tony Kuyper has some actions that do punch well.  Best $25 you'll ever spend.

http://goodlight.us/

[jeremypayne]

Unsharp Mask ... 250 radius, 10-20 on the amount.

Totally, fruitalicious punch ... Watch out for crunchies.

[Jeff Magidson]

with Digital Imaging "Punch" is all to easy to achieve. I see over saturated / over sharpened prints all the time. Beautifully delicate / skilled prints prints are another matter.... 

[bill t.]

with Digital Imaging "Punch" is all to easy to achieve. I see over saturated / over sharpened prints all the time. Beautifully delicate / skilled prints prints are another matter.... 

Yes, absolutely.  The best assignment a teacher can give a newby is to print a series of the same image going from subtle to punchy.   The student is almost always surprised to discover the best looking print resides at the subtle end of the scale.  This is why a lot of intro-to-photography teachers want their students to post process within sRGB, which shows up the limits of the image sooner on the monitor.

The sad truth is, most attempts at Punch wind up being clipped and blocked up on the print.  One must frequently check the out-of-gamut situation as one forges ahead towards on-screen Punchiness.

[neile]

You just gave me a flashback to Black and White 1, where we had to print using all the contrast filters. #5 looked awesome, until you saw #3 and realized #5 was over the top!

Neil

[bill t.]

Sounds like those heady days when everybody had a little tray next to the big trays with wet max-d and snow-white comparison swatches to make sure our prints could survive Ansel's dreaded lights-on-a-rheostat print torture chamber.  Never mind that we were losing almost every scrap of luscious shadow detail to get that max black.  A lot of ugly prints came out of those times.  Sort of like losing everything below 40:40:40 to punchy post processing.

[Justan]

Most anything that adds midtone contrast will increase perceived punch.  But stay in-gamut for best results.

Tony Kuyper has some actions that do punch well.  Best $25 you'll ever spend.

http://goodlight.us/

Hi Bill,

Thanks for the tip! It’s always a pleasure and very rewarding in an educational way to follow your posts.