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Author Topic: Printer test strips  (Read 3625 times)

Alan Klein

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Printer test strips
« on: June 25, 2014, 10:32:46 am »

If you don't soft proof using a calibrated monitor, how do you create and use digital test strips to see which to use for the best final full print?  If you do soft proof, do any of you use test strips ion addition?

digitaldog

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Re: Printer test strips
« Reply #1 on: June 25, 2014, 12:08:59 pm »

You can use a 'test strip' but a series or at least one good reference image in a decent sized RGB working space is going to tell you a lot more about the output.
http://www.digitaldog.net/files/2014PrinterTestFileFlat.tif.zip
http://www.roman16.com/en/
And yes, even with soft proofing, such test files are very useful.
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mstevensphoto

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Re: Printer test strips
« Reply #2 on: June 25, 2014, 12:32:49 pm »

I've mostly got my process down so I feel comfortable sending straight to the printer but when I do need a test (usually when i have lots of shadow detail on canvas) I like to print 8"x36" strips where I print 4 copies of the image with what I know to be the "usual" corrections for that type of image. my test strip looks like:

reg image no adjustments -> +8 output levels -> +12 output levels ->+12 output levels and mid tones to 1.09

one of those usually grabs what I need in shadow. sometimes I'll do a similar progression with yellow/red adjustments to get warmth.
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Alan Klein

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Re: Printer test strips
« Reply #3 on: June 25, 2014, 12:56:16 pm »

What do you mean +8. +16?  What output are you changing?

digitaldog

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Re: Printer test strips
« Reply #4 on: June 25, 2014, 12:59:29 pm »

What do you mean +8. +16?  What output are you changing?
Sounds like an adjustment to the image (instead of the calibrated display) for a match. If so, that's a big backwards. Just like those silly sliders in Lightroom's Print Module.
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bill t.

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Re: Printer test strips
« Reply #5 on: June 25, 2014, 01:11:44 pm »

Here's a peculiar but interesting method for creating test strips from John Paul Caponigro.  If you can endure an unbearable After Effects intro.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VCTXo5BoIq8

Uses masks in overlay mode.  Can be applied to a wide variety of PS adjustments beyond levels and curves, such as color balance and saturation.  Not sure that I approve of creating a permanent overlay mask as a condition to printing, but John knows the ropes so maybe it's a good idea.  Towards the end he describes how to quantify the masks to look like good old-fashioned test strips.

Personally, I have some actions that create triple test strips with various preset levels and curves variations, and sometimes with overlay masks.  I set them up as 3 strips on a 7.5 x 14.5 image, then assemble 3 of the 7.5 x 14.5's on a single 8 x 44 inch print.  Sure it's expensive, but not as expensive as a big, crummy print that tears at my heartstrings for hours afterwards.
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bill t.

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Re: Printer test strips
« Reply #6 on: June 25, 2014, 01:40:47 pm »

FWIW, here's my favorite test strip generator.  Copy Merge say a 2.5" wide by 14.5" high strip out of your image.  File->New.  You should see a big white rectangle.  Now run the action.  Creates 3 layers with Levels adjustments on two of them, with only the middle Levels diamond modified, so it's sort of a gamma bracket.  The 3-up test strip will be 3 times wider than your selection.  Strip up a bunch of flattened test strips and print them on one large sheet.  You can edit the action to change the Levels setting to whatever you want, or even change Levels to Saturation or whatever else you would be pleased to wedge.  Wedging is the old word from bracketing.  Consult Google for instructions on installing the action.

OK, it's primitive.  And it will fail if your selection is too wide.  But it's free, and if somebody writes a better action based on this, I expect a copy, OK?
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digitaldog

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Re: Printer test strips
« Reply #7 on: June 25, 2014, 01:56:12 pm »

OK, it's primitive.  And it will fail if your selection is too wide.  But it's free, and if somebody writes a better action based on this, I expect a copy, OK?

It's not primitive, it's damn useful. Years ago there was a great Photoshop plug-in called Test Strip that produced better variations than Photoshop did at the time and you could print them out. It was a great tool. Ring-arounds are super useful.
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mstevensphoto

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Re: Printer test strips
« Reply #8 on: June 28, 2014, 01:40:16 pm »

Sounds like an adjustment to the image (instead of the calibrated display) for a match. If so, that's a big backwards. Just like those silly sliders in Lightroom's Print Module.

it is done via adjustment layer - add a levels layer, change the output levels. I'm not recalibrating or changing my calibrated display because I want to adjust a single print. in shadow details on more absorbent media (canvas, matte) in particular you can have a perfectly calibrated display and still want adjustments on your print either for taste or necessity. 't is ultimately basically the same thing as Bill describes above.
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Alan Klein

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Re: Printer test strips
« Reply #9 on: June 28, 2014, 04:21:29 pm »

With all these gymnastics, I wonder if it was worth it sPending all that money for a NEC PA242 with Spectraview II.  Was it?

Wayne Fox

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Re: Printer test strips
« Reply #10 on: June 28, 2014, 06:25:19 pm »

With all these gymnastics, I wonder if it was worth it sPending all that money for a NEC PA242 with Spectraview II.  Was it?
For me the PA301W with SpectraView was a pretty dramatic difference.  took a few calibrations to get it calibrated to match my output in my viewing conditions (using a custom  white point), but my tests now are a 13x19 on EPL, which is almost always very acceptable if not perfect.  Perhaps a small tweak and then my final work verification/artist proof on 24x30 EEF.  Custom profiles give me a perfect match between the two papers, and I only soft proof in lightroom to determine best rendering intent.

I think it becomes  a little more challenging when printing on MK papers, but I haven’t used an of those for a few years now.
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hugowolf

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Re: Printer test strips
« Reply #11 on: June 28, 2014, 08:58:31 pm »

I think it becomes  a little more challenging when printing on MK papers, but I haven’t used an of those for a few years now.

More than 90% of what I print (my own work and for cleints) is on matte paper. I have two calibrated NEC monitors and have no problems matching prints to the screen.

Brian A
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