When you’ve taken your digital images through Photoshop and revised them, retouched them and perhaps re-colored them to your satisfaction, it’s time to make the digital prints of the photos. Now you will actually have a photo to frame and give out as a gift or put in a photo album. If your photos are for exhibition purposes or commercial art, you’ll need to consider what print media to use. There are several choices: paper, canvas, textiles, and specialty films – let’s take a look at our options.
Papers /Coated and Un-Coated/
Your choice of paper is most critical when it comes to digital printing, because it’s the final display medium and the specifications and attributes of the paper can affect how your photograph is seen by viewers. As with traditional dark room printing, the digital dark room has specific types of paper that you can (and must) choose from when making digital prints. Digital inkjet paper is designed to replicate the matte or glossy photo papers available for traditional dark room printing, so that’s your first choice. Most people opt for glossy, but it’s really a matter of personal preference.
You can also choose between coated and non-coated papers. Coated paper is very similar to the silver halide paper from traditional darkroom printing that can absorb droplets of water without showing a ripple in the paper. You know what we're talking about, right? Whenever you get paper wet, as it dries it warps. Coated paper prevents this from happening, and thus makes for more durable and protected prints. Un-coated paper can easily fall victim to the damages of water and humidity. Most people can get away with not using coated paper, which is more expensive and use un-coated paper, as long as they take a moderate amount of care when printing, storing and displaying the final photograph.
Canvases
Another medium that every photographer should consider to printing on is canvas. The impressive nature of Digital Canvas Prints will encourage you to devise ways to take advantage of the surface texture, and display format to increase the possibilities for creative photographic presentation. As with the various grades of photo paper that provide a print with distinct visual qualities, you can tailor your photographs to take advantage of what the canvas offers. Portraiture, still life and landscapes are enhanced the most by using canvas. When printed on canvas, a photo can take on the look of an oil painting, and the appearance of “fine art”.
When post processing photographs you plan to print on canvas there are various filter effects offered in Photoshop (such as half-tone, threshold, pastel, etc.) that will convert your image’s visual characteristics to a more graphic quality. This can amplify the expressionistic nature of your work and take advantage of the “fine art” nature of a Digital Canvas Print. The photographer must think about how to display this photograph – what medium am I going to print this on? That knowledge can and will effect how you go about capturing the image in the first place, and it can determine what subjects you chose to photograph in the first place.
Textiles
Digital printing technology enables you to not only print your images on Fine Art canvas, but to print on all sorts of textiles that can be used in fashion and interior design. Printing on textiles with digital technology is very similar to making silkscreen prints, as you get the same type of image quality and color fastness, yet with perhaps more detail and color choices. Most people, particularly fashion designers, are unaware of the fact that you can print digital images on to textiles (usually cotton, silk or polyester); however, once you do know this you then have a powerful and versatile media type on which to place your images. This can be as basic as placing a photograph of your kids on the front of a T-shirt, or you can make more abstract use of compositions, designs and artistic images for scarves, wall paper, hats, jackets and other forms of clothing. What makes printing on textiles unique is that you are converting your images to a non-traditional medium (or in the case of T-shirts, an accepted form of art) opening up many options for display of your photos. Printing mediums are all about alternative and non-traditional means of getting your photos seen by the public.
Specialty Films
As technology progresses, we’ve found that any smooth surface can be coated with a layer that accepts ink; therefore a myriad of materials can be made printable -- as long as they are thin and flexible enough to run through a printer. These include, but are not limited to: vinyl, transparent films, and transfer papers. One unusual, but curiously fascinating example is Brightec's Night Luminescent Photographic Paper. This amazing material accepts your images and they appear normal in sunlight, but are luminescent in the dark. Transparent films are ideal for applications where you need to create a label that must disappear behind the message or design that you’re using. Some additional types of specialty films are metalized or foil labels (gold or silver) that are an alternative for identification labeling on metal surfaces or appliances. Specialty films are also great for backlit applications and window displays.
Conclusion
Choosing your print media is extremely crucial for conveying the message that you want your photographic images to project. When you utilize alternative print media, your work can really jump out. Paper says one thing, canvas another, and metallic foil says something else entirely – even if the same image is printed on each medium.
