In several posts I've said things like "...prep'd the file in the usual way", or "...set the remainder of the print settings as usual." So, what is the usual? Here's a brief run-down of my workflow. I'll begin here after I've made any image adjustments I feel are needed, I've soft-proofed using the appropriate profile, and I'm ready to print.
Resize the image: I had worked out what I felt was the best way to do this when I printed on the Canon iPF 5000, which wanted files at 600ppi. I resized and resampled as necessary to make 600ppi files in the size I wanted. If I didn't do this, the printer driver would, with a result that was not always optimum.
For the 7900, the process is a bit different. I took advantage of comments made by Jeff Schewe in an October posting on Luminous Landscape's "Printers, Papers, and Inks" forum. In part:
"I decided to do some tests and write an article for DPP magazine...the net/net result is that if your native image resolution (at the print dimensions) puts the PPI below 360 (for Epson, 300 for HP & Canon) upsample to 360 PPI (300 PPI) before printing and then do your output sharpening (easy in LR).
If the native rez is above 360 but below 720 PPI (600 PPI for HP & Canon) upsample to 720 PPI (or 600 PPI) and then output sharpen.
The advantages are visible to the naked eye (if you know what to look for) and generally involve a high contrast diagonal or circle and/or super high frequency texture. Test it yourself (I did before writing the article).
It's easy to upsample and then output sharpen in Lightroom...more difficult (but doable) in Photoshop..."I don't use Lightroom, but I didn't find this a challenge to do with Photoshop. I haven't had time to do exhaustive testing of the 360ppi vs. 720ppi issue, but using Jeff's method seems to work very well. Doing this gets me to the image (print) size I want, at the resolution required by the printer for best results.
Output sharpening: I use Photoshop's Smart Sharpen. I've been very happy with that through my years of printing with the Canon; I have not investigated other sharpening tools. (Note that I do a little capture sharpening in ACR, which certainly affects the output, but is a little beyond the scope of this post.) I set the on-screen size (zoom) to 25% to 33%. I then set the Smart Sharpen amount and radius to values I know will result in a properly sharpened print. This generally looks somewhat over-sharpened, or "crunchy", usually with some haloes, on-screen. Experience has taught me how far to go with this to get a properly sharpened print. I assumed this would hold true when printing with the 7900, and so far it has.
Open the Print dialog: This is where things get interesting for me. I never used the standard print driver with the Canon, choosing instead to use their excellent print plug-in for Photoshop. Epson has nothing like this. The print dialog is a multi-level affair. I use a Mac, but much of this is the same in Windows operating systems.
In the main Print dialog I set "Color management" to Document, set "Photoshop manages color", select the correct profile and rendering intent (so far all of the Epson profiles I have used "perceptual") select portrait or landscape orientation, and then click the Printer Settings... button. This raises a second dialog box, also titled "Print". Here I choose a paper size. If a custom size is needed, or a size with custom margins, I can create it here. So far I've done this only as described in my 28 October posting. This was a mostly-successful attempt to center my profile test prints on the page.
This dialog has a number of tabs, including Layout, Color Matching, Paper Handling, Cover Page and Scheduler. The settings on the Color Matching tab are disabled because the printer is not managing color (Photoshop is). Otherwise, most of these settings can be ignored.
The next set of tabs is where the money is. Under Printer Settings/Basic I select the media (paper) type as needed for the profile I'm using. This can be confusing; not only does Epson have a bizarre naming scheme for its papers, but it changed many of the names a few years ago. Some papers are still identified by the former name. Some roll papers have a different name than the same paper in cut sheets. Friend Dean pointed me to the Epson Professional Media Guide booklet that was included with the printer. Mine's from Fall, 2010; it's been a big help. Selecting the media type automatically selects other options, including the correct black ink, which so far for me has always been Photo Black; output resolution; and the SuperMicroWeave setting. These last two can be changed if the default for the chosen paper type isn't what's needed for the profile (assuming the profile specifies this, which it should). Jeff Schewe recommends checking the "Finest Detail" checkbox if the file resolution is 720ppi. I have not tested this.
The Mac's printing architecture is 16-bit throughout, so I make sure the 16-bit box is checked. This setting is sticky -- it was only necessary to set this once.
The settings under the Advanced Color Settings tab are disabled when Photoshop manages color.
I have not yet printed on roll paper. When the media type is a sheet paper, the settings here are disabled.
Finally, I've done nothing with the settings under the Advanced Media Control tab except leave them at their defaults.
When the Save button is clicked this dialog closes and returns to the earlier Print dialog. Here I can see the margin settings (in the Position box) and see a small preview of the image position on the sheet. As mentioned in earlier posts, getting an image centered has been a hassle; the settings here have let me get close, but with narrow margins clipping is likely.
Print: Now it's time to go to the printer, which is in another room, probably 20 feet away. Prior to my first print of the session I'll make a nozzle check print. This almost always shows clogs; sometimes cleaning nozzle pairs to clear the clogs results in other nozzles becoming clogged. I do pair cleanings as necessary until all look good.
I insert the sheet for my print, allow the printer a minute to find its position and size, and then from the control panel enter a media type (the printer always asks when a sheet is inserted, but it remembers the last media type used). I then return to the Mac and click the Print button.
This is a long and detailed explanation of a process that takes only a couple of minutes (plus nozzle cleaning time, which is not inconsiderable). With a few early exceptions, the prints have been at least very good, more often excellent.
--Jay
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