FAQ printing

[BananaRepublic]

Q. In LR if I export an image by right clicking and going to export is that different then going to the print tab on the top left of LR, long side 'Web", by that I mean the "Print tab gives you the option of selecting a colour profile and the dpi were as export allows selection of dimensions and dpi and not a colour profile.

Say I want a jpeg '10x15" and pick 300dpi for both versions and I want a colour profile of sRGB will only the print tab selection give me that colour profile.

Reason I ask: I go to a local store to get most prints, as there for a camera club Im in. The store owner is also in the club and they give members discount. Every so often I bring up the colour profile matching topic as allot of the time print are not at all similar to what I expect or even ball park, each time they tell me our profile is sRGB not Adobe RGB and say no more and wont entertain anything else nor give me any info on there printer so I could google a profile perhaps. On the back of that should I be selecting sRGB in print tab or does it not matter. I almost always want 10x15 size

 

[Ysarex]

Q. In LR if I export an image by right clicking and going to export is that different then going to the print tab on the top left of LR, long side 'Web", by that I mean the "Print tab gives you the option of selecting a colour profile and the dpi were as export allows selection of dimensions and dpi and not a colour profile.

Yes they are different. When exporting an image you also have the option to set a color profile. In the export dialog under the option File Settings you can select the color space -- that's a color profile. Under the Print tab you select a color profile for the printer and that's different.

Say I want a jpeg '10x15" and pick 300dpi for both versions and I want a colour profile of sRGB will only the print tab selection give me that colour profile.

No. The profile you set under the Print tab is a printer profile which is device dependent. sRGB is a device independent color space profile and in all possible ways is a mistake to set as a printer profile.

Reason I ask: I go to a local store to get most prints, as there for a camera club Im in. The store owner is also in the club and they give members discount. Every so often I bring up the colour profile matching topic as allot of the time print are not at all similar to what I expect or even ball park, each time they tell me our profile is sRGB not Adobe RGB and say no more and wont entertain anything else nor give me any info on there printer so I could google a profile perhaps. On the back of that should I be selecting sRGB in print tab or does it not matter. I almost always want 10x15 size

Sorry you're not getting good info from the store.

Here's some help:

All images must have an assigned color space. This is in the form of an ICC profile that is tagged to the image. Color space profiles are device independent meaning they have nothing to do with specific hardware like LCD displays or printers. Regardless of hardware that may be outputting your image the color space profile needs to be assigned to your image.

Common color space profiles: sRGB, Adobe RGB, ProPhoto can be assigned by your camera or processing software. You're typically given a selection option. If you have a question about which one to chose then the answer is sRGB. Lightroom enforces the use of ProPhoto internally when you edit a photo but then during export gives you to option to assign a different color space to an output JPEG. In File Settings in the Export dialog select sRGB.

We also use ICC profiles to control specific hardware. These are device dependent profiles. If you calibrated your display then you have a device dependent ICC profile being used by the software in your computer to control output to the display. Device dependent profiles are extremely specific for just the device the control and are not appropriate for any other use. Printers likewise have device dependent profiles and under the LR Print tab in the Color Management section where you have the option to select a profile that's what you should be selecting -- the device dependent profile for the specific printer you're using. Setting a device independent profile here is a mistake.

Joe

 

[BananaRepublic]

I really appreciate the response Joe.

Ive read your post a few times just to get my head around it but I assuming I'm still going to come off like a Luddite'

1. In choosing sRGB or even the default LR one, it seems that that will make no difference to whatever comes out of the printer but it should a least look the same from one screen to another all things being equal, is that correct/partly correct.

2. Say I did want a specific ICC printer profile on file, I know they use fujifilm photo paper, now what specific type I dont know, what brand of machine I dont know either presumably Id have to know those things would I.

3. What typically happens is they make some adjustments in the store using the terminals they have, these are also fujifilm units, and the thing is taken out of my hands. Could this be practise be eliminated partly if 2. was acquired, when the place is busy your standing like a mug in the store looking for rescuing .

 

[Ysarex]

I really appreciate the response Joe.

Ive read your post a few times just to get my head around it but I assuming I'm still going to come off like a Luddite'

1. In choosing sRGB or even the default LR one, it seems that that will make no difference to whatever comes out of the printer but it should a least look the same from one screen to another all things being equal, is that correct/partly correct.

Mostly correct. The image color space can subtly influence the image content in that not all color spaces are equal. For example the Adobe RGB space has a little more reach into the greens and if you had a tropical jungle scene with lots of intense vegetation the Adobe RGB space may retain some greens that sRGB would otherwise dull down. But, this does not influence the printer per se.

2. Say I did want a specific ICC printer profile on file, I know they use fujifilm photo paper, now what specific type I dont know, what brand of machine I dont know either presumably Id have to know those things would I.

The printer profile shouldn't be your concern. That's their job and sounds like they may not be doing it as well as they should. If you calibrate your display to industry standard and they likewise calibrate their printer to industry standard then you should expect reasonable print output. It's their job to create and/or acquire the proper printer ICC profile and then use it correctly. Not all small shops do this as carefully or correctly as they should.

What you can do on your end is what we call soft-proof your output. If you get a copy of their printer profile you can install it on your computer and then LR will "soft-proof" -- simulate -- your print output. This requires that your display be calibrated. If your display isn't calibrated and a fair match to theirs then the purpose is defeated. If you ask them for a copy of their printer profile and they tell you sRGB then they don't know what they're doing which is not uncommon for a small shop.

3. What typically happens is they make some adjustments in the store using the terminals they have, these are also fujifilm units, and the thing is taken out of my hands. Could this be practise be eliminated partly if 2. was acquired, when the place is busy your standing like a mug in the store looking for rescuing .

Sounds like their operator is trying to adjust your image on the fly before printing -- see note above about display calibration.

Joe