Category » Tech Corner
Big Printer doesn’t have to mean Big Prints.
Posted by Rick Sader on April 10, 2011 at 8:19 amBig printers are a must if you need big prints. Large vinyl or fabric banners, full-sized window graphics, vehicle wraps, etc. are best produced using a machine at least 54″ wide. But this same printer can also be used to produce small prints in large quantities quickly & efficiently. This is especially true if the printer is equipped with an integrated contour cutter. This means that any complicated two-dimensional shape can be cut to produce beautiful inkjet decals.
Lone Eagle has the Roland 545ex printer/cutter which is used to make all of the vibrant & durable graphics mentioned above. In this post, I’ll show you how the same equipment can be used to produce hundreds of custom printed & cut decals quickly. A recent client ordered 1600 wine labels printed onto adhesive-backed vinyl & contour cut around the perimeter. The machine deftly does a “kiss cut” around each printed label that cuts only the adhesive-backed vinyl but not the underlying release liner. The client then only needs to peel them off of the backing and apply them to the bottles and/or boxes.
In this example, simple rectangles were cut around the printed labels. But any intricate 2D shape can also be produced with this printer/cutter. The applications include things like window & wall decals used for interior design, retail/POP graphics, vehicle graphics, etc. The trick is to use Adobe Illustrator to include cut lines in your graphic design. These cut lines are non-printing lines that are recognized by the printer.
This video shows you what I mean. After about 100 labels were printed, the machine pulls the media back into the printer and starts to cut around each label. Check it out:
But wait! There’s more! It’s even possible to print your design, remove the print from the printer, zip it thru the laminator to add a clear protective laminate, and then re-insert the media into the machine for contour cutting. This is a great way to produce durable contour-cut graphics for vehicle wraps. I like to use reflective vinyl for the cut lettering that goes over a wrap. It really adds an awesome effect.
“The harder I work, the luckier I get.”
Posted by Rick Sader on October 24, 2010 at 10:22 amA new client called me the other day in desperate need to get his tradeshow graphics printed quickly and shipped across the country the next day. He had had a bad experience with a different print shop. At the last minute, the other shop had delivered a bunch of tradeshow banners that were just awful; the black was a dull brownish color, the product photos looked “furry” (really… furry!), there was lots of banding, and the contrast was off. He showed me one…. these banners looked horrible. Later, when he picked up his graphics from my shop, he was thrilled and told me how ‘lucky’ I was that I could do such great work so quickly.
After he left, I thought to myself “LUCKY?! Hmmmmm….maybe I WAS lucky.”
• ‘lucky’ that I had purchased a $30k, state-of-the-art mild-solvent inkjet printer.
• ‘lucky’ that I had made a beautiful ICC profile for the media he wanted.
• ‘lucky’ that I had enough ink & media on hand to complete his entire job quickly.
• ‘lucky’ enough to know to print at 720dpi, 16-pass (i.e., high-quality mode) in order to get the high print quality necessary for display at a tradeshow.
• ‘lucky’ enough to have on my website a method for him to conveniently upload his eight 380MB files to my shop overnight (www.YouSendIt.com).
Well, as you may have guessed by now, none of this is luck at all. All of the capabilities listed above were the result of careful forethought and preparation. The other shop didn’t have a decent ICC profile (they didn’t even know what an ICC profile IS!!). And they printed in “production mode”, i.e., low resolution & low number of passes in order to just crank the job out fast. As a result, there was absolutely NO control over color, ink limits, linearization, etc…. a sure recipe for terrible print quality.
The title of this blog entry is a quote from Samuel Goldwyn, the filmmaker. I’m not sure exactly what he was referring to at the time, but I’m willing to bet it was in response to someone accusing him of being ‘lucky’ upon seeing his success.
How to Transform a Series of Photos into a Beautiful Panorama.
Posted by Rick Sader on September 20, 2010 at 1:21 pmMaybe you’ve run across a serene landscape, a bustling cityscape, or other fabulous vistas and thought what a great image that would make……but how? “It’s so large, my camera can’t capture it all, not even with a wide-angle lens.” As usual, Photoshop to the rescue. The last couple of versions of Photoshop make short work of producing long images.
A series of overlapping photos that span the entire scene can automatically be stitched together to produce one big, beautiful, contiguous image with no trace of seams. But there a few tips to keep in mind. Here they are:
First, make sure that the images overlap each other by about 25% or so. The software does its magic by matching up image elements in the scene, so lots of overlap will tend to produce better results. I’ve noticed I tend to use maybe a little bit more than is necessary. But I’m very happy with the results I’ve been able to achieve.
Second, a tripod will help you align the images properly. Without the tripod, you may have too much vertical offset between images. This will ultimately reduce the size of the final image since non-overlapping areas will get cropped away near the end of this process. But I have been able to get great results handheld.
Third, using a consistent exposure will make it easier for the software to smoothly blend the component images into a single image. This will be easier if your scene has an even tone. With larger tonal shifts, this will get trickier to control. Photoshop will perform a tonal blend as well as image element alignment between neighboring images. And you don’t want depth-of-field differences among the photos. If you feed Photoshop higher-quality images, it will be happier.
Once you have 3-5 overlapping images, fire up Photoshop and select File – Automate – Photomerge. You can then import the images to be blended. Next choose one of the blending algorithms Photoshop will use to make your panorama. I’m usually amazed at how well ‘auto’ works, but you can also choose ‘perspective’, ‘cyclindrical’, ‘spherical’, etc….. Experiment until you find one that you like best. Your image will be generated quickly and each component photo will now be on a separate layer. At this point, I usually flatten the image, crop away the unwanted areas around the perimeter, and then start playing with levels, curves, saturation, sharpening, etc….. (If you have CS5, the “content-aware fill” will produce amazing results).
Here’s an example using some photos I took 9-19-10. This first image shows the four component images all placed next to each other. You can tell that each image overlaps its neighbor by at least 25%. The sky was darker in the left image but the tone in the areas of overlap in neighboring photos was pretty consistent.
The second images shows these same four photos overlappped “manually”. That is, I merely dragged each photo into place based on my perception of lining up image elements. You can now see clearly the amount of overlap between neighboring images. You can also now get a sense of what the final panorama will look like.
And now…. the moment you’ve been waiting for. Here is the result of using Photoshop’s Photomerge command:
With a little planning and keeping a couple simple tips in mind, big, beautiful panoramic images are possible. Don’t forget to try capturing a number of images in portrait mode too to get more sky and/or foreground in your panorama. Hope this helps you get the images you want. Happy shooting.
Boost Your Booth: How to Achieve Maximum Visual Impact at Trade Shows.
Posted by Rick Sader on May 25, 2010 at 12:37 pmHave you ever attended a trade show and felt like your booth just didn’t quite measure up to your neighbor’s? Then you’ve just experienced “tradeshow booth envy”. Don’t worry…that can be treated.
Imagine being a vendor at the World Travel Market in London. It’s the world’s biggest tradeshow for the travel industry and features over 5,000 international companies displaying exhibits for over 45,000 discerning participants. How do any of them hope to stand out? A great-looking booth is the first step.
Whether you’re in advertising, retail, interior design, or any other industry that uses tradeshows to spread the word about your company’s innovative products, you’ll need to distinguish yourself from the crowd to be successful. Carefully crafted, superior quality visual displays are a great way to give your company the edge. If you have excellent graphics to add impact to your message, people will be more likely to notice your exhibit at the show and, more importantly, remember it later. It’s vital to choose the right combination of media and printing technology to deliver colors that pop and crisp visuals that capture every detail. Here are a few options that will make your next trade show display attention-grabbing and unforgettable:
Seeking a solution with maximum vibrancy and durability at low cost? Try graphics printed on polyethylene (PE) or polypropylene (PP) banner material. They’re made from recycled bottles and printed with water-based inks. And lamination will add protection as well as a variety of finishes including glossy, luster, or semi-matte. Try positioning three or four of these low-cost banner stands together to build one big, knockout image that won’t break your budget.
Graphics mounted to display boards
Keep your graphics looking fresh by mounting them onto sturdy, light-weight display boards. A variety of materials are available. Choose light-weight Gatorboard for ease of transport. Or Sintra for maximum durability. Or try Eco-Board; a strong corrugated display board made from 94% recycled cardboard. Pair that with graphics printed with water-based inks onto our FSC-certified coated paper and you’ll be the greenest exhibitor at the show.
Every aspect of your tradeshow booth should highlight what’s great about your products. Fabric table drapes offer a unique way to give your display a high-end finishing touch. A number of fabrics are available for large-format inkjet printing of your logo and branding message. Egyptian Sailcloth and Venetian Heavy Canvas are two popular polyester fabrics that have the look and feel of canvas.
Want to take advantage of a high-traffic yet under-utilized space for getting your message across? Just look down. Use your floor space to your advantage and give passersby something interesting to look at in an unexpected spot! And don’t worry; they’re non-slip and won’t damage the floor when removed.
You’ve seen these lighted displays at the airport and the mall. They’re a great way to add that extra ‘punch’ to your message. Backlit display boxes for tradeshows are lightweight and allow for easy changing of the graphics. So now you can keep your message fresh from season to season, show to show, or even hour to hour.
Your business is to wow the crowd.
Our business at Lone Eagle Digital Imaging is to help you to do it with flair.
Fine art reproduction is easy… if you know how.
Posted by Rick Sader on April 13, 2009 at 8:14 pmHmm, let’s see. So you just scan someone’s painting and then print it out… is that about it? Well, not quite. There are a number of ‘tricks’ to getting great results efficiently. Let’s go through the process from the beginning.
Fine art reproduction requires a number of steps to be done properly. The first step is the scan. High resolution flatbed scanning is one way to digitize original artwork. The first ‘trick’ is to use high enough resolution so that you’re feeding enough information to Photoshop in the retouching stage and ultimately to the printer in the printing stage. Typically, scans at 300 – 360ppi (pixels per inch) at the full dimensions should suffice. Higher resolution will be required if the artist would like prints larger than the original. The second ‘trick’ is to use the RGB color mode. If you use any other color mode, then the printer will make a conversion that may introduce color shifts. The third ‘trick’, if you’re really meticulous, is to use 16bit color instead of 8bit. This will give very fine gradations in color that may be required for some pieces. The downside is that this results in 2x larger digital file sizes.
The fourth ‘trick’ is to include a grayscale taget within the margin of the scan. This is a small 12-step grayscale piece that allows you to adjust the white point, black point, and neutral gray once you move the image into Photoshop. This step is critical.
Once in Photoshop, the “levels” command makes the white, black,and grayscale adjustments a breeze. As with any fine tuning done to the image, make sure to use adjustment layers. This allows you to tweak the adjustment, change its blending mode and opacity, or delete it without altering the original file…. very handy. These adjustment layers may include things like saturation, hue, levels, curves, etc. If you’re looking at your image on a calibrated monitor (you are calibrating your monitor, aren’t you?) then these adjustments will help you to tweak the digital file so that ultimately the print looks like what you see on your monitor.
ICC profiles for your printer, ink, media, & print resolution are also required to get great results. You may be able to download generic profiles but the best option for high-quality fine art reproduction is to create your own. There are a number of hardware/software systems available. A final step in the retouching process is usually adding a small amount of sharpening. Don’t overdo it.
Now it’s time to print a proof. Usually a small print on the intended media will suffice. This will allow you to check the tone, color accuracy, color saturation, etc. At this point, it’s important to compare your proof to the original under proper lighting. A sneaky, sinister thing called metamerism is lurking in the darkness, waiting to trip you up. Metamerism refers to the fact that a color may look different under different types of lighting. The original and the proof may ‘match’ under the (ugh) flourescent lights in your office but they may be way off under natural sunlight or in the gallery. If you don’t have a 5000K light booth, then just take your prints outside in the natural daylight. At this point, you may need to adjust the saturation, tone, etc. to get a better match.
I recently completed a very successful fine art reproduction job for a local watercolor painter, Dr. William Robinson. Bill is a very talented, self-taught portrait artist. His most recent work was a very cute portrait of his granddaugher, Miranda. All of the steps outlined above were followed in order to translate his original watercolor painting into a digital file that could be printed quickly and accurately onto Epson Somerset Velvet Fine Art Paper using an Epson 9600 inkjet printer. This printer uses the Epson 7-color UltraChrome inkset which will resist fading for many decades. Various sizes were printed according to the client’s wishes. See Bill’s website for more examples of his beautiful work.