Epson Complete Guide to Digital Printing: Updated Edition (A Lark Photography Book)

Many digital photographers are struggling with the ink jet printing process, Rob Sheppard's book is a great guide ot help demystify the terms and procedures that might other wise stand in the way of making great prints. Rob explains in a clear and concise manner his approach to the printing process. I have recommened this book to a number of friends looking for a way to get started, the right way, in ink jet printing. Way to go Mr Sheppard, another helpful book from you!

Rob has done another outstanding job with this book on digital printing. For anyone with questions on how to get the most out of your image before you print and then how to get the most out of your printer, this is the book for you! When people ask me about books that can help them with their printing, I always refer to Rob's book. Bill Campbell Campbell Digital Institute

Who better to write a book on printing than Rob Sheppard, editor of Outdoor Photographer and PCPhoto magazines. . . author of many books and a wonderful seminar/workshop leader. If you have read Rob's other books, I suggest you add this gem to your collection - no matter which printer you have!

In this book, Rob Sheppard has explained the many factors that can affect the success or failure of an inkjet print. This book is mostly about printing photos on Epson inkjet printers and papers but a lot of the factors involved in a good inkjet print can be applied to printing digital art. One of the most important factors of a great print is the paper. When choosing a paper, you must consider the purpose of the print. How will it be used? Sheppard discusses the many types of Epson papers and the paper's characteristics that can affect your print such as paper weight, thickness, opacity, surface texture and whiteness. Sheppard then moves on to printers. He discusses the different types of Epson printers and what to consider when purchasing a printer. There is more to consider than just dye vs. pigment ink. You also need to consider droplet size, printer resolution and borderless printing. Resolution is a very important and confusing topic. Sheppard explains the difference between image resolution and printer resolution. He helps to make sense of these strange numbers and how to use them. Not every photo is perfect. Sheppard walks you through the various digital darkroom techniques that you can use to fix or enhance your photos. He discusses the many adjustments that you can make to your photos using software such as Adobe Photoshop and Photoshop Elements. He also discusses special borders and edge techniques. One of the most confusing aspects of color printing is how to get the print to look like the image on your computer monitor. The colors in the print usually do not match the color on your monitor. Sheppard discusses color management and calibrating your monitor and printer to alleviate this problem. However, the color on the print is also affected by your paper choice and how the print will be viewed. Will the print be hung on the wall? What type of lighting will be in the location? Sheppard shows you how to make a test strip before printing the final print. Now that all the hard work is done and you have a great print, Sheppard suggests several projects such as postcards, newsletters, posters, greeting cards and more. He also discusses archival paper and inks, print storage and printer maintenance. Throughout the book, Sheppard profiles several professional photographers who have had success with Epson printers and papers. Rob Sheppard has authored four books on photography. He is also editor for Outdoor Photographer and PCPhoto magazines.

It is refreshing to find a book about digital photography that doesn't expect you to be a long-time expert in Photoshop or computers. The author seems to really care about helping photographers learn to make great prints with an inkjet printer. He does give tips that make it easier to use Photoshop to get a print you really like. He includes stuff that I have never seen in any other book, such as dealing with digital grain, how to selectively sharpen a photo for better prints, how to make your own test image for a test print and much more. I highly recommend it.