Printing 13"x19"

Bobby - I understand. I have been experiencing that same feeling lately in other areas of the computer and photography in general. Once you have a baseline to gauge what is acceptable you can go from there. My print was a landscape, so maybe it didnt pose the issue of tack sharp as maybe a portrait or high contrast image would.

From a distance, the 13x19 prints at 150ish dpi look ok to me.

Well, that's the thing. The larger the print the lower you can go with the ppi, since people won't be looking at it as closely. Nobody raises a 13x19 up to their eyes the way they do with a 4x6.

EDIT I might add that the printer interpolation also plays a major role here. With my canon i9100 I have to look very, very closely to see the diff between 72 ppi and 300, but not with some of my other printers!

I do suspect that the initial steps of the cropping is the culprit.

When you open Aperture and select a raw file image to be cropped, notice first the size as default before doing any cropping (it should be 100 x 151).

When you did crop the image to half (1/2) and hit that return for the second time to effect that cropped you wanted, I bet you . . . the size became 2 x 3 and from this you wanted the image to be printed in 13 x 19.

The steps should be traced back.

You should have that 100 x 151 and choose custom and enter the desired 13 x 19, of you course, set the profile at 300 dpi or avilable highest figures based on your printer plus paper stock etc.

Try it. Let me know if I was wrong.

Phil C.

Hello, I am new to the digital printing, but I do have the same problem. My colors are all off and prints do not come our nearly as I see those on any of my monitors (I have multiple MAC computers). I have r2400 printer and d70 camera. I am using Aperture software. How can I create a right profile for my printer?

Please advise

Thanks

Kate

Kate,
I've been using Aperture since its first release, so it's the key element in my workflow, supplemented by Photoshop when needed.
I do 99% of my printing via Aperture, and have done extensive testing of printing the same file/image by Aperture and Photoshop. I'm still satisfied by the prints via Aperture, am using it to prepare prints for a solo exhibition coming up next year...
The key to getting good prints via Aperture - assuming you have a carefully exposed and carefully processed image to print - involves taking care to study the Print screen, and making sure that you (a) select the correct profile in the ColorSync Profile drop-down list; (b) chose the correct paper setting in the Paper Size drop-down list; THEN (c) click on Printer Settings... then on the Layout drop-down list to choose Printer Settings for the paper and print resolution, next choose Color Management and select "No Color Management," then "OK." (You MUST choose your paper size BEFORE going to Printer Settings since the settings available will be determined by size settings (sheet fed, roll, manual - i.e., rear paper feed). When back at the Print screen, set your Orientation, and make sure the "Scale To" settings are set to the size you wish for your image. (Tip: crop your image to the size you want before sending it to print rather than letting Aperture attempt to adjust your image to the setting in "Scale To." Otherwise, you'll likely get a printed image size that measures differently from what you want and the image won't fit a pre-cut mat opening.) When done with your settings, you can save them using the buttons at the left, bottom of the Print Screen, giving the settings a name such as "12x18 on 13x19 Landscape" (depending on your settings, of course). Next time you wish to print using those settings, just click on the name and ALL of the settings will be invoked.
Invest the time in learning how to set your settings and Aperture will serve you quite well. And since I routinely print on 13x19 inch papers, I've found that the quality is consistently very, very satisfactory, and I use a number of really fine (and expensive!!) papers. Again, I'll be exhibiting prints produced via Aperture.
Hope this bit of info helps. Good luck...
Lou Outlaw

Two things - first, on upsampling. If you don't want to buy elements, one thing you can do on the cheap is to export from Aperture at the target size/DPI you desire to a TIFF file for upsampling. Then, import that back into Aperture and use edge sharpening - but the parameters you use for edge sharpening will be different than what you expect, because you are sharpening an image with many more pixels than you are used to. Play around with a cropped and upsampled 4x6 first to make sure you can make it look good.

For Kate, the first place you need to start is with a hardware screen profiler - the Huey is a good place to start as it's pretty cheap. The next place to improve is your use of profiles in printing, to make sure you are using an ICC profile correct for the printer and paper you are using. Lastly, when you get those ironed out if you are not happy you should consider a print profiling. You can get a hardware screen/print profiler for around $1k, but there are also places you can send prints to of profile targets to get a custom profile made for your printer and paper - I think between $25-$75 per profile, which has to be different for every different paper than you use.

Lou

I love the matter of fact way that you suggest cropping the image prior to going to the print dialogue window. I have been cursing all night trying to get the Scale Two settings to work, with out joy, and yes I have wasted a number of mats this evening! Don't you find this rather limiting in not being able to resize the image in the print dialogue window? I am really considering abandoning Aperture for printing.

Lou

I love the matter of fact way that you suggest
cropping the image prior to going to the print
dialogue window. I have been cursing all night trying
to get the Scale Two settings to work, with out joy,
and yes I have wasted a number of mats this evening!
Don't you find this rather limiting in not being able
to resize the image in the print dialogue window? I
am really considering abandoning Aperture for
printing.

What is not working in the "Scale To" settings?

Between choosing an image size, and the image DPI, you are chosing to re-size an image or not. When you select "Use Best DPI" you are telling Aperture to send the image at 100% to the printer driver at the size you have selected -so you can force Aperture to upsample by selecting a higher DPI, and that may work out better.

Have you tried other printing solutions to see if the image you are trying to print is really up to a 13x19 inch print?