My new 24″ Canon Pro-2100 printer is now up and running. Yes! I am really old school about photographic images in that I need to print it to feel comfortable in evaluating the color, contrast, and composition as a final image. For me, a print is the final output of my creative endeavor, thus essential to have a printer to obtain that print. Also harkens back to my analog darkroom days; once the film was developed and I made a contact sheet the fun was only just beginning to happen.
Okay, I am also a fuss-budget about print quality, thus I also really do need to print my own work.
While I am working on a book dummy, and having already tried to layout the images on my monitor with various software, I really resonate best with working with physical prints. Just how I roll. So no printer, no happy artist.
After setting up the Canon printer, downloading the software and performing a head alignment print, I then color profiled (X-Rite i1 Studio) my first paper; Hahnemuhle’s Photo Pearl, which has more of a luster appearance and at 310gsm, has a nice handle to it. A less expensive, but very close approximation, of the H. Photo Rag Pearl for my edition prints. The H. Photo Pearl is also the first 24″ roll of paper I purchased for the printer, although I have not loaded into the roll feed just yet.
And now I am back to working on my Gardening For Ordnance book-dummy, with the above image as the very first print I made with the Canon. And to be sure that I had my color universe turning on the same axis, I also updated the color profile for the monitor, with the same X-Rite system. AND as expected, the print and monitor are a match. Yes!
Btw, the Canon print management software that I just downloaded, Canon Professional Print and Layout, did not recognize my new paper profile (icc) that I just created with the X-Rite. But this new paper icc profile was on my Photoshop print list, so I deferred my print management to Photoshop for this first print. I did get a heads-up from my Canon guru at Freestyle where I purchased the printer that this software was new and Canon was still working on some software bugs. So I will pass my observation along and see if I just missed where to look for the icc profile with the Canon software. At this point, I am not sure that I need the Canon software as the Photoshop “Print” function works really great.
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Patio & Flag, the photograph featured here, I am evaluating for my project Gardening For Ordnance, where I was looking for urban landscape images that hinted at where and how this decommissioned WWII appeared today; what we might think of normal suburban neighborhood. Although that lamp on the table top has a bit of an ominous shape, so perhaps a very small hint at something a bit off. I used the expired 120 film, but regretfully there is not much in “abnormal” visual effects, which is like memory; sometimes spot on, and other times not so much.
Cheers!
Featured photograph; Patio & Flag (Gardening For Ordnance) copyright 2008 Douglas Stockdale
Singular Images 
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