By Harald Johnson 

I’ve read, written, and edited many books on photography and digital imaging and printing. Most of these books have useful information; some more than others! Some follow the normal “how-to” format, others are structured in a unique way. One of the newest books on the market for those interested in photographic printing falls into the latter category. And just so we’re clear up-front: I am the Series Editor of this book, but the format was not my creation; it was the author’s: Andrew Darlow. And the book is 301 Inkjet Tips & Techniques: An Essential Printing Resource for Photographers (2008, Thomson Course Technology PTR).

The book is basically a collection of tips and techniques (from a paragraph to a few pages long), organized in logical groupings by chapter. If you want more in-depth or updated information on a specific tip, Andrew has inserted link-codes into the text that make it easy to find the tip-related information on the book’s companion website.

Plus, there is an interesting interplay between the first eight chapters (Andrew’s own images and tips) and the Guest Artist Section that follows in chapters 9-16. In the Guest Artist section, photographers contribute both new material and at times give their input on subjects that were brought up earlier in the book. This creates a cross-current of content that adds to the reader’s experience.

Let me give an example.

Chapter 7 is titled “Portfolio and Presentation,” and Andrew does a good job talking about (and showing) the various ways to make photo albums (tip: matte prints usually have fewer compatibility problems with album sheets than do glossy prints), portfolio books and boxes, and even framed prints.

One of the chapter illustrations shows photographer Richard Ehrlich standing with one of his framed prints. Then, when you get to chapter 11, “Portfolio and Marketing Tips,” there is Richard Ehrlich again. This time, he is the one giving the tips. In Tip 152, Ehrlich explains how he protects his portfolio prints with a custom-made, hard-sided, foam-lined case.

Other tips in this Ehrlich section include: having an exhibition catalog/brochure produced (tip: use the new print-on-demand technologies), keeping your prints covered (tip: use Pellon available at fabric stores), protecting your work for shipping (tip: use the box-within-a box approach), building your own flat files for storage, and creating a boxed portfolio.

Chapter 11 continues with portfolio and marketing tips from other guest artists. So when you combine Chapters 7 and 11, you end up with tips and illustrations on print presentation not only from the author, but also from several others. So you can see how different photographers and artists approach the subject from slightly different angles. 

301 Inkjet Tips & Techniques: An Essential Printing Resource for Photographers (2008, Thomson Course Technology PTR) by Andrew Darlow (Foreword by Douglas Kirkland) is a comprehensive, how-to guide to high-quality digital output that shows photographers of all levels how to prepare, create and display high-quality prints through detailed instructions and hundreds of full-color examples from more than 20 professional photographers and other artists.

Additional content for the book, including hundreds of clickable links to many of the resources covered throughout the book can be accessed at: www.inkjettips.com