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To Boldly Print Where You Haven't Printed Before

By Wayne Cosshall 

We all have at least one inkjet printer around the house or studio. Many of us have several. But do we take advantage of all the possible printing options they give us? Probably not.

Modern inkjet printers come in two types: those that use dye inks and those that use pigment inks. For example, I have two large-format printers: an HP Designjet 130 that uses dye inks and an HP Designjet Z3100 that uses pigment inks. I also have a number of smaller-size dye and pigment-ink printers from a variety of manufacturers. I imagine that many photographers have a mix of both types of printers as well.

The vast majority of photographers limit the exploitation of their printers to the complex decision between using glossy and semi-glossy photo papers. A significantly smaller group sees the benefit of using matte papers. But that is generally as far as many photographers go.

On the other hand, a small subset of digital artists push their printers further, in some cases much further. In my opinion, all photographers would benefit from thinking a bit more like this group.

An image is what we capture with our cameras, but at that point, the creative possibilities are only just starting. When we decide to turn an image into a physical object (hopefully, an art object), we also can choose how to construct the object in a way that will say so much more than just the image itself.

We can present the image in ways that will either enhance some of its inherent characteristics or conflict with those characteristics to create tension. Or, we can use the print to tease out a deeper and perhaps more subtle meaning from the image.

Even the simplest of inkjet printers can print on a variety of materials other than glossy, semi-gloss or matte photo papers. Your printer can also probably print on canvas, overhead transparency film, and normal art, craft, or note card papers thin enough to pass through the machine.

With a bit of ingenuity we can also print images on: incredibly thin papers, such as Japanese Washi papers (see tip below); completely clear or backlit films; fabric of all thicknesses; sheets of aluminum, copper, brass, or steel; sandpaper; slabs of plaster; textured surfaces, and more. Imaging on some of these materials may entail elaborate processes, some of which may require special transfer papers, decal materials, or an inkjet-receptive base coating applied to the substrate.

But printing on all of these different materials is doable. Some processes will be easier to do with dye inks and others with pigment inks, and a few may be impossible with one type of printer or the other.

The thing is, when we look at our images, we should think about ways we can present or enhance them that might turn them into something really special. For example, a semi-abstract and minimalist architectural image might look great printed on a sheet of brass. A flower macro might look stunning on handmade Nepalese paper that incorporates flower petals. And that great shot of your dog might look great printed on a T-shirt.

Of course, many online and local labs will do some of these things for you, and it might be worth exploring these services. But you may want to try printing on materials other than photo papers yourself.

So the next time you’re working on a particularly great image, think about all of the different ways you might present it. It might just change what you do with it.

Suppose you’re planning to use transparency to combine a number of images as layers in Photoshop. Why not print the individual images on clear film and then, physically stack them with a small separation between each layer?  Just imagine what a striking presentation this might be.  Now, rather than the static blending of the images as you would get in Photoshop, you have a dynamic and interactive piece that looks entirely different each time the viewer moves his or her head. Plus, the image may (or may not) look even better when you backlight it.  The possibilities are endless.

Just as most photographers use only 10% of the capability of their camera gear, many people only use 10% of the capabilities or their printers. Are you going to expand your limits?

Tip for Using Thin Material: Here’s how to print on very thin materials (such as Japanese Washi papers) that might not otherwise feed through your printer correctly.  Use a can of spray contact adhesive to lightly affix your thin material to a sheet of normal printer paper that can act as a temporary backing sheet. Cut your thin material to size and give the back a very light spray with the contact adhesive, paying particular attention to the edge areas. Adhered to the normal-paper backing sheet, the thin sheet will transport through your printer without problem, unless the edges lift while the sheet in the printer.  After the thin paper has been printed, simply peel it off from the backing sheet.

 

Posted 01-19-2009 3:27 PM by Eileen Fritsch
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