Customer Reviews

301 Inkjet Tips and Techniques: An Essential Printing Resource for Photographers (Digital Process and Print)

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Andrew Darlow's "301 Inkjet Tips and Techniques" has expanded my horizons. After a lifetime of traditional photography, trained by Ansel Adams and Morley Baer since my first exhibition prize in 1939, having publihed and exhibited I approached digital photography with apprehension. In the final anlysis all learning is self-taught and this particular guide with almost two dozen authorities as teachers, has helped me become more fluent in the digital printing language. Much as I have had a passion for darkroom silver and platinum printing, I am discovering far greater creative potential with the help of Andrew Darlow's well organzed guide and the assistance of such competent teachers as he has assembled. I am glad I discovered this book. It has been a bridge to a new and better world. Thanks to Darlow, my next exhibition wil be all digital prints. I have learned so much, not only to make my work flow easier, but superior.It is not easy to discard five decades of experience, but this book has made it easy and wothwhile to supplant that experience with superior creativity. Joachim Oppenheimer, M.D.

Don't let the title of this book fool you! There is so much more here than just Inkjet Tips! So much, in fact, that Andrew Darlow should consider a new title when the inevitable second edition comes out!

I came across this book after hearing an interview with Andrew on Scott Shepard 's Inside Digital Photo podcast. When he started to explain what was in the book I really took notice and ordered it immediately. I originally expected the usual collection of tips and tricks to make your inkjet prints better but Andrew's interview had me expecting more.

In the first part of the book Andrew covers everything you need to consider to make top quality, gallery grade, professional prints. And I mean EVERYTHING. How to prepare your files, how to choose a printer, black & white conversion, and on and on. Along with all of this extensive and in depth information, Andrew provides help with putting together a portfolio, business cards, matting, you name it. The first part of this book alone is worth the admission. Andrew's style is easy to read and his information is easy to work into you personal workflow.

The remaining chapters are a treasure chest of guest artists' tips and ideas. Phil Bard, Edward Fausty, C. David Toble, Derek Cooper, Amadou Diallo, and Dorothy Simpson Krause are some of the guests you can learn from. Each artist brings their own experience and style to the art of printmaking and presentation. This section was a real treat.

Andrew Darlow has far exceeded the expectation of his book's title. I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book and will keep it as a valued reference as I hone my printmaking skills. Don't miss this one!

301 Inkjet Tips and Techniques is the rare book that thoroughly covers a vital photographic subject in a truly useful way. Written by photographer, educator, and printing guru Andrew Darlow, this book is an essential guide for all photographers who are printing their own work, as well as those photographers that want to be educated in the process so they can better discuss and evaluate the process of printing their work with fine-art printing professionals. Covering the subject of inkjet printing from the ground up, Darlow explains all the best options available in printers (with hardware photos and pros/cons of each printer), papers, software, and quality control. 301 Inkjet Tips and Techniques is beautifully illustrated with original photography, hardware photos, and screen shots, reinforcing the text with clearly understood images.

The first half of the book lays out all the steps and decisions a photographer needs to make before, and after, purchasing an ink jet printer. Issues such as color management, and uses for prints such as portfolio and presentations, are also discussed. The second half of the book is written by a series of guest contributors, well regarded experts, artists, and luminaries in the field, including R. Mac Holbert of Nash Editions, and photographic artist Joel Meyerowitz. This portion of the book covers several printing topics in-depth, including specific paper tips, how to print promotional pieces, framing and mounting, and planning for exhibitions. As a photographer who, like most, have traded a darkroom for a desktop, I'm happy to have this book as an important addition to my reference shelf. And as a Photoshop instructor I now have a great book to recommend to all my students who want to know what kind of printer to get, and how to master the art of inkjet printing.

I bought this book blindly (pre-order) and was disappointed once I got to read it. Generally there nothing to be said against the approach of listing the dispensed wisdom in form of 301 tips. However, a large part of the book is taken up with photos (>50%?) and generalized advice. There is very little solid information in the form of data or actual numbers. In contrast, there is a lot of information that's either common sense or very broad. Even when discussing specific printers listed in the book, the valuable information is limited to very small portion. Taking the dpi/ppi tip which sports a copier quality table with a reference what page size and ppi translates into file size. What's missing is any clear indication which resolution is used where and why. (I.e. Epson's white paper states that 300 ppi is the recommended resolution when sending it to a 5760x1440 dpi printer, but that's not in the book along with a lot of other examples where the info stops short of being useful.)

Further, the organization and cryptic hints like "(L4.20)" don't make it easy to read. The (Lx.xx), by the way refers to the website where the cryptic number is translated into an actual link (not all are available yet). While that may be a security feature and easier to keep updated, it also means you need internet access to read this book (in some places). The author also relies heavily on Photoshop for even the simplest tasks (i.e. resizing) and it sometimes appears to suit no other purpose that showing: "Look I have Photoshop".

Generally, I think this book serves a purpose, but it's less useful for advanced users that are looking for background information on technology and related limitations in resolution and reproducible color. There is a good amount of practical info regarding paper handling, which may or may not justify the book's price. Overall, I don't think it's worth the $50 list price and even the $27 I paid seem a bit too much for the information that's really in this book (for me).

What a strange book! Even as I start this review, I'm not certain as to whether I like it or not.

Most books about printing and printers spend more time talking about editing the image in Photoshop or another image editor before hitting the print button. Although there are a few pages devoted to pre-printing, almost everything else covered occurs after the print button is selected.

The book starts out by suggesting that in some cases it may make more sense to use an outside printing company than buy your own printer. Then the author discusses what to look for in buying a printer, and describes many of the more serious photo printers on the market with his recommendations and concerns about each. While he provides printer tips, he doesn't even bother to show an actual print menu from Photoshop. He mentions a few of the common printer errors including double profiling. In his discussion of papers, he gives a few general tips and then has some specific tips about different types of paper. (Unfortunately he does not suggest when one type of paper might be better for a specific subject than another.)

In the second half of the book, tips are presented by other photographers from Douglas Dubler to Joel Meyerwitz. The tips include everything from using Raster Image Processors (RIPs), to packing prints for shipping, to building a scale model of an exhibition space. It's hit or miss whether any of the tips will benefit you, but they are all interesting to read about, and the tip format makes it easy to read the book in small bites, or look at just what you are interested in.

Almost half of the book is filled with pictures taken by the author and his guests. These pictures are gorgeous but usually don't contribute anything to the subject under discussion.

There are also references throughout the book to web sites that provide more information on a subject which may be reached by links from the book's web site. Unfortunately, at the time of review, only the links to references in the first seven chapters had been completed. Let's hope the remaining links are posted soon.

This book is clearly aimed at a more experienced photographer. Beginners will probably be happier with a few short pages of printer instruction like those contained in "Complete Photoshop CS3 for Digital Photographers (Graphics Series)" by Colin Smith and Tim Cooper. Moreover, this book should be read only by someone who is willing to take a risk that he may find nothing worth his while. On the other hand, the chances of finding at least one tip of use are high.

After reading Andrew Darlow's new book on inkjet tips and techniques, I am amazed. I have been printing on a large format Epson printer since 2003 and thought I knew it all. Andrew explains every step in detail and has new ideas even for a seasoned printer. This book is a worthy investment for anyone who does any inkjet printing on any scale.
Peter Dant
www.peterdantphotography.com

We call "301 Inkjet Tips and Techniques" our digital Rescue Remedy. When you need the immediate relief of a practical answer so work can proceed, it's right there. When you'd like a knowledgeable opinion about a debated question (Should you turn the printer off when not in use?"), it's right there with links to other points of view as well. These valuable links can keep you continuously updated as information and technology evolves.The book is organized in such a way it's easy to find what you're looking for. Excellent photographs (the author's own and those of respected colleagues) illustrate and reinforce information and instructions given. The author wastes neither space nor words providing just the amount of information needed to keep you on track while reinforcing and increasing your knowledge.

As a business owner in media, I am always looking for ways to save money. Since a major portion of my business is in printing, I found that the majority of this book has given me the tools to become more efficient and productive. I would definitely recommend this book to all small business owners.

I bought this book in conjunction with one of Andrew Darlow's excellent printing seminars. The books is well organized, laid out with text and technically annotated photographs. I found the discussion on the pro's and con's of various types of printers particularly useful.

What is unique about this book is the companion web site that list the Chapters in the book and provides links to information covered, as well as, new content. This feature will allow the user to keep up with ever changing technical developments. I consult this book frequently to hone my inkjet printing skills and use it as a general reference guild.

This type of book is essential, especially for checking up anything from the A to Z's about outputting images. The inclusion of other experienced photographers allows the reader to compare those idiosyncratic approaches we all have. The variety is important since there are so many good options, but having knowledgeable base lines helps differentiate alternative pathways to good output from interesting mistakes. The arrangement of information allowed me to skip over those items I knew (but I did check myself to see if I really did know a particular method) and dig into those areas I wanted to explore further. The presentation makes it easier to control the technology about printers, papers, presentation and the like rather than the other way around.