Export to file for printing. Help!

[Chomper]

Hello,

Major beginner here...I'm new to Mac and Lightroom and I've just been learning at my own pace and reading posts but I want to send a few files online to a printing service and try that out. I have a printer here and I've noticed its already a chore just to get the print to match the screen. So sending files online and having no control at the other end seems very risky...

I'm using lightroom 1.3 and OS 1'.4.1 and I'm just not sure the best settings would be in the Export dialogue box. Nor the ideal MB size. Any help regarding color space, resolution, width & height settings would be much appreciated.

Also, sending in JPEG format: Does the 'quality' slider affect the size of the file?? Does file size determine the best quality at output? Like I said, not knowing what the final output will be or if I even sent the ideal picture settings seems the basis for crazy thinking... Scott

 

[Rockshead]

Chomper:

Hard to be precise on earlier versions; but I have a significent memory of a major misamatch on the printing front between an earlier Lr upgrade and OSX 1'. Whatever the detail of that; Lightroom 1.4.1 was the solution. So whatever your in-house printing needs are; you should upgrade to that.

You also, as a basic, need to calibrate your monitor if you ever hope to accurately see what is being 'exported' to either your printer or an outside facility. This can be done through your Mac software; but by far the superior route is to use a colour calibration tool such as Spyder.

You then need to link your printer to that calibration by installing the correct profile for your printer and the paper you are using. Hopefully, your printer's manufacturer (or paper supplier) will supply (via download) appropriate profiles for the the paper you are using. These profile(s) need to be lodged within Lr so that Lr can control the print function, rather than leaving it to the printer. This sort of stuff is all in the Help and Manual material.

Turning to exporting to an outside print shop; most prefer files in the sRGB colour space. This particularly true if submitting via the web. To be safe, ask your lab to specify which they prefer.

Sizing is easy. Just tick the Resize to Fit box, and specify the width & height (or longer/shorter side) in the Export dialogue, and Lr will do the work for you. If you are not sure about pixels etc, use the drop-down and enter inches or mms.

Resolution does not effect final print size. Again, your chosen print lab may very well have an ideal number, but if not something in the region of 25' to 3'' should do fine. For quality, I put 85 for outside printing.

 

[Victoria Bampton]

Hi Chomper, welcome to the forum!

First thing you probably want to do is let the Mac OS update to 1'.4.11, which was the last Tiger version. You can do that by going to the Apple menu in the top left hand corner and choosing Software Update.

Lightroom 1.4.1, also a free update, would probably be a good bet too.

It's worth keeping these programs up to date, as they add bug fixes with each release, and try to maintain compatibility.

Sending files onto works ok when you're using a decent lab. Rockshead's suggestions sound pretty good to me - sRGB for the majority of consumer labs, if not all. Quality, 8'-1'' would be about right. Sizing - you could leave sizing unchecked and send the full resolution, or you could downsize to the print size you want.