Large-format digital printers have created an entirely new field of art print creation.
Large-format digital printers have created an entirely new field of art print creation. Unlike more traditional forms, such as lithograph or silk screening, digital image making is an entirely computerized process, with the final printmaking only a matter of putting in the paper and pushing a button. This technology, however, does not limit the creativity with which artists approach the process.
Instructions
Get the Data
1. Buy the highest-resolution digital camera you can afford. Digital cameras are being continually improved by the industry, and their prices are decreasing. The higher the resolution of a digital camera, the more detailed the pictures it will take. Do not take a picture with a low-resolution digital camera and make a large print out of it -- the result will be blotchy because the printer doesn't have the information necessary to make a detailed image.
2. Envision the subject of your photograph as a large print when you are taking it. Some subjects will translate better as large prints than others. If you have access to a digital projector, project your images to the size that you are considering printing them at so you can see what they will look like at that size.
3. Practice extensively with the camera before attempting to print out large-scale images from your pictures. Unlike pictures on your computer screen, archival-quality inks for digital printers are very expensive, and thus so are mistakes made with them.
Materials
4. Print with archival-quality inks that are designed to withstand fading and deterioration. Don't print with the standard inks that you buy at an office supply store; they will fade relatively quickly.
5. Print on acid-free paper. Don't use the standard paper in an office supply store if you are interested in creating gallery-quality images, particularly if you are planning to sell them to patrons. Most paper has acid in it, which causes the paper to deteriorate eventually, and more quickly when it is exposed to sunlight, as most are that is hung on a wall is. Use only archive-quality acid-free paper.
6. Become proficient with your photo processing software to avoid mistakes with your expensive inks and paper. Play around with printing smaller-format practice pieces using normal ink and paper.
7. Support the underside of the paper with your hands as it exits the printer. Don't allow it to rub against any part of the printer or against other prints. Although the ink will be more or less dry as it exits the printer, set the print somewhere flat and don't touch it for 10 or 15 minutes, just to be absolutely certain that all the ink has set before you handle it.
