Due to the vast increase in technology growth within the digital imaging and camera markets, the need for better printing is essential, fortunately this aspect of visual design has also been able to keep up with the high quality demands.
The two aspects of this that have improved over recent years are the speed of printing and the quality. The factors involved in the quality aspect of printing are obviously primarily down to the printer’s features and design. However the quality of paper and ink also varies accordingly to the quality of the printer to allow for the perfect print.
Photographic printing can be done in three ways. With the use of either a film negative or a transparent positive, the paper can make a contact print by being directly exposed as it is positioned beneath the film photo. Alternatively a digital image can be projected onto the paper using an enlarger or LightJet printer.
By using computer software, the quality and style of a print can be manipulated greatly. Depending on how this has been edited the printer will be set accordingly, for example if the print was desired to be only black and white. The advantage of black and white prints is clearly that the cost is far less. However, they are less striking and eye catching. The way to counter this though, is to create larger prints which industrial sized printers can do. These larger prints cannot be done from one’s home own, but are well worth the effort and cost when they are seen across the city and throughout buildings.