DPI and PPI in Aperture 'Export' and 'Print' windows

Question

Hi,
As mentioned in an earlier post, I just bought an Epson 3880 printer and some Epson Hot Press paper, so now I have to pay attention to PPI (term used for displays) and DPI (term  used for printers).
In Aperture however, files being exported require DPI specs(!), while files being printed require that we specify PPI specs. How is that?
Also, my Epson manual indicates that I can print at 5 distinct "DPI" settings, from 180 to 2880. My Aperture Print window, however, only offers 3 options with 360 "PPI" as the highest (considered Draft quality by Epson - if "DPI"), plus a 4th referred to as Custom.
Also, I have a note jotted down a while back that says: "1440 dpi for most papers with 240 dpi files, at 2880 if 360" - whatever that meant 6 months ago at an Epson 3880 seminar, before I got the printer.
Can you guys sort this out for me? Please?
Thanks a lot,
Raphael

Answer 1

I'm not at my studio.  My current driver is 8.x.  The newest driver is 9.33.  My remarks here may not fit with your more current version of the driver (but that would surprise me — the printer came out about 4 years ago, iirc).
The profiles are not, afaik, included with the driver, at least when you download it from Epson's site.
There are two profiles for each Epson Fine Art paper — one at 1440 and one at 2880.  You should try each with every kind of print you make, and determine which is better.  IME, _for my needs_, 2880 was never worse.  I use the 2880 profiles.
The profile is selected from the "Color Profile" drop-down at the top of the "Rendering" section of Aperture's "Print" dialog.
(Set "Render Intent" to "Perceptual" for, in general, photographs or anything with smoothly graduated changes in color.  Set "Render Intent" to "Relative Colorimetric" for, in general, graphics or anything with smooth areas of constant color and sharp transitions between areas of color.  Generally, if "Render Intent" is "Perceptual", check "Black Point Compensation"; otherwise uncheck it.)
Leave "Print Resolution" at "Auto".  I know of no reason to ever change this.  (I don't, in fact, know what this control does, and have never changed it.)
When you click "Print" in Aperture's "Print" dialog, a short dialog opens asking you if you want to save any changes you made to your Preset.  I always save my changes.  Prints often need to be immediately remade — all transitions of data from electronic to physical media are problematic — and I like to return to my Preset ready to print the same Image(s) again.
When that dialog closes, the OS print dialog opens.  Your 3880 printer should already be selected in the "Printer" drop-down.  You need to create and should save an OS Preset for your paper.  Note that on the "Color Matching" page (this dialog has pages, not tabs; direct complaints to Cupertino), all (two) options should be grayed-out.  This indicates that Aperture is handling color matching, which is what you want (for best prints and anything approaching a color-calibrated workflow).  On the "Paper Handling" page, the "Destination Paper Size" drop-down is grayed-out, but should show you the selection you made in the Aperture Print dialog.  The "Printer Settings" page has two tabs.  On the "Basic" tab, in the "Media Type" drop-down, select your paper ("Fine Art Paper ▹ Hot Press [Bright or Natural])*.  The "Ink" drop-down should be grayed-out, but show "Matte".  Matte is proper selection for Hot Press [Bright or Natural].  This dialog knows this from your color profile selection in the Aperture Print dialog.  Chose "16-bit" output and any other options your want (you can experiment; I find no difference).  I ignore the warning about print quality at the bottom area — this has never been an issue.  On the "Advanced" tab of the "Printer Settings" page, it should tell you that "Epson Driver Color Management is Off".  That's what you want.  You want Aperture to manage the color.
Save your OS print dialog Preset.  Use it every time you print to the same paper.
*If you cannot select your paper, you have not selected the correct paper size in the "Printer" section of Aperture's Print dialog.  Note that the "Paper Size" selection includes not only the paper size, but also whether the feed is by sheet-feeder or manual, and whether or not the print is borderless.  (I didn't design this; I assume there are reasons to have shoe-horned these options into the "Paper Size" selection.
This is all tricky on top of being actually complex and next to being new.  It takes everyone time and mistakes (read: ink and paper) to canalize a flow that works for producing the prints they want.  I hope this gets you there a little faster.  Report back with what doesn't work.
—Kirby.