Exporting for Print

Hello all...When prepping an image export for print, the following values are asked for by my print company. Not sure about these two:
1. What resolution do I export at? How do I know the maximum I have available on that image with enlarging?
2. LR does not allow me to select a bit depth when I export. They require 8bit how can we verify this?
TIA,
Amelia

1. If by resolution you mean pixels per inch, there is no maximum. Normally printers require 240 or 300 ppi. If you want a picture a certain size (say 4x6), you need to crop the image to that size and then export, and in the Export dialog you can set the pixels per inch to give you 4x6.
2. If you export as a .jpg, then it has to be 8-bit. All .jpg photos are 8-bit.

Similar Messages

Export for print

What should the DPI be set for when you export for print? (The best quality) What should the settings for gamma, and the color profile be also? Not sure what gamma and color profile is.

The DPI setting during export doesn't affect the quality of the print. It is only used by some software to determine what size the image is printed at. For example, a 1500 x 1500 pixel size image exported at 300 DPI would print as a 5" x 5" size if your printing software was told to print actual size. If you exported that same image at 150 DPI, it would want to print at 10" x 10". Your printing software can easily override these settings anyway so the DPI setting doesn't do much.
Most printers and printing services use the sRGB profile so that is the setting to use unless you specifically know your printer will use something else.
The gamma setting can be used to change the brightness of the image. I would leave it as the default unless your prints are coming out too dark or light.

What's the best way to export for print?

I usually upload images to my local photoprinting shop. What's the best way to do that with Lightroom? Since lightroom does the final sharpening in the print module, how do I get that into the exported file since there is no export function in the print module? Also, how do I get the proper dpi and sizing info into the photo for the print shop? Thanks.

There is no good way to prepare images for printing from a file from a commercial printer by using Lightroom alone. You need to do an export of the image without any resizing or color space conversion, and then use some other program of your choice to 'finish' the file.
It's just plain missing functionality... Lightroom assumes that you will be printing photos yourself and it is missing a whole lot of stuff in order to support external printing, including:
a) Resize to exact pixel dimensions. Many labs require an exact pixel count for a given print size, so for example for an 8x10 they need a 2400 x 3000 pixel image. Can't be done in Lightroom.
b) Trim adjustment. If you are doing full bleed photos (no margin), you might need to provide about 0.05 inch of 'trim space' to compensate for image loss during printing. Can't be done in Lightroom.
c) Exporting to a specific printer profile. Can't be done.
d) Adding margins, text, etc. Many times my clients want a 1/4 inch margin in their photos to facilitate framing, or I put a dim watermark type text in the bottom corner. Can't be done.
My solution. Do most processing in Lightroom, do an export, and then do a second export via qImage on a PC. It does all of the above plus much more. It's just a matter of using the right tool for the job, and LIghtroom has no facilities at all for printing to a file.
I have been asking for "Print to File" ever since I was under NDA during the betas.

Help with cropping & sorting images prior to export for print

I have large project (wedding) within which I've sorted images into several folders (pre-wedding, church, family portraits, etc.) within which there are smart albums based on my ratings. I also have a generic "5 Star" album at the top level which contains the final images that have been adjusted and which the client has been provided with in order to choose from.
I now have a list of print requirements from the client (image name, size, and quantity).
I'm curious to know what the quickest way to sort and tag the images selected for print, particularly in view of there being a number of different size requests for the images which are to be printed.
Also - I'd value opinions (based on experience) on whether I should bother cropping to size for images that are 5x7 and 8x10 (the default ratio is 2x3 at the moment).
The bottom line is that I'm trying to minimise the amount of time I spend on print tagging and cropping prior to export, and post export sorting prior to sending off to the lab.
Thanks,
Paul

To answer your questions:
I am assuming that you want a new version of the crop size especially if you have an image/s that are required in multiple sizes like 8x10 and 5x7 the image would end up in each crop size album so you would have two versions one for each aspect ratio and doing the new version in the context of the album would make in the album pic so that the proper one will be at the top of the stack in each respective album.
Orientation does not matter with the stamp it will work fine - if you have an issue let me know.
with respect to the stamp - the stamp will position the crop relative to the one you lifted - if your lifted crop is in the middle then so will the stamped ones.
As for adjustment of the crop - just click on the crop tool, the click on the browser image and arrow through the images with the crop tool open - you can drag the crop around for each one with a minimum of keystrokes.
Try it and hit me back with issues. I do this all the time and it is about 3000x quicker than my old workflow 5 years ago. For that matter the power of albums, stacks, and stack picks for this kind of thing is fabulous, there are a million ways to use it to speed things up. Bonus is that you are not copying anything so it is virtually free from a resource perspective.
Last but not least I would think twice before using a smart album to do this, youi really do not want the content changing in this type of album, it will not save you any time, I would use static albums in the manner that I suggested.
RB
Ps. If you are interested in the ins and outs of Aperture organization features check out my PDF on the subject there is a bunch of stuff like this.

Newbie here: best sizing option while exporting for print?

What is an ideal/standard option for exporting and sizing a photo for print when you don't know if they will print 4x6, 5x7 or 8x10? Is there a good option that will consider anything? Bottom line: best sizing option while exporting? Thanks

If you don't know the size that someone will print at, then you don't resize at all. Leave the Resize to Fit box unchecked in the Image Sizing portion of the Export dialog box Let the person doing the printing do the resizing (if necessary)

Export for printing

I'm trying to export a full-sized jpeg from my Nikon D610 RAW file. When I go to the export screen, I'm faced with a number of options that include "file settings" and "image sizing". The "file settings" section can be controlled for 100 quality to output a jpeg with no file size limit. However, in the "image sizing" section, I'm forced to pick a ppi resolution. I don't want to pick a resolution ... I simply want to export the maximum jpeg file from my RAW image. In Apple's Aperture software, I can simply select "original size" and it exports clean, maximized jpegs that print perfectly every time. With Lightroom, I'm baffled that I can't do something so simple. How can I do this type of export in Lightroom 5? Thanks all! Mark

Sorry Mark, but I beg to disagree.
If the "Resize" box is not ticked then the pixel size of your exported file is identical to the original image file.
and you are never "forced" to enter any ppi in that field of the resize panel;.
If you set ppi to 1 then an image 3000pixels wide will appear 3000 inches wide.
If you set ppi to 60000 then an image 3000pixels wide will appear 0.05 inch wide.
BUT the PIXEL SIZE is still the same =3000pixels wide!
Below is a very long Q&A, similar to your question, that I have copied from another post on resizing (and I forget who to credit for this answer)- have a read.
Q. Something has changed in my Export settings and I can't figure it out. If I insert a file into any application (i.e. PowerPoint, Word, Publisher) that I exported from LR5.7 previous to last week, the images look fine . If I export a new image, the file size is large (10MB), but when I insert it into any application, the image itself is extremely small . I know it is not the picture itself, because I have tried it with images that have worked in the past that worked and now are experiencing the same issue. If I try to resize it in the program the image itself just becomes very distorted and pixelated. Any thoughts on what is wrong or what I screwed. I also included an image of my LR Export window
You have set your PPI (resolution) to 5000 pixels per inch. This does not affect the actual number of pixels contained in the image, but it can affect what happens to the image when it is brought into some applications - mainly, applications where the image is being placed onto some kind of a page.
In particular, with "desktop publishing" type programs, the application assumes that the stated physical size of the image (which is notionally calculated from the number of pixels in the image, combined with the PPI setting) has been "intended". And what you see within the program may not be the actual image, but instead a preview image made for some standardised PPI resolution.
To take a specific example: if you export a 5000px wide photo, and you set 5000ppi, and place it within a page layout program, that program will be thinking of it as a one inch wide image. If it makes a preview image for its own working purposes at 72ppi, then this preview will accordingly be 72 pixels wide - and will therefore look much cruder than your 5000px wide original would have done, as you manipulate this previewed image on screen.
On the other hand, if you export a 5000px wide photo, and you set 50ppi, and do everything else the same - the application will be treating this not as a 1" wide image, but as a 100" wide image, and its preview image (through this difference alone; remembering, the image file is unchanged except for the PPI setting) will in that case, be 7200px wide instead of 72px wide. And you will see every detail of the photo, whether that is appropriate or not... and the publication's saved file size will be much bigger, and it may be slower and more inconvenient to work with due to the sheer number of pixels in this preview,
The usual advice is perfectly correct, that if you have not set a physical size for your export (in inches or centimetres) then the PPI setting is not doing anything so far as the number of pixels in the exported image. But as you have discovered, it may still be a good idea to set this to some more moderate figure - and one very common convention for this, is 300ppi.

Help please with exporting for print

Hi All,
Hopefully someone here can help. I have the opportunity to get some 24x30 inch lustre prints printed out for free but the printer has some specific file requirements which I am not 100% sure how to meet.
Here they are:
1. Colour space : Adobe RGB(1998)
2. File size must be 24x30"
3. Resolution : 300ppi
4. File : Level 12 (or lower) Photoshop JPEG
Questions:
1. I have calibrated my monitor with a ColorVision Spyder so I use that profile on my MBP monitor. I then usually export from Aperture using colorsync profile sRGB IEC61966-2.1. To meet the requirement above do I just need to change the colorsync profile on export to Adobe RGB(1998) or should I be doing something while editing?
2. I use a Nikon D70 so my files are 3024 x 1998, how do this translate to inches? Do I need to up size the files and if so how do I do this in Aperture?
3. I take it all I have to do here is change the DPI setting on export to 300 (is DPI the same as PPI?)
4. I think this just means the image quality will be set to 12 on export.
Sorry for all the questions but getting prints done at a lab is something new to me and I would like to try and get the best results.
Thanks in advance,
Andrew

Hi Ian,
Thanks heaps for your quick reply. In regards to your answer for the 2nd question:
"2. You definitely need to upsize the files, 24x30" at 300ppi is 7200x9000px. You can use the 'fit within' option and give a size in inches and it will upsize as needed on export. Note that 24x30 is a drastically different aspect ratio than your 3:2 dSLR shots, so you may also want to crop the images to the 5:4 aspect."
Can you please advise what size, in pixels, I would need to crop to plus will this make the image less sharp, therefore I should sharpen more? Sorry I have never up sized and printed an image before so not sure if there is a correct way of doing it (I think I read somewhere you should up size in increments of 10% or something?)
Cheers.

Exporting for printing in CS6

In CS6, things have changed quite a bit since CS4.
Which would be the best export setting for either digital or prepress printing. I know there is a [High Quality] setting and a [Press Quality] setting, but am not sure which one to use for digital or prepress.
Thx.
UPDATE: Maybe I mean offset instead of prepress???

For offseet you'll probably want to use the Press Quality Preset or some variation that converts to CMYK unless the printer tells you otherwise (many printers are now asking for PDF/X-4, whcih does no color conversion and preserves profiles so they can do the conversions on their end). Digital printing is bit less clear since there is a very large range of equipment out there. Best bet is to ask the printer.

Export in pdf for print inexistant border

Hello,
I try to export an Indesign CS5 file in pdf for print.
If I choose PDF1.4, X-4:2008 I have a dark rectangle like a shadow under several text. I thought it was a transparency problem but I now set up the transparency to High Quality.
If I choose PDF1.3 I don't have the shadow issue anymore but a white border around the text and images which had been rotated.
I'm not a specialist in pdf export for print so I don't know what is the best settings and how to fix my issue.
Can it be only a screen issue and be ok for the print??
Cheers,
Elodie

I apologize for not getting to this sooner.
How are you viewing the PDF that shows the discoloration? Acrobat or some other application? Is overprint preview turned on in Acrobat?
This is definitely transparency related. When you choose PDF 1.3 you are flattening the transparency and the white lines you see are called "stitching." Thay ae a dispaly artifact in Acrobat (they'll disappear if you turn off smoothing), and though they may show in a low-resolution digital print, they are usually not apparent in high-resolution output from a press.

Why do I get white lines surrounding transparencies when exported as a PDF for print - Indesign Vers

Why do I get white lines surrounding PSD or Tiff transparencies when exported as a PDF for print - Indesign Version 9.2?
I recently upgraded creative suite - now I am having issues with white lines surrounding any tiffs or PSDs when exporting for print.
I initially thought it was an acrobat viewer problem, but it seems to be effecting print. Please let me know if anyone knows the answer to this problem. thanks!

PDF settings? Flattener settings? Overprint and trapping settings? You need to be much more specific. Eitehr way, ask in the ID forum.
Mylenium

Why do I get white lines surrounding PSD or Tiff transparencies when exported as a PDF for print ?

Why do I get white lines surrounding PSD or Tiff transparencies when exported as a PDF for print - Indesign Version 9.2?
I recently upgraded creative suite - now I am having issues with white lines surrounding any tiffs or PSDs when exporting for print.
I initially thought it was an acrobat viewer problem, but it seems to be effecting print. Please let me know if anyone knows the answer to this problem. thanks!

Thanks Bob, to date I have simply used the High Quality Print default, which is actually Acrobat 4 (PDF 1.3) - I have never had issues before - until now when I upgraded my software..

Exporting Flash vector art for print

I would like to export art created in Flash as a vector
format for print. Exporting as either AI or EPS from Flash seems to
have many limitations: no support for masks, alpha transparency, or
editable text with fonts embedded. Has anyone found a workflow to
create print-ready vector art using Flash?
I have tried many combinations of Flash, Freehand, and
Illustrator with no success. (Freehand will open SWF files, but it
rasterizes the vector art when exporting as either EPS or PDF).
Working in Flash Pro 8, but from the Flash CS3 documentation
it doesn't look like there are additional options for file export.
Is it true that any vector art exported from Flash loses font info,
masking, and transparency?

Has anyone found a good solution for this? I need to export character art from Flash to use for print and consumer product items. Qualtity vectors are required.
The "best" solution I've found so far is to "Print" as either a .PDF or .PS file, then open that file in Illustrator. It expands all the gradients, and creates very complex vectors, but it's better than the standard export to .AI function, which gives offending operator "bg" errors. Still, it is a sub-par result, and I end up having to recreate art anyway.
(I'm using Flash CS4.)
Dear Adobe, this should be a no-brainer ... Please introduce a true vector export feature from Flash to Illustrator that generates art we can actually use.

Can't export a pdf for printing?

Hi,
I'm working in Adobe Indesign CS6 and I can't export a print pdf, just interactive. When I choose print pdf nothing happens and the file size is ju 0 kb. What could I be doing wrong?? Can I export an interactive pdf and send that to the printing factory?
Thanks in advance!

Open the Background Tasks panel (Window > Utilities > Backround Tasks) to be sure you are waiting long enough for the export to finish. It's also convenient to check the View PDF After Export box in the export settings to have it open automatically when it's finished to let you know.
If it still isn't actually producing a PDF, let us know.

Exporting a PDF for print, the PDF does not show a shadow effect

I have a drop shadow effect on an EPS object and some type that does not appear when I export the file as a PDF for print. The settings I have it set to are: Adobe PDF Preset: "High Quality Print", Interactive Elements: "Include Appearance", and Color Conversion: "No Color Conversion".
If anyone could help me I would greatly appreciate it!

Will,
Yes, I set my transparency blending space to CMYK. It didn't work.
I don't have a particular reason I am using an EPS over AI other than that's the type of file this object (logo) was saved as. I can get an AI. Is there any particular reason you recommend not using an EPS?

Exporting and color conversion for print

I have artwork created in Flash MX 2004 that I need to print.
I have never done this and am concerned about color matching.
I realize that Flash works in RGB; my printers need the file
in CMYK and as Photoshop or Illustrator files. Should I export the
image from Flash and place it in Photoshop? I seem to remember that
Flash can convert to CMYK, but can't find validation. Should I copy
and paste from the Flash file into PS? My primary concern is to do
this as simply as possible as I'm dealing with a lot of art and
don't want to spend the time recoloring if I can avoid it.
Thanks.

Has anyone found a good solution for this? I need to export character art from Flash to use for print and consumer product items. Qualtity vectors are required.
The "best" solution I've found so far is to "Print" as either a .PDF or .PS file, then open that file in Illustrator. It expands all the gradients, and creates very complex vectors, but it's better than the standard export to .AI function, which gives offending operator "bg" errors. Still, it is a sub-par result, and I end up having to recreate art anyway.
(I'm using Flash CS4.)
Dear Adobe, this should be a no-brainer ... Please introduce a true vector export feature from Flash to Illustrator that generates art we can actually use.

Exporting for Print

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