Rating: 
Summary: Great Research, Describes the State of the Art
Review:
There are a lot of books on digital cameras and how to take digital pictures. There are also a lot on processing these images to create the special effects that you might want. But up until now I have not seen any that talk about converting these beautiful images into something so mundane as a picture you can put into an envelope and send home, or hang on the wall.
Of course everyone starts out with an inexpensive ink jet printer, the kind you get at WalMart or where ever for only a few tens of dollars. The next step is to realize that the ordinary typing paper you've been using is not the best, so you go get some that promises photo quality.
If the result you're getting with this approach is satisfactory for your needs, you need go no further, and this book probably isn't for you. I say probably, because there are hints here on paper, ink and techniques that will help you get the most out of any printer.
But if you want to go further, up to advanced amateur standing or beyond, then I'd consider this book a necessity. It covers everything. From printer technologies, to specific brands, to inks, to papers.
At this level, you're not talking about $29.95 printers, and just getting the right printer is worth far more than the cost of this book. It clearly represents the state of the art in photo printing today.
Rating:
Summary: A Virtual Milestone
Review: A Virtual Milestone
Harald Johnson's new book, Mastering Digital Printing: The Photographer's and Artist's Guide to High-Quality Digital Output (Muska & Lipman, December 2002) seems to me something of a milestone, not only for its prodigious content, but for its very concept. For Johnson has not only written the Bible of digital printing for fine-art printmakers and photographers, but he has also solved the abiding problem of people who write books on technical subjects: currency. Technology changes fast and books on technological subjects go stale just as rapidly. So Johnson has provided his readers/practitioners with the added support of both a website (http://www.dpandi.com) and a lively online discussion group (http://groups.yahoo.com/group/digital-fineart) which he created a couple of years ago and conscientiously moderates. Into the Fourth Dimension
These online resources constantly lever the power and actuality of the book, providing instant access to current information on the ever-changing state of the art. More than a simple book, what Johnson has created is a "metabook" which extends its domain into the fourth dimension: time. This is a prodigious achievement for one man working on his own, one for which Johnson-the Prometheus of digital printing-is to be admired and congratulated. Have I made the book sound stuffy? Far from it! Mastering Digital Printing is written in a personal conversational style which is more like a chat with a friendly expert than a technical manual. It is wide ranging both in breadth and depth, of interest both to beginners and experts. Perhaps the most exciting thing about this new DP compendium is the guidance it offers photographers and fine-art printmakers-and there are legions of them-who are fascinated by the possibilities of digital imaging and printing but until now have not known how to get started. Johnson's book now provides them with a clear roadmap, and is destined to make many converts to digital. My reaction after a first look at Mastering Digital Printing was, "This would make a fantastic textbook on the subject," and less than a week later I see on the Digital-Fineart discussion group that someone is already offering courses based on Johnson's book. They are the first, but they will not be the last! In the Beginning
The book opens with a brief summary of DP's fascinating history, which extends back to the digital printing paleolithic: the year 1989. Johnson says: "... things didn't really take off until the paths of six people-a rock star and his best friend, an art publicist, a sales rep, a computer wizard and a silkscreen printer-unexpectedly intersected..." From these humble rock 'n roll beginnings a little over a decade ago digital printing has already brought about a worldwide revolution in image making, and Harald Johnson very cogently explains how and why. The Who, What, Where, When, Why
People who like to know the underlying reasons for things will love Mastering Digital Printing. Each of its eleven chapters starts out with a brief theoretical discussion of the matter at hand, then moves into specifics, in a nice marriage of theory and practice. If you get in over your head-the chapter on "Understanding and Managing Color" left me dazed and reeling-you will be pleased to find that the second part of most of the chapters contains eminently practical how-to information, complete with product comparisons and insider procedural recommendations. These how-to details cover the complete DP process, from the choice of appropriate digital technologies for the job at hand, equipment and materials, to image creation and actual printing, whether you do it yourself or send it out to a professional print service. There are also illuminating side trips into color management, the choice of inkjet printers and print permanence. On this subject Johnson has come up with a delightful non-scientific yardstick, the Granny Standard: Will your digital print conserve its quality long enough for your grandchildren to see it properly? Digital Ninjas?
Some of the books technical details sound like cult reading. According to Johnson the colors which you perceive on your computer monitor are influenced by the light reflected by your clothing. So, if you're doing critical color work, it is best not to wear a red or yellow shirt, which will inevitably skew your color perception. In fact, for real purists, the best indumentary is all-black. One imagines armies of black suited and hooded digital Ninjas sitting in darkened rooms in front of finely-calibrated monitors all over the world. Frightening concept! The Frosting on the Cake
Midst the at times intense technical talk, Johnson does not forget to show his readers the proof of the pudding, a section which he calls the "Gallery Showcase" which includes digital prints by and brief commentaries on the work of eighteen leading contemporary American digital artists and photographers, a collection of work which fairly represents most of the DP techniques and tendencies current today. All that remains to complement this formidable text/reference/do-it-yourself metabook is a rich appendix listing all available resources, including URL's and e-mail addresses, and there it is.
Rating:
Summary: Worth more than 5 stars..
Review: After struggling with digital prints, I bought and read this book, based primarily on recommendations here on Amazon. It's terrific! I actually took half a day off from work to finish reading the book. (Only fair, I had blown all my lunch hour already.) Some reviewers have commented on the Epson emphasis of this book; well, they are right. Epson rules the art printing market, and justifiably so. Attention to print quality, advanced technology and archival permanence have earned Epson the attention. However, no other manufacturers are omitted. The vast bulk of material applies to all printers; if anything the two or three Epson charts only demostrate the diversity of possible technologies. As it turns out I abandoned HP several years ago for Epson after some poor support form HP and some correspondingly great reviews of Epson printers. I have a C82, pigment based, printer that I purchased for the kid's homework, and produces wonderful photographic prints. This book has really helped me get the most out of this printer. And... I now know which printer will be my next photoprinter. As the price of this book is less than 5% of the cost of this printer, and contributed enormously to making an informed decision, it was well worth it! The author's web site also has a PDF of Chapter 9, if you want a taste of the book: http://www.dpandi.com.
Rating:
Summary: Truly Outstanding Book
Review: Digital printing is surely one of the most difficult subjects on which to write - rapidly-changing, multi-disciplinary and inherently technical at times. Johnson handles the subject with great clarity, including concise explanations and strong use of illustrations. I bought this book recently to advance my knowledge of digital printing quickly, but very comprehensively. It served this purpose well. Organization is a strong point of the book - it builds on itself in a way that avoids losing the reader in a morass of technical jargon. Some is unavoidable, but the book navigates the subject wonderfully. I recommend the book without hesitation.
Rating:
Summary: Mastering Digital Printing: The Photographer's and Artist's
Review: Excellent, understandable book. I went from "0 to 60" very fast! Harald Johnson explains the complexity of digital printing in a way novices like me can increase their knowledge from an easy-to-read book. Harald concentrates on color and provides a good understanding of color management, rips and terminology.
Rating:
Summary: 2005- second edition
Review: I have to be honest. I read only a few chapters and sknimmed around the the "first edition" of this book. There were a few chapters that were helpful, but too much information I personally did not find helpful. And books are too expensive and time consuming to only be "somwhat helpful".
I just purchased the second edition today. While in a bookstore I read 3 chapters and briefly looked at all the other chapters and found a big improvement.
One of the biggest's complaints I noticed in the reviews here at Amazon, was that the first edition focused nearly exclusively on Epson printers.
Yes, they still discuss Epson, but much more is discussed about HP, Canon, Lexmark and Dell printers. There is also more info on supplies, software, scanning, displaying prints, etc..etc..
I'll write another review when I read several more chapters.
But, right now, I think this "second edition" deserves 5 stars.
One other thing I wanted to mention. When I typed in the ISBN: for the second edition, they are the same reviews given for the first edition. I don't think Amazon has had a chance to wipe the slate clean here.
P.S. I don't see spellcheck. Sorry for any errors.
Rating:
Summary: Very good book- lots of good foundation info
Review: I like this book for 2 reason- One as a amatur printer- it gave me a lot of good ideas for projects and 2. As an IT pro who has to support this type of technology at time in our printing plants, it helped fill in the gaps I had in my printing and imaging specific knowledge. This book covers a broad range of topics- so think of it more as a primer to get you ready for more advanced topics in other books.
Rating:
Summary: Comprehensive Guide to All Aspects of Digital Printing
Review: I wish I had owned a book like this when I started doing digital drawings ten years ago, but the next best thing is to have it now. It is a engaged and loving explication of the many aspects of digital printmaking, starting with the basic building blocks of a digital image, the bits, bytes, and pixels, and finishing up with curating and shipping the final prints out the door. Along the way it explains the different digital printing methods (with great diagrams to illustrate how things like inkjets actually work), the pieces of hardware you'll need, how to capture and handle your source material (including scanning, digital cameras, digital drawing programs, and image editing), color space and the pros and cons of calibration, permanence, how to do your own printing from machines to inks and papers, and how to deal with an outside printing service if you decide not to print your work yourself. Especially if you're in the latter category, this book is an invaluable guide to an understanding of what's going on technically that will help you to make aesthetic decisions that translate onto paper more successfully and to better communicate with your print atelier. Lastly, the very useful appendices are a gold-mine in-and-of themselves - print service providers all over the USA, suppliers, online groups and sites, books, galleries, print exchanges and more. From the introduction on, the sense of excitement about the blossoming digital revolution is contagious. Fine art printmaking has not had a major new medium since silkscreen, and Harald Johnson does an excellent job of fitting digital prints into the history of printmaking in general. The book finishes up with a gallery showcase that gives an inspiring overview of the kinds of imagery that are being made digitally these days - ranging stylistically from realism to abstraction to manipulated photographs and from methods that rival traditional media to creations that could only be computer art.
Rating: 
Summary: Not appropiate for the typical photographer/printer
Review: I've scanned through most of the past Amazon reviews of this book and I find it surprising at how different my opinion is. I have in fact read the whole book cover to cover and I own a $1000 digital camera and a $200 inkjet printer and I have as a hobbyist done a tremedous amount of printing using this type of middle class printing. So I thought a book on the subject would help fill in some holes in my knowledge. In a nutshell my problem with this book is that it is without a doubt not meant for someone like me using this "middle class" tools. I found the book incredibly elitist, the only thing I really learned was I must buy more & better equipment to be a real artist - what I have isn't good enough apparently. For example apparently you need at least 8 megapixels to print an 8x10? My other main issue is that after having read the entire book, when I go to print an image nothing has changed at all - I still do everything exactly the same simply because none of the information in the book applied to me unless I buy thousands of dollars to hundreds of thousands dollars worth of additional gear - and in general there was no info on how to use this gear specifically either - just you should have it. I've read an enormous amount of technical books over the years and on average most are great in that they strive to empower the reader with the skills and knowledge to achieve better things - but this book seems to achieve the reverse - unempowering the reader with lists and graphs and photos of things you can't ever possibly obtain. It's quite unique.
So honestly if you're a regular human being who has a camera and printer then this book is really not intended for you. The book's title and back cover do indicate otherwise, there's a photo of a consumer digital camera and nice write up that sounds like it'll apply to you in the same way a fortune cookie is vague. The experience level is also listed at beginner to expert in an attempt to net as many potential buyers as possible.
Who would this book be good for? Perhaps if you are working or beginning to work in a professional print shop that has many professional fine artist clients - this would be a good buy. Or if you're rich and can buy anything you feel like, this would serve as a good catalog. The other advantage if you're rich is you get to be a "real" artist. There were a few parts I did like, one section of 5 pages had a really good overview of the steps to take in color managing your system - if you have the gear of couse, but nonetheless it was useful to know. Unfortunately many chapters just feel entirely useless, the author seems obessed with print permanence which is how long prints will last, he goes on and on about it, always avoiding specifics and generalizing and stressing the importance of performing your own permanence tests and although it is useful on one level it could of been 4 pages not 35. At one point he suggests if you don't have time to perform your own tests you can contract out your permanence testing - does this sound like you? If so I recommend this book to you.
Rating:
Summary: Major updating in second edition
Review: The second edition of Mastering Digital Printing is a major updating and rewrite with important new material and photographs. Harald Johnson provides artists with a wide array of in-depth and up-to-date information they need to make considered choices in the process of mastering inkjet printing. For both the beginner and advanced printer there is no better source.
Dorothy Simpson Krause
|
