#askbc - Your Printmaking Questions Answered By The Experts

How to prevent roller mark smudges and ink drops on prints. We get a ton of questions from listeners who find their prints speckled with ink drops or smudged by roller marks, so we invited long-time Epson technician Ron Ardito onto the show to identify what’s causing these frustrating imperfections. Roller tracks – an incompatibility Read More The post Roller Marks & Random Ink Drops That Ruin Prints appeared first on Breathing Color Blog.

What looks like an ink clog may be printhead failure – how to tell the difference Many printmakers that don’t know the printhead is a consumable part may confuse the signs of a failed printhead with standard ink clogs. Ron Ardito, New York City Epson technician, joins the show to clarify the differences between these Read More The post Ink Clogs, Printhead Failure, and Recommendations for Low-Volume Printmakers appeared first on Breathing Color Blog.

What an “Automatic Head Cleaning Failed” error can mean for the longevity of your machine. Plus, a discussion on the differences between the Epson 7890 and 7900. Ron Ardito, Epson technician and frequent guest of the show, handles a few rapid-fire listener questions this week before diving into more in-depth topics such as the Automatic Read More The post Diagnosing the Automatic Head Cleaning Failed Error & Epson 7890 vs. 7900 appeared first on Breathing Color Blog.

Transferring files in the correct color space for the desired results. Part of running a successful printing operation is setting clear parameters for the types of files you’re willing to receive and print. Renée Besta, professional printmaker and photographer, shares insight into how to educate the customer on file transferring, avoiding embedded profiles that disrupt Read More The post Embedded Profiles and Why Labs Prefer the sRGB Color Space appeared first on Breathing Color Blog.

Picking the right media type on Canon machines, fixing paper curl on fine art prints, and more. Unsure how to tell your printer which media type you’re working with? Professional printmaker Renée Besta is on the show this week to talk through Canon media type settings, setting up great side-by-side soft proofs in Lightroom, and Read More The post Canon Media Settings, Soft-Proofing in Lightroom, and Defeating Paper Curl appeared first on Breathing Color Blog.

Converting and proofing your images at home before sending them off to a commercial press for mass reproduction. Nervous about sending your work off to a commercial press? Scott Martin, a print workflow expert, explains how you can use Photoshop and smart paper selection to simulate a four-color press look and proof your prints at Read More The post Sending Work to A Commercial Press: How to Get Color-Accurate Results appeared first on Breathing Color Blog.

Layout software as a lightweight alternative to RIPs, plus tips on setting up a printer network for a handful of computers. Scott Martin, a color management and print workflow consultant, joins the show to talk about layout software – a good middle ground for printmakers that don’t want or need to dive into the world Read More The post Layout Software vs. RIPs & Setting Up a Small Printer Network appeared first on Breathing Color Blog.

ICC profile basics, how to print on magnets, and what protection varnishing offers. “What are ICC profiles, anyways?” We take a few minutes this week to go back to basics and outline what ICC profiles are used for, how they improve your prints, and where to find them for your specific printer model. Also on Read More The post ICC Profile Basics, Printing on Magnets, & Bulletproof Prints appeared first on Breathing Color Blog.

Hard proofing without breaking the bank, and solutions for mounting photo prints. Hard proofing is the best way to get a feel for how your final print will turn out, but it can be costly! In this episode, Justin covers a few tricks for getting the most for your money when hard proofing. He also Read More The post Hard Proofing Hacks & Mounting Photo Prints to Rigid Substrates appeared first on Breathing Color Blog.

How to use color space to your advantage, and a run down of available wide gamut displays. If you’ve ever wondered what effect changing color spaces has on your image, this week’s show dispels the rumors and details how you can use color space to your advantage. Renée Besta, photographer and printmaker, also calls in Read More The post Navigating Color Spaces and Affordable Wide Gamut Displays appeared first on Breathing Color Blog.

Tips for getting accurate color, and troubleshooting prints that come out too dark. Professional photographer and printmaker Renée Besta is back this week to talk about getting accurate color out of your prints, as well as why prints can come out darker than they look on the monitor. She also covers more on black and Read More The post Improving Color Accuracy & Why Prints Come Out Dark appeared first on Breathing Color Blog.

Using Piezography ink sets, Epson’s ABW Mode, and RIP software for great-looking and cost-effective custom solutions. Professional photographer and printmaker Renée Besta calls in to the show to answer listener questions on advanced ink techniques. Listen in as Renée covers using Epson’s ABW mode for black and white images, as well as some of her Read More The post Piezography Third Party Ink Sets, Epson’s ABW Mode, and more Advanced Ink Techniques appeared first on Breathing Color Blog.

In this week’s episode, we provide some solutions to unexplained printer errors. Failed nozzle checks, horizontal banding, code 10 errors, and more. As our listeners continue to write in to AskBC to ask our experts for help and advice, we’ve found many of you are having printer problems that don’t come with an easy solution. Read More The post Solutions to Unexplained Printer Errors – Status Monitor Failure, Disappearing Colors, & More appeared first on Breathing Color Blog.

Color management – sending files to print labs, working with various color spaces, and more. Color management expert Kevin O’Connor joins the show to talk about color workflow! Topics discussed include prepping files for print labs, working within specific color spaces, and comparing the gamuts of various printers. Sending files to print labs – how Read More The post Color Management: Avoiding Oversaturation and Exploring Color Gamut appeared first on Breathing Color Blog.

Epson print length – printing long lengths without using a RIP, bypassing the page width sensor, and more. This week Epson technician Ron Ardito joins us to answer listener-submitted questions on printing with missing or clogged colors, bypassing the page width sensor, maximizing Epson print length, and more! Tune in for your weekly troubleshooting fix. Read More The post Epson Print Length, PW Sensors, & Printing with Missing Colors appeared first on Breathing Color Blog.

Rendering intents – what they are, how to select a media type for your image, and more. Professional photographer and printmaker Renée Besta joins us this week for a discussion on how to select the right paper types, what rendering intents do, and how long to dry your prints before varnishing. Rendering intents: what are Read More The post Rendering Intents, the Right Paper for the Job, & More Photo Printing Tips appeared first on Breathing Color Blog.

In our tenth episode, Epson technician Ron Ardito helps us battle a trio of unfortunately common printer problems. Advice on printer lubrication, dealing with clogged nozzles, and more. Ron offers expert tips and advice on printer lubrication, dealing with a clogged nozzle, and making adjustments for canvas shrinkage. Whether you’ve run into these problems in Read More The post Squeaky Printers, Clogged Nozzles, & Canvas Shrinkage appeared first on Breathing Color Blog.

Ron Ardito answers your questions on printer maintenance, cleaning, and storage. Benefits/risks of turning printers off, proper temperature and humidity levels, and more. What type of environment should your printer live in? Is canned air okay to use for cleaning? And how about that age-old question: is it better to leave your printer on or Read More The post Cleaning, Maintaining, and Storing Your Printer appeared first on Breathing Color Blog.

How to submit an image for our Image of the Day collection, varnishing embellished prints, and more. Justin fields a few of your quick questions! A good listen for anyone interested in Timeless varnish techniques and updates on the Breathing Color blog. A few words on how to submit an image for our Image of Read More The post Image of the Day, Mounting with Timeless Varnish, & Varnishing Embellished Prints appeared first on Breathing Color Blog.

Overall thoughts on the Epson 4900, a must-hear WD40 cleaning hack, tips on printing frequency, and more. In this episode, expert Epson technician Ron Ardito is back to talk about the Epson 4900. Who is this machine ideal for? How do you set it up, and what are some of the common issues involved in Read More The post Troubleshooting the Epson Stylus 4900 appeared first on Breathing Color Blog.