There's a misconception around professional printing. We all know that it produces great results, but there's also the idea that it involves great cost and great difficulty making it part of your workflow.
The truth, however, is very different. Making the move into pro-level printing is surprisingly easy, as it connects seamlessly to your current studio or shooting setup. And it offers tremendous value, enabling you to produce consistent, gallery-quality prints whether you're exhibiting your images, selling them to customers or helping students learn the craft of photography.
Most importantly, using a professional printer like the Canon imagePROGRAF PRO-1100 breathes life and emotion to your images – evoking the same feelings as a viewer that were experienced the moment the photograph was taken.
Creative control
For professionals such as ocean photographer Ben Thouard, the creative process goes beyond simply capturing and even editing the photograph; it extends right through to the final step of producing the finished print. And this means that the printer printing his pictures is as important as the camera taking them.
"Getting into printing was probably the next step missing in my equipment and in my process," he says.
For many pros, especially those like Ben whose work is exhibited worldwide, there's a lot at stake in leaving this crucial final step to an external print house or a printer that's not up to the task.
Taking the printing into his own hands with the imagePROGRAF PRO-1100 enables him to complete his creative process – and, crucially, to proof his work and make sure that the finished result is exactly as he envisions it. And with the unique hues of the deep blue sea, only Ben's own eyes can recognize if the tones are as they should be.
"The goal was to create a consistent style and in particular a consistent blue that puts you in the same element," he says.
Professional printer, professional performance
Color fidelity is the most important factor in printing. Thanks to its advanced image processing and use of next-generation LUCIA PRO II pigment inks, the imagePROGRAF PRO-1100 delivers enviable color consistency and reproducibility – especially when it comes to dark-blue areas, which are so key when water is such a central feature.
Those same LUCIA PRO II inks also boast a cutting-edge formulation that improves their durability, ensuring long-term image preservation. In addition to high light resistance, they also possess increased abrasion resistance – something that's critical whether prints are being handled in the home, in the classroom, or in Ben's case by the teams transporting and hanging his exhibitions.
On fine art paper the PRO-1100's black density is simply unrivaled, enabling authentic rendering of the depth and contrast experienced in the underwater environments that he captures.
And of course, the printing process isn't possible without a convenient connection. The imagePROGRAF PRO-1100 supports both for WiFi and ethernet with the latest security standards – making it convenient to transfer your images to the printer in any home, studio or learning environment.
“I love printing my photos these days, because it completes the artistic quest," Ben concludes.
"You’re searching underwater, you’re searching in the ocean, you’re capturing some moments. Printing them, putting them on the wall, and sharing them with the public is one of the most rewarding moments as a photographer.”
Find out how you can make the move to pro printing.
