In case you missed it, in the last issue, we kicked off this four-part series on printmaking with modern tools. Part One focused on the value of printing in our digital era, and here, with Part Two, I’d like to jump into distilling the complicated practice of digital printing—or, at least, to jump into distilling the theory behind the practice.
Digital printing workflow is all about consistency. The thing with analog printing, especially printing that requires dodging and burning, and masking, is that no two prints are exactly alike. Digital printing, when practiced well, eliminates the unpredictable nature of analog printing. Once an image has been developed and proofed in Lightroom, Photoshop or elsewhere, printing becomes a matter of hitting “Print”. Admittedly, it’s not as easy as that, but compared…