Sharpening for prints

EEB

I shot some Tee Ball group photos the other week and just received some prints last week to see how they looked. On my LCD screen they looked great but when I received the prints they just don't look as sharp. In Capture NX when doing the sharpening. How much extra should I add for when having them printed?

Thanks

arodney

EEB wrote:

I shot some Tee Ball group photos the other week and just received some prints last week to see how they looked. On my LCD screen they looked great but when I received the prints they just don't look as sharp. In Capture NX when doing the sharpening. How much extra should I add for when having them printed?

Thanks

Start here:

http://www.creativepro.com/story/feature/20357.html

WalkingStaff

Still another flavour on the question

arodney wrote:

Start here:

http://www.creativepro.com/story/feature/20357.html

I gather from reading the articles that significant oversharpening is in order for smug's printers which is fine on a direct send, but for viewing then selecting for print it has to look good on the final consumers screen and then also for smugmug's printers. How do we achieve best compromise there? I know this problem has to have already been solved by many and for some time but I'm darned if I can find it in searching.
WalkingStaff

arodney

WalkingStaff wrote:

I gather from reading the articles that significant oversharpening is in order for smug's printers which is fine on a direct send, but for viewing then selecting for print it has to look good on the final consumers screen and then also for smugmug's printers. How do we achieve best compromise there? I know this problem has to have already been solved by many and for some time but I'm darned if I can find it in searching.
WalkingStaff

You simply can't sharpen for screen and print the same way. One will suffer. Just look at the huge difference in output resolution and size, let alone output technology. Anyone who suggests you can compromise is just flat out wrong. Output sharpening is resolution and output device specific.

pathfinder

arodney wrote:

You simply can't sharpen for screen and print the same way. One will suffer. Just look at the huge difference in output resolution and size, let alone output technology. Anyone who suggests you can compromise is just flat out wrong. Output sharpening is resolution and output device specific.

Is that a good reason to use the print module and its sharpen routine in Lightroom2, perhaps, Andrew?

Or do we need to do more than that?

arodney

pathfinder wrote:

Is that a good reason to use the print module and its sharpen routine in Lightroom2, perhaps, Andrew?

Or do we need to do more than that?

That would work as the sharpening is based on output and size. In Print, its set for Inkjet output. Should be fine for a contone device with perhaps some tweaking (there are three strengths available). The Web module too sharpens based on output to a display and based on the size you request for a gallery.