Tutorial : How to get excellent prints with DPP

[yb98]

Sometimes it can be faster to print directly from DPP if the pic doesn't require advanced postprocessing in photoshop. This tutorial will help you to print directly from the raw data using DPP and without going through a jpeg file. The DPP version used in this tutorial is the 3.2.0.4 for Windows.

First of all, check that color management is well defined inside DPP.
Go to Tools -> Preferences -> Color management.
Set the work color space to Adobe RGB.
Set the color matching settings to "Use the OS Settings" (or the profil of your monitor, should be the same).
Set the printing profil to the profil of your paper and quality. For instance if you use the canon pro paper and want to print with quality 3 then set it to canon series PR3.
Set the rendering intents to relative colorimetric.
Now restart DPP !!!
http://bellik.free.fr/Tutorials/DPP_Print/0.jpg

The previous settings will be applied to new pics that have not been processed yet. If you want to print a pic that has been already processed with DPP, then you have to do also the following operation.
Select the pic(s) you want to print in the main window
Go to Adjustement -> Work Color Space and choose Adobe RGB
http://bellik.free.fr/Tutorials/DPP_Print/0b.jpg

Then we have to crop our pic so it will have the same ratio as the paper we want to use. In this example, we will use the A4 size which is equal to 210*297 mm.
Select the pic you want to print and then press Alt+C
or go to Tools -> Start trimming tool
Under Aspect ratio choose Custom then define the values 210 and 297
http://bellik.free.fr/Tutorials/DPP_Print/2.jpg

Now drag and drop to define the cropped area and press OK.
http://bellik.free.fr/Tutorials/DPP_Print/3.jpg

Now (still while selecting the pic you want to print) go to File -> Print with detailed settings
and then clic on the Properties button.
http://bellik.free.fr/Tutorials/DPP_Print/4.jpg

In the first tab choose the type of paper you want to use.
VERY IMPORTANT : this should be the same paper type as defined in the first screenshot (printing profil) !!!
Here we use the professional canon paper. If your paper is not in the list then you have to try different choices to find which one works best for your paper type (or look to the manufacturer recommandations)).
After that, under printing quality, choose custom and under color/intensity (or color/saturation, sorry I don't have the english version of the driver) choose manual.
Then clic on the first define button (under printing quality).
http://bellik.free.fr/Tutorials/DPP_Print/5.jpg

Yacine.

[yb98]

Here we have to define the quality of our printing.
VERY IMPORTANT : this should be the same as the printing profil defined in the first screenshot. As we have choosen Canon series PR3, we choose here the quality 3.
http://bellik.free.fr/Tutorials/DPP_Print/6.jpg
Click OK to return to the previous dialog box and then clic on the second define button (under color/intensity or color/saturation, sorry I don't have the english version of the driver)

VERY IMPORTANT : under color correction choose none. This let DPP manage the colors.
Set other parameters as described in the following pic.
http://bellik.free.fr/Tutorials/DPP_Print/7.jpg
Then clic OK to return to the previous dialog box and go to the second tab.

Choose the paper size (here A4).
Choose the orientation (here portrait).
Check borderless printing.
http://bellik.free.fr/Tutorials/DPP_Print/8.jpg
Clic OK.

Now, if you have done all what we said you should obtain something like this.
http://bellik.free.fr/Tutorials/DPP_Print/9.jpg
In particular, if the print profil is not set to canon series PR3 this means that you didn't execute the first step of this tutorial. In this case, clic on the CMS settings button .

Under printing profil, choose canon series PR3 and under rendering intents choose relative colorimetric.
http://bellik.free.fr/Tutorials/DPP_Print/10.jpg
Clic OK.

Now clic on the Print button and enjoy !
http://bellik.free.fr/Tutorials/DPP_Print/9.jpg

Yacine.

[davidfig]

Why did you choose AdobeRGB? Does this improve the print? Can you demonstrate the difference?

I guess I'm going to have to try this out.

[Lowner]

I always use Adobe RGB for inkjet printing at home.

Can any of you tell me why, when I have DPP set up to convert and save using Adobe RGB, Photoshop 7 still insists on asking me if I wish to assign or convert to exactly that? To which rightly or wrongly I always say yes-convert.

Is the Canon aRGB different in some way to Adobes own?

Richard

[René Damkot]

How's your PS set up? Do you embed the ICC profile?
Post a screenshot of the error msg you get.

Have a read in the link from my sig.

[yb98]

Why did you choose AdobeRGB? Does this improve the print? Can you demonstrate the difference?

I guess I'm going to have to try this out.

I just followed the canon recommandations...
I think they recommand to use AdobeRGB because it is wider than SRGB and is able to reproduce some colors that SRGB can not.

[Lowner]

Rene,

You hit the nail right on the head.

I've just played with one image in DPP, then saved it with and without the embedded ICC profile. The pop up box in PS7 actually said, (but I'd not read it properly before) that the " embedded profile" is missing. By embedding the profile PS7 accepts the file without further comment.

I was discussing it with the staff in my local camera shop this morning. They wondered if it might be due to differences in the "16 bit" files produced by DPP being closer to true 16 bit than PS7 would accept. As I'm aware, much of what we all call 16 bit is actually 12 or 14 bit, so it sounded logical. However the real reason was actually "operator error"!

My thanks, without your question it would never have occurred to me.

Richard