I think it would be very handy to have a forum where we can discover the ins and outs of getting our digital artwork printed. I, for one, am a clueless artist who just does my artwork, but has no idea what it means to CMYK, to color separate, what printing resolution is, etc. I can print some of my artwork off of Kinkos color laser printer, but as to why my colors sometimes come out perfect and other times they don't... I don't know why and I don't really understand what I'm supposed to do to fix it. I've seen in other forums where people have asked similar questions, so I know that I am not alone. I think that such a forum would be an excellent place to pool these questions, to gather together information on printing, and on online printing houses, etc. Since the majority of us ARE digital artists, I sincerely believe this is a forum that is needed for those of us who want to do more than just have "pretties on the web".

This idea has crossed my mind from time to time, too. I think it would be a good place to gather all that information regarding resolution, types of paper, etc. Most of the fundamental stuff involved with print applies no matter what software or printer is being used, so the questions/answers and gathered info could be of good service to every member. :)

I agree, I do bookcovers and it took a long time to learn the ins and outs, and I'm still learning. A forum like this would be very helpful to those that are interested in using their worl commercially

oops.... "work" I meant

Attached Link: http://www.incurableart.com

I'd find this most helpful since I'm new to printing. And also new to finding online places to do my printing for me. It would be great to be able to share experiences in everything from preparing files and how we liked the results from online printing houses. I have to wonder if perhaps we could forge a better $deal$ for Renderosity members for printing? Just a thought but it would be neat to get a group discount for things. The less we pay for printing, the less we can charge for things like cards.

on the subject of a printing forum, me thinks most questions could be covered by any one of the respective 2D forums, or the hardware/technical forums. as for renderosity printing our images, ick. I personally don't wanna wait the amount of time it would take, nor pay shipping charges to canada for some prints. just me though

I think it is an excellent idea. I think many of the "hobbyists" would love to expand and be able to earn a living doing what they like...(although print work is not often that much fun). A print forum sounds an excellent idea. ;*)

I enjoy print work myself, working on a large scale really lets you get into the details of an image. If there were just affordable monitors that were big enough ;)

I love my 21-inch monitor, but sometimes I would love to have something larger to work on. Who knows, someday, perhaps?? Well, I must say I'm pleased to see the interest in this thread so far. fingers crossed Maybe we'll get a forum???

crossing my fingers too

I think this is a great idea - I'd love to get into some print work on a larger scale than 8x10 (the biggest my printer will allow for), but haven't the vaguest clue where to begin - it would be wonderful to be able to share ideas and options with others!

I really agree with the messages above. Printing for me has up till now only been in greetingcard-size. But I woyld love to learn more about the printing process and like someone else said, not just "hope" it will turn out the way I want.

Definitely like the idea of such a forum. I'm not ready for printing yet, but when I am, it would be nice to know that the help and info I need will be in one place.

Printing is definitely far more complex than it would seem at first, and so yes, I think it would be a very cool forum to have.

I answered yes to a Renderosity poll, about this, a couple months ago. I wonder where Admin are at with the resluts. Many of our render engines function at scales much greater than our displays. I would love to know how we would deal with this. I'm sure the addition of a Forum could evolve into a prefered press that would give R-Sity...Member...a discount. I'd beware of this site itslef vending any press directly though. Referal discounts might keep options fresh. ; ). Right now I use an Epson Stylus Photo and the "Epson Stylus Film" for dynamite proofing! I study film here in college and have found several local Photo stores that will transfer a digital(Photoshop) image(PSD) to a film negative for about $1/MB. Then there are the Photo. Developing Labs., the professional(Here in my City) use! You mail your negs and proofs in and are returned guaranteed results! A Framer's Forum would be cool too...; ) = )

I'm really not sure r'osity needs another forum. I think the idea of sharing info is spot on, but as someone said, we already have a 2D Forum. Couldn't this cover it? Perhaps you could rename and expand the 2d Forum? regards peejay

Currently, questions about printing typically come up in whatever forum a person is involved with...i.e. if you want to print a Vue d'Esprit image, the printing questions are usually presented in the Vue forum. Certainly printing questions can also be presented in the 2D forum, but a forum dedicated to the topic of printing would be an excellent central location for all such queries and information, whether the desire is to print a 3D render, a Photoshop painting or learning more about inks, papers, etc. :)

I think R-Sity has room for a few more Forums, not that the forums already here are'nt interesting. The Forums are kind of staple to R-Sity, they make it a wonderful wealth of knowledge! I hope we here abou this soon! = )

I see by reading this thread that their are others here that have found themselves in the same spot I found myself in about a year ago...How to produce inexpsensive prints of your work that would hold up over time...After months and months of looking at all of the current options available I finally bit the bullet and bought one of Epson's wide format printers with the idea that I would be able to use it for my own artwork but also possibly offer a printing service to other artists that wanted prints in a larger format without the high cost...I have the ability now to do prints up 13x19 inches in size...I personally am very pleased with the results that I am getting...The detail is amazing...Should there be anyone here that is interested in getting prints of their work within that size range please contact me via email for details...There are a few things that you have to do when creating a piece for a print but they really are rather simple if using programs such as Poser or Bryce...I would be glad to give anyone details that might be interested....

YES!! Kennect. Of course we would. And in lieu of a print forum, you can most certainly share here. s

Sihn, Drop me an email.... Samal@bellsouth.net...My interest in this topic is not to or try to encroach on anything Render has planned with their print service down the road...Please contact me privately...Thanks

What i ca'nt understand is how individuals have something to put in the way of Forum additions. I'm currently supporting 2 new forums vigilantly, this and a fractal forum. If I were'nt I certainly would'nt have offered oppostion. We already have such a nice little column of forums over there on the right! I do'nt read every one, but I ca'nt see there being to many really! They are easy to use and browsed by hundreds and hundreds of people 24-7. Here is to the creation of two more Forums! = )

I agree that a printing forum would be a huge asset here...There are so many different approaches to printing these days and most anyone can take advantage of them depending on what their interest are...And there are also so many variables depending on what on is looking for as a final product...Some people may be interested in the high end print market that would get into iris prints or they might simply want help with doing printouts on their current printer...The whole printing process is going through a huge change these days and we, the people that would like prints, are the winners...We have a lot more options now than we would have just a few years ago and I feel that we are going to have more options in the near future...It might not happen now but I do feel that Render will find the need for such a forum somewhere down the road...

I agree! This forum would serve as a wonderful filter for the high end of things! = )

Attached Link: http://www.renderosity.com/messages.ez?ForumID=12419

Now open! :D