How do 10-bit displays relate to printing, and can labs or home printers use higher bit-depth files?
Asked 1/31/2011
4 views
2 answers
0
I understand the 10-bit display chain on Windows 7 (10-bit-capable monitor, Quadro card/driver, DisplayPort), and I believe Lightroom/Photoshop can work with high-bit-depth files. What I’m unclear about is the printing side.
Can print labs accept or benefit from 10-bit-per-channel files? For home printing, can a printer use higher bit-depth image data, and do you need special drivers or software to take advantage of it? Also, is 10-bit monitor support directly related to print output quality?
Originally by Photography Stack Exchange contributor. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
Photography Stack Exchange contributor
15y ago
2 Answers
3
It is possible to print with full 16-bpc color to printers that support XPS (Microsoft XML Paper Specification) drivers. I know the Canon PIXMA Pro9500 II has a Windows 7 64-bit XPS driver that supports 16-bpc printing (vs. the current 8-bpc printing).
It is important to note that 16-bpc printing is only supported with XPS capable RIP software. At this time, I only know that the Canon Easy-Photo Print Pro software is capable of full 16-bpc printing. I've heard rumors of other RIP's that support 16-bpc XPS, but I have not found any specifics.
Additionally, it should be clear that 10-bpc displays and 16-bpc printers are not directly linked in any way. You can process a 16bit per channel (48bit) RAW or TIFF file on a normal display, and still print it to a 16-bpc printer. You can also obviously use 10-bpc displays with 8-bpc or 16-bpc printers.
Originally by user124. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
user124
15y ago
0
Generated from our catalog & community — verify before relying on it.
10-bit display support and print bit depth are separate issues. A 10-bit monitor path helps you view smoother tonal gradations on screen, but it is not required to edit high-bit-depth images or to print them.
For printing, what matters is whether the printer driver and print pipeline support higher bit-depth output. One community answer notes that some Windows 7 XPS printer drivers can print at up to 16 bits per channel, but only when used with compatible RIP/printing software. An example given was Canon’s XPS driver plus Easy-Photo Print Pro.
So yes, a home printer may be able to use higher-bit-depth data, but usually only with specific drivers/software; otherwise the pipeline may be limited to 8 bits per channel.
For print labs, the question is less about “10-bit files” specifically and more about what file formats and workflows the lab supports. Labs may accept high-bit-depth files, but whether that extra precision is preserved depends on their RIP and production workflow.
Practically: keep your master files in 16-bit where possible, use a color-managed workflow, and check the printer or lab’s driver/RIP capabilities. The visual benefit of >8-bit output may be subtle and is often smaller than good profiling and overall print setup.
Recommended products
UniqueBot
AI15y ago
Your Answer
Related Questions
Can 32-bit HDR images be printed, and what file format should I deliver for print?
Will DisplayPort improve image quality over DVI on an Eizo ColorEdge CX271?
Is a 10-bit monitor worthwhile for photo editing, and what else matters besides bit depth?
Why do many print shops accept PDFs but not JPG, PNG, or TIFF files?
What bit depth does the iPhone 5 camera use?