A printer suggestion for the OEM's

It would be very, very nice if photo printers would print data on the
back of photos with whatever info the photographer likes in plain B&W at
the same time that they print the photo on the otherside. eg: Selected
EXIF data, comments, copyright and so on.

I don't want to run the photo paper through a printer as I think the
photo side might get marred (pre or post photo print).

When I get lab prints they usually have data printed on the back (date,
tint/color offsets, frame number...)

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Alan Browne wrote:

It would be very, very nice if photo printers would print data on the
back of photos with whatever info the photographer likes in plain B&W at
the same time that they print the photo on the otherside. eg: Selected
EXIF data, comments, copyright and so on.

I don't want to run the photo paper through a printer as I think the
photo side might get marred (pre or post photo print).

When I get lab prints they usually have data printed on the back (date,
tint/color offsets, frame number...)

Yeah that would be nice though some papers are only printable on one
side. You would need a whole separate printer on the bottom so I guess
the practical workaround is to just print it on the margin & waste a
little paper. AutoCAD drafting software has various ways of inserting a
timestamp on the margin or title block which usually includes the file
name and path/location.

If I'm organized, I'll hand write that on the back with a sharpie water
proof pen but I wonder if that ink can bleed on a stack of prints or
through the paper. I'm not usually that organized and when I come back a
year later it can take a while to figure out where the image file is for
a given print.

It would be theoretically possible to automate the exif & path somehow
and print that on an adhesive label but still a hassle.

--
Paul Furman
www.edgehill.net
www.baynatives.com

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Alan Browne wrote:


It would be very, very nice if photo printers would print data on the
back of photos with whatever info the photographer likes in plain B&W at
the same time that they print the photo on the otherside. eg: Selected
EXIF data, comments, copyright and so on.

I don't want to run the photo paper through a printer as I think the
photo side might get marred (pre or post photo print).

When I get lab prints they usually have data printed on the back (date,
tint/color offsets, frame number...)

Many of the photo-papers have a synthetic back that's not receptive to
inkjet inks - it just wipes off (or worse - would tranfer to the top of
the next print in a stack) But I agree - it would be handy to have.

Paul Furman wrote:
Alan Browne wrote:

It would be very, very nice if photo printers would print data on the
back of photos with whatever info the photographer likes in plain B&W
at the same time that they print the photo on the otherside. eg:
Selected EXIF data, comments, copyright and so on.

I don't want to run the photo paper through a printer as I think the
photo side might get marred (pre or post photo print).

When I get lab prints they usually have data printed on the back
(date, tint/color offsets, frame number...)

Yeah that would be nice though some papers are only printable on one
side.

As photos. But the back would only be printed with some data.

You would need a whole separate printer on the bottom so I guess

This is pretty cheap these days. For a $100 printer, maybe too much.
For a $1400 printer (or even a $400 printer) it would be noise in the
price. Again, one color, simple text.

the practical workaround is to just print it on the margin & waste a
little paper. AutoCAD drafting software has various ways of inserting a
timestamp on the margin or title block which usually includes the file
name and path/location.

Kinda ruins presentation, however. The back of a photo is a place to
document the image as described.

If I'm organized, I'll hand write that on the back with a sharpie water
proof pen but I wonder if that ink can bleed on a stack of prints or
through the paper. I'm not usually that organized and when I come back a
year later it can take a while to figure out where the image file is for
a given print.

I wouldn't use a sharpie on a photo for the bleed reason. I could see
my way to applying a sticker or using a pencil, lightly.

It would be theoretically possible to automate the exif & path somehow
and print that on an adhesive label but still a hassle.

Yep. Hence the idea of a back printer...

--
-- r.p.e.35mm user resource: http://www.aliasimages.com/rpe35mmur.htm
-- r.p.d.slr-systems: http://www.aliasimages.com/rpdslrsysur.htm
-- [SI] gallery & rulz: http://www.pbase.com/shootin
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Me wrote:
Alan Browne wrote:


It would be very, very nice if photo printers would print data on the
back of photos with whatever info the photographer likes in plain B&W
at the same time that they print the photo on the otherside. eg:
Selected EXIF data, comments, copyright and so on.

I don't want to run the photo paper through a printer as I think the
photo side might get marred (pre or post photo print).

When I get lab prints they usually have data printed on the back
(date, tint/color offsets, frame number...)

Many of the photo-papers have a synthetic back that's not receptive to
inkjet inks - it just wipes off (or worse - would tranfer to the top of
the next print in a stack) But I agree - it would be handy to have.

I'm sure the fine photo paper folks would be pleased to oblige with a
text printable surface on their papers...

--
-- r.p.e.35mm user resource: http://www.aliasimages.com/rpe35mmur.htm
-- r.p.d.slr-systems: http://www.aliasimages.com/rpdslrsysur.htm
-- [SI] gallery & rulz: http://www.pbase.com/shootin
-- e-meil: Remove FreeLunch.
-- usenet posts from gmail.com and googlemail.com are filtered out.

On Sun, 14 Dec 2008 14:09:36 -0800, Paul Furman wrote:

Yeah that would be nice though some papers are only printable on one
side.

I tried that several years ago with one of HP's duplex printers.
The photos printed nicely but the data on the other side smeared no
matter how many weeks they were allowed to dry. I was unable to
find any readily available photo paper that allowed printing on the
reverse side other than one from HP. Unfortunately, that one was
designed to have photos printed on both sides.

Me wrote:
Alan Browne wrote:


It would be very, very nice if photo printers would print data on the
back of photos with whatever info the photographer likes in plain B&W
at the same time that they print the photo on the otherside. eg:
Selected EXIF data, comments, copyright and so on.

I don't want to run the photo paper through a printer as I think the
photo side might get marred (pre or post photo print).

When I get lab prints they usually have data printed on the back
(date, tint/color offsets, frame number...)

Many of the photo-papers have a synthetic back that's not receptive to
inkjet inks - it just wipes off (or worse - would tranfer to the top of
the next print in a stack) But I agree - it would be handy to have.

I'm sure the fine photo paper folks would be pleased to oblige with a
text printable surface on their papers...

--
-- r.p.e.35mm user resource: http://www.aliasimages.com/rpe35mmur.htm
-- r.p.d.slr-systems: http://www.aliasimages.com/rpdslrsysur.htm
-- [SI] gallery & rulz: http://www.pbase.com/shootin
-- e-meil: Remove FreeLunch.
-- usenet posts from gmail.com and googlemail.com are filtered out.

Alan Browne wrote:
Me wrote:
Alan Browne wrote:

It would be very, very nice if photo printers would print data on the
back of photos with whatever info the photographer likes in plain B&W
at the same time that they print the photo on the otherside. eg:
Selected EXIF data, comments, copyright and so on.

I don't want to run the photo paper through a printer as I think the
photo side might get marred (pre or post photo print).

When I get lab prints they usually have data printed on the back
(date, tint/color offsets, frame number...)

Many of the photo-papers have a synthetic back that's not receptive to
inkjet inks - it just wipes off (or worse - would tranfer to the top
of the next print in a stack) But I agree - it would be handy to have.

I'm sure the fine photo paper folks would be pleased to oblige with a
text printable surface on their papers...

One of my favorite papers was a MOAB 'fine art watercolor' which can be
printed on both sides because there is no special coating. It doesn't
get the fine details like a glossy paper but the colors can be more
saturated, blacks more black and large prints don't need super fine
detail. Unfortunately they discontinued that and only have a 'rag' with
a texture on one side argh, anyways with no coating, there's nothing
to scratch by feeding it through again upside down. Most of the 'matte'
papers are like this, I just liked the feel of that one and the gamut.

For glossy paper where the back doesn't print, if you don't trust a
sharpie not to bleed, I guess it comes down to using adhesive labels.
Hand scribbling isn't that hard and it would be more convenient to write
on the label as the print comes out then stick it on. I don't know what
ink or pencil is most safe to use on that.

Here's a $100 label printer:
http://www.google.com/products/catal...533#ps-sellers
exiftool can be used to extract select exif data, I have a batch file to
create little text files with matching names like _DSC03289.txt for web
use and could modify it to add the file name & path. The path includes a
folder name with date and location/description. So I could do something
like this:

copyright 2008 Paul Furman www.edgehill.net
NIKON D700 50mm f/1.2 1/125s ISO:200 EC:0
lens:50mm f/1.2 MF No Flash
C:\Users\paul\Desktop\_paul\_Pictures\2008\2008-12-09-window\_0032509.JPG

Theoretically I think the batch file could be set up to run from a
right-click menu and send the text directly to the label printer:
copy _DSC03289.txt LPT1

Or... someone could write a photoshop plugin to do that (not me though).
A photoshop plugin could presumably get annotation from the Adobe Bridge
database.

I could do it with php on my web site so it gathers the info including
any annotation. That's not a bad way to go. A web application could
extract that info from flickr or pbase or wherever. Pulling from a web
page you would get a useful url instead of a nasty DOS file path.


--
Paul Furman
www.edgehill.net
www.baynatives.com

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"Alan Browne" wrote in message
...
Paul Furman wrote:
Alan Browne wrote:

It would be very, very nice if photo printers would print data on the
back of photos with whatever info the photographer likes in plain B&W at
the same time that they print the photo on the otherside. eg: Selected
EXIF data, comments, copyright and so on.

I don't want to run the photo paper through a printer as I think the
photo side might get marred (pre or post photo print).

When I get lab prints they usually have data printed on the back (date,
tint/color offsets, frame number...)

Yeah that would be nice though some papers are only printable on one
side.

As photos. But the back would only be printed with some data.


But IME, ink isn't absorbed onto the back of photo paper, so it either
'beads', or simply rubs off.

Tony wrote:
Alan Browne wrote:

It would be very, very nice if photo printers would print data on the
back of photos with whatever info the photographer likes in plain B&W at
the same time that they print the photo on the otherside. eg: Selected
EXIF data, comments, copyright and so on.

I don't want to run the photo paper through a printer as I think the
photo side might get marred (pre or post photo print).

When I get lab prints they usually have data printed on the back (date,
tint/color offsets, frame number...)

I have never tried it but you may be able to do this with auto duplexing
provided you print the back first so that the photo dries properly. I would be
surprised if some photo printers with a duplexer installed wouldn't do this.
Basically it will depend on the driver since there is no mechanical reason why
a printer with a duplexer would not do what you want especially if the data on
the back is simple and the auro duplexing is set for a reasonable drying time.

Wrap it into a 2-page pdf, if that can handle color space, etc. I don't
know if any photo inkjets can flip paper around like that though.


Tony
MS MVP Printing Image

--
Paul Furman
www.edgehill.net
www.baynatives.com

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