What Is a Digital Print?

Posted on November 18, 2008 by Mark Mizen

An interesting question has come up in conjunction with the ISO’s effort to define the vocabulary associated with image permanence and that is what is a digital print. The definition I would suggest is any print that originated from an image captured with a digital camera or scanner. Of course, this definition means that traditional photographic prints produced from digital images are digital prints while the same prints produced from a photographic negative are not. The reason for this distinction is that I suspect most consumers think in terms of image capture, not the output technology. Any thoughts? Agree or disagree?

About Mark Mizen

I have over twenty years professional experience in all aspects of photography and digital imaging. I am Chair of the ISO WG5 TG2 committee responsible for physical properties and durability of imaging material and am currently with HID Global working on systems for security printing for IDs, licenses, and credit cards. Previously, I was Director of Digital Development at Creative Memories from 2009 to 2012 and was responsible for the Creative Memories digital products and services. I also established and directed the Creative Memories Technology Center, which evaluated new products prior to product introduction, assisted with production difficulties, and provided technical information to support product sales.

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2 Responses to What Is a Digital Print?

mediastreetgrp says:

November 19, 2008 at 8:39 am

Thanks for a great resource Mark!

Education in this regard is very important… as consumers are being misled, as an example, by major inkjet printer manufacturers deceiving us to believe our cherished “prints” will last…

Keep up the good work!
Norm Levy
Media Street, Inc.
http://MediaStreet.com
If you Cant Print’em – View Them – eMotion Digital Photo Frames

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Keith House says:

January 20, 2009 at 9:00 pm

I would propose that a digital print is any print made from data not an analog image….(analog image defined as: a light source located behind a negative or transparency and projected onto a light sensitive medium). It matters not whether the data is from a digital camera or from a scanner. Data is data.

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