Printing software for pros

Best advanced pro printing software: DINAX Mirage

DINAX has been producing optimised professional-grade inkjet prints for artworks and numbered print runs since 1993. Building a software program for professional photographers was an obvious next step, explains Marvin-Lee Roy, international sales manager at DINAX, and DINAX Mirage is now in its fourth generation. Like PPL, it’s available as a standalone program or as a plug-in for Adobe imaging software.

“Highlights of the program include easy display of out-of-gamut colours, an instant and highly accurate print preview for a vast range of different papers and fine art media using ICC profiles, easily repeatable settings for individual prints, and the inclusion of logos or watermarks without the need to create them in Photoshop,” explains Marvin-Lee. “For large-format, roll-fed printers, it also gives options for optimising the printing of multiple images of different sizes, for easier cutting or to save paper.”

Sanjay used Mirage to create the prints for his recent BIPP fellowship panel. “I love the program and found it really quick and easy to use, as well as being completely reliable and consistent in the quality of results,” he says. “I wish I’d known about it sooner.

“I can test very quickly which images look best on different papers, using on-screen previews that are based on ICC profiles. Another thing that works really well is that you can create presets for various papers. That’s really handy because it’s so easy to miss something in the settings with variations that you may or may not need. But once you’ve found that sweet balance of what’s required for a paper and what you like subjectively, you can just create a preset and you’re good to go. It speeds up the whole process and avoids any mistakes. The software is very intuitive, and I really like the ICC-based print preview, which is incredibly accurate. What you see on screen really is what you get in the final print.”