Contents

Know more about this
(or any other) subject?

Show off your know-how at Quamut Wiki.

Learn more with these titles from Barnes & Noble

The Digital Photography Book

The Photographer's Eye: Composition and Design for Better Digital Photos

The Adobe Photoshop Lightroom Book for Digital Photographers

PC Photo Digital SLR Handbook

Photoshop Elements 5 Book for Digital Photographers (Voices That Matter Series)

Previous:
How to Manage Your Digital Photos

Next:
How to Share Digital Photos Online

How to Print Digital Photos

Prints made from digital photos can look as beautiful and lifelike as prints made from film. What’s more, you can now create professional-quality prints right at home as well as get your digital photos printed professionally.

How to Print Digital Photos at Home

To make digital prints at home, you need to:

Buy a printer and photo paper.
Prepare photos for printing.
Transfer your photos to the printer.

Buy a Photo Printer

There are two types of color photo printers on the market:

Inkjet printers: Inkjet printers create images by shooting tiny dots of fast-drying ink onto paper. Inkjet printers are the best choice for beginners because they’re easy to operate and relatively inexpensive—about $200–500. Even if your inkjet printer seems affordable, though, ink and paper costs add up fast.
Dye sublimation printers: Dye sublimation printers use heat to transfer dye onto special plastic-coated paper. They then coat each photo with a clear, protective layer, creating a waterproof print. Dye sublimation printers are a bit tougher to operate than inkjets and are more appropriate for advanced users.

Prepare Your Photos for Printing

Before printing your photos, you’ll need to adjust each photo’s resolution and image size.

Adjust the Resolution of Photos Before Printing

When you print digital photos, the pixels that compose the photos are translated into dots of ink. The quality of your prints depends in part on the number of dots printed in each inch of the picture. This measurement is known as dpi (dots per inch) or ppi (pixels per inch). Onscreen photos have a dpi of 72. Printed photos need to have a dpi of 200–300. To convert photos from 72 to 300 dpi, you need to use photo-editing software, such as Photoshop Elements or Paint Shop Pro.

Use the Resolution option within the software’s Image Size feature to resize photos for printing.
Uncheck the Resample checkbox to maintain image quality after you resize.

The largest size at which you can print your photos at 200–300 dpi depends on the resolution setting you used to take the photo. So, if you’re planning to print your photos, always use the highest setting. The table below provides some approximate sizing guidelines:

Print Size	Resolution	Megapixels
4" × 6"	1200 × 1800	2
5" × 7"	1500 × 2100	3
8" × 10"	2400 × 3000	7

Adjust the Image Size of Photos Before Printing

The size of the prints you can make depends on the number of pixels in the original photo: the more pixels, the larger the prints you can make at 300 dpi. The best way to resize an image for printing is to first convert the image to 300 dpi, and then assess how much flexibility you have in terms of print size. If your camera shoots only 2–3-megapixel photos, you may be able to print only standard 4"× 6" photos at 300 dpi. A 5-megapixel camera takes photos that can be printed at 300 dpi in formats as large as 8"× 10". Use the Document Size option within the Image Size menu in your photo-editing software to resize your photos for printing.

How to Print Photos on Your Home Printer

Once you have your photos saved at the correct resolution and image size, you can print them by using:

Image-editing software: The software program in which you edit your photos usually includes an option to print photos as well. If your software has a Print Preview option, use it to see how your prints will lay out on the page before you print.
Your camera or printer: Some printers and cameras let you bypass the computer entirely and print directly to a printer from your camera’s memory card. You insert the card into the printer or connect a card reader (or the camera itself) to the printer. This option is fine if you just want to make quick prints and don’t care much about quality. To print this way, you need to save onto your memory card all the photos you intend to print.

How to Print Digital Photos Professionally

If you’d rather avoid the hassle and expense of printing at home, or if you need exceptionally large or high-quality prints, print your photos at a professional lab.

How to Print Basic Snapshots

You can make everyday prints of your digital photos through online services, kiosks, or photo labs.

Online services: Websites such as Flickr, Snapfish, and Shutterfly allow you to publish your digital photos online and order prints. They then mail the prints to you directly or allow you to pick them up at a nationwide retailer, such as Target.
Kiosks: Photo printing kiosks offer one-stop instant printing and are often located in large chain stores, such as FedEx Kinko’s. Pop your memory card or photo CD into the machine and choose which photos to print.
Photo labs: Bring your memory card or photo CD to drop off your files. When you return to pick up your prints, the lab returns your memory card or CD as well. Some drop-off labs may also let you email (or upload) digital files and place your order online. Photo labs offer personal service and quicker turnaround than online services but are also usually more expensive.

How to Print High-End Prints

To get the best possible results when printing digital photos, use a professional photo lab. Before you go, call to find out how you should format and save your files. Some labs print only from certain file formats or have specific dpi limits.

Acknowledgments & Disclaimer