Printing Digital Pictures

[robalan]

I have never printed out any of my digital pictures, but I want to today, so I have a question:

Do I have to save my pictures in the exact size that I want to print them out in (4x6, 5x7, etc.) or can I just bring them to the store in the original size taken by the camera and then select the size from there? Is this possible? Also, if it's possible, is this what most people do, or do they size their photos before they print them out? What is the best approach if you want the prints to come out highest quality?

Thanks.

 

[Pete Harcoff]

Yup, you should be able to resize them at the store.

As far as max quality, you'll want to print at 300 dpi for that. But that will depend on the size of the images created by camera (determined by how many megapixels it is).

 

[HeatherJay]

Yep, I agree...just take your CD or flash drive (I'd recommend saving them onto something besides just your memory card...some machines will take camera memory cards, but unless you're sure it takes yours specifically, I'd have a back up plan) and pick the size you want at the store...

 

[GK]

I prefer cropping to a specific size before taking them to be printed. 4x6 and 5x7 are not quite the same shape and I want the control over where the photo is cropped. It doesn't take that long in my photo software and it makes it easier to use the 'net to send off my print requests so I only have to make one trip to the store.

 

[robalan]

I prefer cropping to a specific size before taking them to be printed. 4x6 and 5x7 are not quite the same shape and I want the control over where the photo is cropped. It doesn't take that long in my photo software and it makes it easier to use the 'net to send off my print requests so I only have to make one trip to the store.

GK, what print software do you use? I am presently using Picasa 2 (the free software from Google), but would like to know what other stuff is out there. I have Photoshop 6.0 but it doesn't have specific cropping sizes such as 4x6 or 5x7.

 

[VioletAngel]

I have had Photoshop 4.0, 5.0, 5.5, 7.0, and now Photoshop CS2... and they all crop photos to those sizes. I would be very surprised if 6.0 cannot do that.

 

[robalan]

I have had Photoshop 4.0, 5.0, 5.5, 7.0, and now Photoshop CS2... and they all crop photos to those sizes. I would be very surprised if 6.0 cannot do that.

It can't, actually. I'm certain.

 

[Southern Cross]

Yes, 6.0 can crop for you.. Simply select the crop tool, type in the parameters (i.e., 5 inches wide, 7 inches long) select 300 dpi, and then drag the crop tool to size on the picture. The reposition the crop as needed to fine tune it. Remember to save your image file as a new file, so you don't impact the size or quality of the original file. Burn the new file(s) to CD, bring down to the lab, and let them print it off.

 

[GK]

For most stuff, I use iPhoto, which has pre-set constraints for the crop tool. If a photo needs additional post-production work, I'll send it to Photoshop CS. Photoshop doesn't have the preset, but once I select the crop tool, I can manually enter constraints, as has been discussed above.

 

[robalan]

Yes, 6.0 can crop for you.. Simply select the crop tool, type in the parameters (i.e., 5 inches wide, 7 inches long) select 300 dpi, and then drag the crop tool to size on the picture. The reposition the crop as needed to fine tune it. Remember to save your image file as a new file, so you don't impact the size or quality of the original file. Burn the new file(s) to CD, bring down to the lab, and let them print it off.

Why is it necessary to change the DPI to 300? Where did you get that number from?

 

[Koolkile]

Guys for all my photos I use www.photobox.com

Your first 60 6x4 prints are free

And thereafter it is still a very cheap way of getting quality prints. Next day delivery too!!

 

[GK]

Why is it necessary to change the DPI to 300? Where did you get that number from?

DPI = Dots Per Inch. When printing, DPI has to do with how close together the drops of ink are. The closer together, the better quality the picture. 300 DPI is fairly standard until you get to the highest levels of photography. Few people can really tell the difference if you print at a higher resolution and even then, it's only the true geeks who will point it out.

When you set the constraints to 5x7 on your crop tool, you're doing that to maintain the right aspect ratio (shape) of the crop area. If you crop a really small box, it will "enlarge" the image to 5x7 inches. If you crop a large box, it will shrink what you have cropped to fit 5x7. If you have told your box to use 300 dots per inch, it will give that 5x7 print a resolution of 1500x2100 pixes (5 times 300 and 7 times 300). If you leave it at 72 DPI, your cropped photo will have a resolution of 360x504 (or something like that: I did the math in my head). Setting your DPI will help the software keep a higher resolution photo that will look better when printed.

Your software can't create pixels from nothing (it tries, but just by copying what's around it). If you crop a really small piece of a large photo to enlarge to 5x7, setting the DPI won't magically give you better resolution. If the software has to enlarge anything, you will lose detail. However, setting the DPI nice and big will ensure you don't unnecessarily lose any detail.

 

[Southern Cross]

For photographic prints, 300 DPI is the highest resolution most lab printers can handle. It's pointless to specify 400DPI when preparing a file for printing because the extra information in the file is not usable in the printing process.

You could probably get away with 200 DPI, but it depends on the size of the print you are producing.

Chris