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You can't deny that one of the best things about digital photography compared to film photography is that, when the time comes, you only need to make copies of the best looking photos and you can print them at home.
This has never been the case with film photography, unless you have developed your own film and made your own prints in your darkroom, because otherwise, as a rule, the development lab will send you prints of every photo on the negative, even if your friend has closed his eyes in the photo or someone has moved, or even if your finger has covered the lens in another photo. booklet printing uk
1. Use high quality paper
Perhaps the best thing to do when printing digital photos at home is to use special photo paper.
Glossy or matte photo paper will work much better than standard printing paper: the photos will look much better. Because special photo paper can be a bit expensive, make sure you print only your best photos on it.
See more about photo paper
2. Aspect ratio match
Another key component to look for when printing photos at home is to make sure that the image you want to print uses the same aspect ratio as the paper you are printing the photo on. If you try to print a photo where the aspect ratio of the image does not match the size of the paper, it is possible that the printer will improperly crop or stretch the photo, leaving you with a strange looking photo.
Read more about aspect ratio
3. Inkjet vs. laser technology
Inkjet printers will give you exceptional colour prints.
Don't think you have to invest in a colour laser printer to get great prints, as most inkjet printers can handle the job more than adequately.
See more about printing technologies
4. Take the time to print on the "High Quality" setting.
If you have the time, be sure to set the photos to be printed on the highest quality setting.
You will be surprised how much difference this setting makes to your photos compared to a "normal" or "fast" setting.
However, printing a photo in the highest quality mode will take two to five times longer than in "normal" mode.
5. Before buying a printer, look at its IPM speed
If you want to buy a new inkjet printer, pay attention to a relatively new standard measurement that will help you compare models. The "images per minute" or IPM, measurement will give you a good idea of the printer's speed, as it is rather an objective measurement. Other speed measurements, such as pages per minute (PPM), may be set by the printer manufacturer, so you should not rely on them to compare printers.
See more about IPM vs PPM speed
6. Edit first, then print
If possible, edit photos before printing them. Although it may be easier to see flaws and areas that need retouching after printing the photo, a lot of paper and ink will be wasted by following this method.
View the photos on a computer monitor that has sufficient sharpness and make corrective adjustments, and only print them once you have edited them.
Read more about monitor calibration
7. Keep an eye on costs
Finally, although most people don't think about the individual cost of each print, printing photos at home does involve some cost. For example, if you're printing a series of large colour photos, you're going to use a lot of ink.
You may want to take the photos to a professional supplier for printing if you have a lot of them.
8. Print only one copy
The best way to save money when printing photos at home is to print just one print.
If you make one print and see a flaw that you have to correct with image editing software, forcing you to make a second print, you will waste ink and paper... and money.
You may even decide on that second print that you should have cropped the image differently, leading to a third print and so on.
Take the time beforehand to perfect the image before you print it, so you only need to print one copy.