In regard to paper, when printing 8 x 12 images or crops close to that size, I print two on a sheet of 13 x 19 paper. I use only 13 x 19 paper, and simply cut out the prints, if they're not sized to use the full sheet. Like Bob, I don't always crop to a standard size. But for photos that are intended for sale, it's much more economical to buy pre-cut mats than to have custom mats cut, so I tend to plan ahead and shoot to a standard size. Paul On Feb 12, 2011, at 6:56 AM, Paul Stenquist wrote:
> I discourage my print customers from ordering 8 x 10s of my photos, and > instead urge them to go with 8 x 12s, since I shoot to that ratio. Most good > framing and photo stores now have pre-cut 8 x 12 mats that are 11 x 14 on the > outside. I find these perfect for framing in 11 x 14 frames. I nver frame a > print without a mat. > Paul > > On Feb 12, 2011, at 12:06 AM, Igor Roshchin wrote: > >> >> >> Following the link posted by Liz, I came across another short article >> (blogpost?) on about.com written by her, >> http://photography.about.com/od/developingandprinting/qt/ImageFormats.htm >> >> I liked the subject: I thought it was the first time that I've seen >> somebody discussing different aspect ratios of the prints of different >> standard sizes and the planning needed for that. >> >> I've discussed briefly a related question earlier here, on PDML, in some >> comments that I personally tend to favor two aspect ratios : 2:3 and 1:1 >> (aka 6x6 :-) ). And these are the most common sizes that I tend to post >> to the web. In the past, when I was ordering prints at the labs, >> I usually ordered prints in those ratios (4"x6", 10cmx15cm, 20cm x 30 cm, >> 8"x12", etc.), and then it was sometimes harder to find a premanufactured >> (read: inexpensive) frame for 8"x12", as 8"x10" were more popular. >> >> Once I started printing my own photos with Epson R2880, I found that >> it is harder to do 8"x12" prints, as the paper usually doesn't >> come in that size. So, every so often, I am trying to fit my 2:3 photo >> to 8"x10" or 8.5"x11" ("Letter") formats. >> The same problem was (and is) occuring with 5"x7" (aka 13cmx18cm) prints, >> - but at least it is much closer to the 2:3 ratio, so it is not as >> difficult to do the crop. >> >> After doing a search, I found that there were some people complaining >> about this issue earlier, e.g. here: >> http://forums.popphoto.com/showthread.php?279310-standard-photo-print-sizes >> >> I thought I'd share these with the PDMLers. >> >> >> Also, I hope Liz won't be too mad at me for criticizing her posting. >> I realize that the audience of about.com is mostly non-technical, >> but still ... >> >> First of all, I was surprised not seeing 8"x12" and 3.5"x5" among the >> "standard print sizes". >> >> Second, the "squarest" ratio is 1:1! And that's been on the market for >> ages (albeit it's becoming less frequent, and may one day die). >> >> Third, the "multiplication factor" and the "ratio" (in the particular >> order of sides) are the same thing. So, the sentence "It is often easier >> to think in terms of the length multiplication factors instead of the >> actual ratios." sounds weird. What it actually says is "it is easier to use >> decimal numbers (decimal fractions) then [non-decimal] fractions." >> >> Fourth, I don't understand why 3.5:2.5 ratio is chosen for 5x7 prints >> (except that the size 3.5"x2.5" is also considered to be one of the >> standard, - "wallet", sizes). >> It's a bit weird to translate a ratio of simple numbers to a ratio of decimal >> non-intengers... >> >> I also would challenge this statement: >> "Many cameras today record photographs in roughly a 3:2 ratio. This >> means that the long side is 1.5 times as long as the short side. This is >> the reason 4x6 has become a popular print size." >> I believe the reason (or to be exact, one of the main reasons) why 4x6 >> has become a popular print size is that the negative size on the 35mm >> film was 24x36mm, which has the same aspect ratio. >> More over, most sensor sizes (except those of DSLRs) are 4:3: >> http://www.dpreview.com/news/0210/02100402sensorsizes.asp . >> >> >> Cheers, >> >> >> Igor >> >> >> >> -- >> PDML Pentax-Discuss Mail List >> PDML@pdml.net >> http://pdml.net/mailman/listinfo/pdml_pdml.net >> to UNSUBSCRIBE from the PDML, please visit the link directly above and >> follow the directions. > > > -- > PDML Pentax-Discuss Mail List > PDML@pdml.net > http://pdml.net/mailman/listinfo/pdml_pdml.net > to UNSUBSCRIBE from the PDML, please visit the link directly above and follow > the directions. -- PDML Pentax-Discuss Mail List PDML@pdml.net http://pdml.net/mailman/listinfo/pdml_pdml.net to UNSUBSCRIBE from the PDML, please visit the link directly above and follow the directions.
