How to print better with The focus in digital photography is printing photos. It's simple, convenient and you can do it in the comfort of your home or office, without having to make a trip to the shops. And with the current crop of photo printers which come with PictBridge connectivity and memory card slots, printing photos has never been easier. PictBridge is an open industry standard for direct printing between PictBridge-compatible digital cameras and printers of any brand.
BUT, while it is easy to print photos, getting the quality of prints that match those developed at photo kiosks require a little more effort, time and of course, money. And it's not just about investing in a good printer or digital camera. From choosing the right image format to the type of photo paper, many decisions make a difference in the quality of the finished print. Here are some things to look out for to ensure sharp, crisp colour prints. The Source If you have the best photo printer in the world but if the images captured by the camera don't live up to expectations, it's all in vain. Therefore, before you even think about printing your own photos, it is essential that you find the right digital camera for the job. To do that, you have to keep in consideration the size of prints you intend to make. Generally, to make a decent 4R print (or 4 x 6-inch), you need a 0.5-megapixel camera that is capable of capturing at least 800 x 600dpi images. A 5 x 7-inch print typically requires a 1.2-megapixel (1,280 x 960) resolution image while 1,600 x 1,200 (or 2-megapixel) prints best up to 8 x 10-inch photos. For those who want to produce A4 or larger prints, you should be considering a 3-megapixel or higher camera. Another question to consider is which image file type to save the pictures in. Most cameras save the captured images in JPEG format. While it is smaller in size than other image formats, JPEG compression can cause slight image degradation. Therefore, wherever possible, images for print should be saved with the lowest compression levels or even RAW or TIFF formats for best results. Use touch up option One of the advantages of digital photography is the ability to edit your images before printing. And in some cases, where the desired effect cannot be achieved using the digital camera, one good way to compensate would be by using an image editing software. For example, in under-exposed images, users can control the saturation levels of the various component colours, brightness and contrast to give the image a more balanced tone. The more adventurous can also experiment with special effects tools to add a creative touch, such as What type of ink Currently, there are two types of mass market photo printers. The first one is fusing layers of film onto a special paper, is generally more expensive but produce prints faster and include a protective layer that keeps it resistant to water and dirt. Inkjets, on the other hand, are cheaper to own and run, thanks to less expensive ink. On the upside, the majority of these units can print up to A4 or even A3 sizes. Unlike the past where it's common to see smudges on outputs from these printers, modern inkjets use sophisticated dye or pigment inks and papers, making the photos much more water-resistant. Additionally, current photo inkjets arrive with six or more color inks to give better colour gradation and matching. Print Media It's a good practice to do a test print on plain paper to check for the correct size and resolution settings before making the actual print. This is useful especially for printing 4 X 6 inch photos, which can be quite tricky if you use paper media with perforated edges. There are many different types of paper media out there for inkjets. However, to achieve the best-quality prints, it is advisable to use glossy paper media, preferably one from the printer manufacturer. This is because these media are designed to work best with the relevant inks to produce better and longer-lasting prints. Using other brands of paper or inks may not produce the desired quality and may sometimes even damage your printer. Like the glossy photo prints you get at photo kiosks, it is important to handle the inkjet glossy photos with care, before and after printing. Try to keep the paper media in a clean folder when it is not in use and avoid touching the surface used for printing. A fingerprint or stain may cause the inks to be only partially absorbed, causing a drop in print quality. Reference www.hp.com/united-states/consumer/digital_photography/print_better_photo\ s/index.html <http://www.hp.com/united-states/consumer/digital_photography/print_bett\ er_photos/index.html> http://www.pcadvisor.co.uk/news/index.cfm?newsid=10395 <http://www.pcadvisor.co.uk/news/index.cfm?newsid=10395> http://www.imaging-resource.com/BETTERPICS.HTM <http://www.imaging-resource.com/BETTERPICS.HTM> http://www.hal-pc.org/journal/2006/06_mar/feature.html <http://www.hal-pc.org/journal/2006/06_mar/feature.html> http://www.goldenirishlight.com/photographytips.html <http://www.goldenirishlight.com/photographytips.html> http://www.cryosphere.f2s.com/articles/photos/how-to-get-the-best-result\ s-when-printing-your-own-photographs.html <http://www.cryosphere.f2s.com/articles/photos/how-to-get-the-best-resul\ ts-when-printing-your-own-photographs.html> http://www.news.com/More-megapixels,-better-photos-Fact-or-fiction/2100-\ 1041_3-6156398.html <http://www.news.com/More-megapixels,-better-photos-Fact-or-fiction/2100\ -1041_3-6156398.html> [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] ----------------------------- Visit www.tsolver.net Yahoo! 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