Printing Digital Photos
When it comes to printing your photos you have several options: print them at home on your printer or send them to a photo lab that will print them for you. Since the subject of printing digital photographs deserves its very own article, I will save the details for a future piece and give you the brief overview here.
The main concerns when it comes to printing digital images are:
- Accurate color
- Cropping, if any
- Image resolution
To be very brief, I will go over what you need from each of these concerns.
Accurate Color: In a nutshell, you want to make sure that what you are seeing on your screen is going to turn out on the print. Most of us who have tried printing at home on our personal printers have had the very common frustration of colors not coming out correctly compared to what you see on the screen. This is probably one of the most common issues that people have when printing their digital photos and there is an entire industry sprung up around helping photographers. There are gadgets for calibrating your monitor, for calibrating your printer, and most printing shops will provide you with a color profile if you wish to send your image out to them.
Cropping: Since digital photos usually have an aspect ratio of 3:2 or 4:3, only print sizes like corresponding to these sizes will print exactly, and you will not have to do any cropping. However, since common sizes for frames and pre-cut mats do not always correspond to this ratio, you may have to do a bit of cropping of your photo to get it to print just right. The other alternative is to create a custom mat that will show exactly the size that you desire.
Image Resolution: When it comes to printing your images as large as you want, one thing to consider is if the image has high enough resolution to be printed large. A major limitation of digital images is that if you print it too large, you will start to see the pixels of the image, most easily noticed along edges of shapes as a broken line that isn't quite smooth anymore. By ensuring that your image is of sufficient resolution at the size you'd like to print, you can reduce the effect of this on your final printed image.
Printing Film Photos
When it comes to printing photographs from film, you will have similar concerns as printing digital photos, but less need to color correct since the negative will already have the color that you desire. You will still have to worry about cropping since negatives may not match the aspect ratio of the intended finished image, and you will still be concerned with the image resolution since grain will be more prominent the larger you print the image.
Matting Your Photograph
You could simply put your photograph into a frame that fits it exactly, but by adding a mat or border you can give your image a whole new look. Not only does a mat protect your photo by preventing it from touching the glass in the frame, but it also lets you use creative license and display the image as you intend. You can use the mat to crop your image into the shape you like or display it at full size whether or not the frame has the same aspect ratio. As an added bonus, a mat just plain makes your photo look more professional.
Most art and craft stores will sell pre-cut mats that will fit into conventional sizes of frames. When it comes to the pre-cut mats, the manufacturers control the size of the opening and therefore, they also dictate placement of the image in the mat. Using pre-cut mats is easy and simple. Once you purchase the frame and mat, all you need to do is slip the photo in between the two and you're good to go.
Pre-cut mats are great, but they can get expensive after a while. For the ultimate in customization, you can cut your own mats. This way, you can control exactly how the image is displayed including the size of the image and placement on the mat. Cutting your own mats is simple as long as you have the right tools to get the job done. You can find uncut mat board at photographic and art supply stores as well as a variety of online shops.
For more details on cutting your own mat, there's a good tutorial on the Luminous Landscape site with plenty of options for all budgets. Personally, I like framing images with a substantial border so I would purchase a mat that is two sizes above the photograph, e.g., a 8"x10" frame for a 4"x6" photo. The whole idea is that you can customize how your image looks.
Endless Options: Frames
If you've been to a frame store, then you know that there are tons of options when it comes to selecting a frame. They can range from very fancy thick frames to simple thin metal ones. There are a ton of pre-built frames that come in a variety of sizes, but if you require a special size for any reason, you can always build it yourself by purchasing the parts and assembling it, or by going to a custom framer to have them create the frame for you. No matter how you obtain your frame, it is the final touch on the presentation of your photograph.
