| Digital photography printing has opened | | | | sending photos electronically via email, |
| new avenues for amateur and professional | | | | but are not ideal for printing photos. |
| photographers alike. For most | | | | Most camera phones, PC camcorders, and |
| photographers, the backup of digital | | | | PC cameras have a resolution in the 1 to |
| photography printing offers | | | | 2 megapixel range. |
| unprecedented freedom to get the best | | | | 3 to 4 Megapixels Cameras with this |
| shots. No more worrying about wasting | | | | resolution range are good for printing |
| that precious piece of film running out, | | | | and retouching the standard 4x6 inch |
| in addition to not knowing for sure that | | | | images. |
| anything worthwhile is on it! | | | | 5 to 6 Megapixels Cameras with this |
| However, when it comes to getting the | | | | resolution range produce professional |
| printing done, there are a few things | | | | results when enlarging photos up to an |
| one should keep in mind to prevent | | | | 8x10 inch format. |
| wasting too much of quality photo paper, | | | | 7+ Megapixels Cameras with a resolution |
| and the costly printing ink. In this | | | | range of at least 7 megapixels promise |
| article, we'll review a few basic terms | | | | superior quality and detail when |
| related to digital photography and offer | | | | printing or enlarging photos beyond the |
| a few tips on getting the best prints. | | | | 11x14 inch format. |
| Resolution Resolution refers to the | | | | By simply looking at the file size, you |
| 'image-sharpness' of a document, and is | | | | will quickly learn to be an expert judge |
| usually measured in dots (or pixels) per | | | | on quality. A picture of 100kb |
| inch (DPI). It also refers to the | | | | (kilobytes) or less is most probably too |
| image-sharpness that printers and | | | | low-resolution for good quality digital |
| monitors are capable of reproducing. | | | | printing. Once you get to a minimum size |
| Depending on your particular needs, | | | | of 400kb, you are working with a more |
| documents can be scanned at various | | | | useful resolution for an 8x10 inch |
| resolutions. The higher the resolution | | | | print. |
| of a document, greater the | | | | Printing Paper If you're proud of your |
| image-sharpness, and larger the file | | | | photographic effort, or if you want |
| size will be. | | | | those family shots to be available for |
| With digital photography printing in | | | | the next generation, you will definitely |
| mind, the first thing you need to ensure | | | | want your prints to be done on decent |
| is that you download the pictures at | | | | paper. Needless to say, in the end, your |
| their full resolution. If in the end, | | | | prints will be only as good as the paper |
| you have 72dpi (dots per inch) pictures, | | | | you use. |
| your print quality will be useless. A | | | | There are many new coated papers |
| 72dpi resolution is good for viewing on | | | | available on the market specifically for |
| your computer screen, but an image with | | | | this purpose, and you should consider |
| 200 to 300dpi will give a good quality | | | | what is recommended for the printer you |
| 8x10 inch print. | | | | are using. |
| Pixel Pixel is short for 'Picture | | | | Archival paper, popular in the world of |
| Element.' It is the smallest part of a | | | | inkjet printing, is the longest-lasting |
| digital image, and each image is | | | | paper and it is acid-free. These |
| comprised of thousands or millions of | | | | printing papers don't come cheap, so |
| pixels. This basic unit, from which a | | | | plan carefully. Print only after final |
| video or computer picture is made, is | | | | cropping, or on completion of other |
| essentially a dot with a given colour | | | | changes, such as after the addition of a |
| and brightness value. The more pixels an | | | | border with your imaging software. |
| image has, the higher the resolution of | | | | Regular colour inkjet and laser printers |
| that image will be. One Megapixel is | | | | are good for text and charts, but not |
| equal to one million pixels. | | | | always best for digital photography |
| JPEG Joint Photographic Experts Group | | | | printing. PictBridge-enabled printers |
| (JPEG) is a standards committee that | | | | allow you to print your digital |
| designed this image compression format. | | | | photographs directly from the camera. |
| The compression format they designed is | | | | Portable printers, such as the HP |
| known as a 'lossy' compression, as it | | | | Photosmart 320 series, allow you to take |
| deletes information from an image that | | | | a picture and print 4x6 inch sized |
| it considers unnecessary. JPEG files can | | | | pictures anywhere on the move. |
| range from small amounts of lossless | | | | Incidentally, for smaller 4x6 inch |
| compression to large amounts of lossy | | | | prints, dye-sublimation printers give |
| compression. This is a common standard | | | | outstanding quality prints, and they are |
| on the World Wide Web, but the data loss | | | | generally waterproof. However, the |
| generated in its compression makes it | | | | materials for such printing do not come |
| undesirable for printing purposes. | | | | cheap! If you cannot get satisfactory |
| When dealing with digital photography | | | | results with your own digital |
| printing, you will mostly work with the | | | | photography printing, especially if |
| JPEG file format. Remember that every | | | | you're printing larger than 8x10 inch |
| time you open and save a JPEG file, you | | | | sized images, you could try one of the |
| lose some of the image information. | | | | brick-and-mortar, or even online photo |
| Therefore, it is advisable to do all the | | | | labs that make use of dedicated photo |
| changes in one sitting, and then save | | | | printers with excellent results. |
| them only once. | | | | Photo labs can easily handle digital |
| Resolution Guide to Quality Prints The | | | | files directly from your memory card. |
| higher number of megapixels a camera | | | | Take your digital camera, a homemade CD, |
| has, the more detail an image will | | | | or your camera's memory card along for |
| retain when enlarged and/or printed. | | | | professional quality digital photography |
| 1 to 2 Megapixels Cameras with this | | | | printing. |
| resolution range are sufficient for | | | | |