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