Print Better Images
By: TJ Tierney
 It
doesn't matter how good your photos are, if your
images aren't displayed to their best advantage they
will lose impact.
It is often the simple things that spoil an image.
Using simple techniques and a little care, you can
easily give you images the attention that will do
them justice. The materials used in printing your
images play an important factor in the quality of
the finished print.
Printer: When buying a printer think about
the materials that you'll be using. If your are
going to be printing your images in large format buy
a printer that can handle rolls of photographic
paper. These printers are usually more expensive,
but great savings can be made when buying paper.
Paper: Photographic paper comes in many
different sizes and textures. It doesn't do any harm
to test a few different papers from different
manufacturers to see which one suits your needs.
Ink: When buying inks for your printer I
would strongly recommend that you buy from your
printer's manufactures. Third party inks will give
you great savings but may not be suited for your
printer.
When buying a printer, photographic paper or inks,
it is advisable to plan well in advance. If you are
only going to print a small amount of images it may
be better using your local photo lab. If you're
planning to sell a large amount of images, your own
printer will be very valuable. Having your own
printer will ensure that you can process orders
immediately after getting them.
In today's world, offering a speedy delivery can be
the difference in making a sale. Using a third party
to print your images may take a week or more before
you'll get your images back. This will not be good
for your business.
Presentation.
When you are happy with the quality of your printer
you now need to consider presentation. Placing an
image in to a cheap frame will not do anything for
your prints. Presentation is all about giving your
images the impact they truly deserve. Before you
print your images start thinking about presentation.
It is often very effective to add a white border in
Photoshop before printing. If you decide against
Photoshop I would recommend that you mount your
image before framing.
When finished printing match your prints to your
computer screen. If you think you have a problem
with your final print you may need to calibrate your
computer. This is a common problem with a lot of
people printing at home. Most advance photographic
software comes with a basic calibration program,
which can be simply used in improving results.
Printing Tips:
Before you print your images do a final check to
make sure colours are perfect and that there are no
marks on your image. Make sure that you have the
right quality settings on your printer. Always use
the best printing options available on your printer.
If you are using heavyweight paper - load the paper
one sheet at a time. This will avoid clogging. Once
you are happy with your printing, allow your prints
to rest for 24 hours, place a sheet of plain paper
between each print when storing your images.
Other printing tips: Most ink and paper
companies claim that their product dry instantly -
this means that they are dry to touch. If you print
you own images there are a few important points to
follow before framing.
1 - allow your prints to rest for 15 minutes after
printing. 2 - after 15 minutes place a sheet of
white paper over the print - use standard paper -
don't use photographic paper. The paper acts as a
sponge absorbing the outgoing gases from the
printing process. Allow this process to continue for
twenty-four hours.
3 - if the plain paper is crimped once removed,
repeat the process for another twenty-four hours. If
not, your image is ready for framing.
About the Author
TJ Tierney. Award winning Irish Landscape
photographer. If you are looking for more photo tips
visit
http://www.goldenirishlight.com/photographytips.html
To view some of his images visit his on line gallery
@
http://www.goldenirishlight.com.
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