How to Print Digital Photos from your Inkjet Printer - Tips

1^st Transfer your image from your camera to your computer

All cameras have their own software for this task, so you should consult your camera’s documentation. Your computer may already have the camera driver, in which case you can plug in your camera and immediately begin copying the files to your computer. Otherwise, you will need to load the camera driver first. It is a good idea to save the images in the finest resolution. This allows you to have the greatest freedom to manipulate your picture and still achieving the best printing quality. In fact, the only reason not to save under the finest resolution is if you are running out of hard drive space.

2^nd Picture manipulation

A lot of what determines how good your printed photos turn out is the your ability to use your photo software. Initially, you will need to invest time and some money, in terms of paper and ink, to learn how to use your photo software, but the potential benefits far outweigh the costs. 

Sharpen your photo: Many times when you print a digital image the printed photo comes out looking “soft” or out of focus. In order to help correct for this, use the image editor’s sharpen tool. The process for doing this is different for the various programs, but you can usually find it by searching for the term “sharpen” using the help function. If your image turns out grainy after doing this, then you may need to lessen the degree of sharpening.    

Increasing the gamma: Dark images don’t usually print that well. To correct for this, use the gamma correction tool (if your photo editor has one). This is preferable to increasing the brightness of the image, which can wash out your black and make your brights much too bright. Adjusting gamma is better as it corrects the brightness on the middle tones in your image, more so than on the extremes. However, there is a limit as to how much you can adjust gamma. Beyond 30 percent and the image begins to look washed out.

Don’t over crop: You need to crop the picture to the correct proportions that you want to print. A 4x6, 5x7, 8x10, all have different proportions. A good rule of thumb in taking photographs is to offset the main subject about a third of the way to either side, not directly in the middle. If you didn’t take the picture that way, no problem, with your image editor you can crop the picture. However, be sure not to crop too much, as you may be loosing too many pixels, and thus may be decreasing the quality of the image.

Make the subject stand out: You can draw attention to the main subject in your photograph by softening the background. To do this, you just need to select the area comprising the main subject, then reverse the selection to select the background. Finally, perform the softening function on the background until you achieve the picture you like. 

Select the highest quality: Most digital cameras use JPEG format, which results in some loss of detail in order to save storage space. In order to preserve image quality try instead to save them in Tagged Image File Format (TIFF). Choose File, Save As in your image editing program, and select TIFF from the drop-down list.

3^rd It’s all in the hardware

Printer

You can use just about any printer to print photographs. While thermal dye printers produce the best quality their high cost limit their practicality. Instead, most people print their photographs on less expensive inkjet printers, which can produce excellent photographs, especially if you have a photo printer. Photo printers are made to just print photographs and often have a higher print quality. 

Calibrating your printer: In order to get the most out of your printer it is a good idea to calibrate your printer's heads every time you change your ink cartridge. This keeps your printer in top working order. Some printers will do this automatically, others might prompt you to do this, and still for others you might need to do this manually. Consult your printer’s documentation if you are not sure. In addition you should run a test page to verify that everything continues to run smoothly.

Avoid printing problems: Ink cartridges can become clogged, especially if you haven’t used your printer in a long time. Clogs cause gaps and uneven color dispersal on your prints. To stop this from occurring, and avoid it from occurring in the future run your printer’s head-cleaning utility. Click here to find out more about cleaning your print heads

Paper

An important step to making your printed photos look the best they can be is to use high quality paper. There are many different types to choose from, which can be overwhelming.

Select the right paper: There are four primary types of paper: plain inkjet, high-resolution inkjet, photo quality (nonglossy), and glossy. You will get the best results for photo printing by using glossy paper, but it can be expensive so reserve this paper for your final prints. For test prints, use inkjet or high-resolution inkjets. If you want to print on both sides of the page, such as for greeting cards, you should use nonglossy photo-paper.

Discount Printer Photo Papers

Choose the right side: With glossy paper you must take care to print on the correct side. Printing on the wrong side can lead to smudges, or a picture that looks dull. The printing side should look shiny, as opposed to the nonprinting side, which should look dull. There may also be a watermark on the backside of the paper, or a cut corner indicating which side is to be printed on.

If you are just getting started, it is wise to start with the photo paper that is offered under the same brand name or is recommended by your printer’s manufacturer. Your printer is most likely set to print best with this paper. After you learn what to expect in terms of quality you can then try less expensive alternatives and compare the quality.  

Ink

Although probably not something you have given a great deal of thought about, a very important variable influencing the quality of your photos is the ink used to print. Generally, when printing photographs it is a good idea to start with the ink that is provided by your printer’s manufacturer. However, this can be expensive and therefore, just as with printing paper, after you learn what to expect in terms of quality you can then try less expensive alternatives and compare the quality.

Printing photographs uses up a lot of ink and paper and so it is important to find a high quality, as well as inexpensive source for your ink cartridges.

Discount Printer Ink and Photo Paper. (If you order go ahead and enter XXA4OFF in the coupon code section during check out to receive $4 Discount on your order from PrintCountry.com)

4^th Adjusting your settings before you print

Match pixels and size: When printing, one important thing to consider is how many pixels you need for the size of photo you want to print. In order to determine this you need to know how many pixels your printer has per square inch. The average printer has 3 settings: “Draft” which is optimized for images 150 pixels per inch, “Normal” (often times the default) which is optimized for 300 pixels per inch, and “Best” which is optimized for 600 pixels per inch. This means that if you wanted to print a 4 x 6-inch picture and wanted to use the “Best” setting, you would need at least 2400 (height) by 3600 (width) pixels for the best possible image. In your photo software you should see this listed. However, this may be overdoing it, as the “Normal” setting may produce a sufficient picture for your needs. Play around with the different settings and find out those settings that are right for you.

As a general rule of thumb, digital images taken with a 2-megapixel camera yield good prints as large as 5-by-7-inch, and images from a 3-megapixel camera are good for prints as large as 8-by-10-inch.

Setting you printer: Once you have selected your paper you need to select the proper paper setting for your printer. The reason why this is so important is that your printer will deposit different amounts of ink depending on the paper setting. In the print menu under properties or preferences, should be an option for changing the Paper Type, may also be labeled Paper Setup. Select the paper setting that matching the paper you will be using.

5^th After you print

Preserving your photos

After your photos come out of the printer there are steps you can take to ensure that they turn out great, as well as maintain their appearance over time. 

Allow time to dry: Allowing proper time to dry is crucial for achieving the best results. Most ink jet paper dries by the time it rolls out of your printer. Photo-quality and glossy paper can take longer to dry. To be on the safe side allow no less than 10 minutes. If you are printing multiple pages, keep them out of direct sunlight and from touching one another while still drying. 

Protecting your prints: Just as with traditional photographs, digital photos will fade over time. Some of the factors that influence the longevity of your photographs is the paper and ink used for the photographs. Further detail on this can be found in your printer’s manual or the brand’s website. To help preserve your prints, reduce their exposure to air, and sunlight.