Print
Discuss
Send to friend
RSS feedsYou've taken a great shot with your digital camera and it looks fine on your monitor but when you print it out, it suddenly looks terrible. Sound familiar?
There may be any number of reasons why your image disappoints when you commit it to paper. However, with the right settings and uses, we can show you how to get better results.
If the outline of objects in your printed photo has a jagged appearance or you can make out little squares of colour on the image where colours should blend smoothly, you are trying to print your image at a size that is too large for its resolution.
All digital images are made up of millions of tiny dots called pixels, which capture information about your image in the finest detail. The number of dots that form your image depends on your camera's rated resolution and the image quality setting you have selected to take your shot.
Your camera's rated resolution will be quoted in megapixels, with one million pixels making up one megapixel.
If you try to print a low-resolution image at a larger size, all that happens is that your image is enlarged to fit the paper size you have specified, such as 6 x 4in, A4 or A3. The printer will have no option but to print out the pixels that make up your image at a much larger size.
As a result, pixels that should be the size of a small dot are printed at a vastly increased size, making your image look more like a mosaic than a photo. The only way to prevent this from happening is to ensure that you print your images at the appropriate size for their resolution.
Vive la resolution
Matching the resolution of an image to a size which will give you good results when you print can leave you scratching your head, but with a little know-how, you can be sure to get the best from your images.
These days, even the most basic digital cameras offer resolution of about 2 megapixels, while more expensive models offer up to 12 megapixels. Generally speaking, the more megapixels your camera has, the better the image quality is and the larger you can print your image.
The quality of your printed image also depends on the resolution of your inkjet printer, which is measured in dots per inch, or dpi.
Inkjet printers work by squirting microscopic dots of colour onto paper to make up an image. Traditionally these colours were limited to cyan, magenta, yellow and black but today you will find printers that also offer lighter shades of cyan and magenta and shades of grey to produce better colour rendition.
The more dots of colour your printer produces per inch, the greater the quality of the final print. To create a print of photographic quality, in other words of similar quality to the photos you expect to get back from a photo processing outlet, you need to print your image at a minimum of 200dpi, although you should aim for 300dpi if at all possible.
Modern inkjets are cheap and reliable and can produce high quality prints at up to 2,800dpi resolution. This may sound impressive but it won't make a lot of difference if your camera can only capture 1-megapixel images.
For this reason, you need to give some thought to exactly what you intend to use your printer for before making a purchase. If small prints are all you are after, it is pointless to opt for the printer with the highest resolution.
If, on the other hand, you plan on creating A3 posters of your photos, choose a printer with the highest resolution you can afford.
Size up your target
When it comes to choosing a print size appropriate to the resolution of your image, there's some simple arithmetic you can perform to guide you.
If you are printing a photo that you shot at your camera's 1,600 x 1,200 pixel image quality setting, you need to divide these two numbers by your printer's dots per inch setting to get the ideal size for your prints. In this case, if you were printing at 200dpi you'd achieve ideal results at 8 x 6in.
Generally speaking, even a cheap 1.3megapixel camera set to take an image at 1,200 x 800 pixels will allow you to print decent quality photos at 6 x 4in, the size of the standard prints you get back from film processing outlets.
A 2megapixel or 3megapixel model should give you really sharp images at this size. If you only ever want to print images at 6 x 4in, there are plenty of dedicated photo printers on the market with a maximum 6 x 4in output size.
Many of these have the added advantage of being able to connect directly to a printer so you don't have to transfer your images to a PC first.
Think big
To print out an A4-size image at 200dpi, you'll ideally need to have a 4megapixel camera set to its 2,592 x 1,944 pixel image setting.
In reality, a 3megapixel camera on its highest setting should produce good enough results at A4 for most people. You won't be able to produce true photographic quality but most people will be unable to tell the difference.
You're going to need deep pockets to produce photographic quality images at A3. A 6.3megapixel camera capable of capturing images at 3,072 x 2,048 pixels will just about enable you to do so but you can expect to fork out something in the region of £1,000 for the privilege.
For those of us with more limited budgets, a 5megapixel camera produces very passable prints at this size and won't cost you the earth - usually around £450. The Aldi Traveler DC-5300 camera offers 5 megapixels at a bargain price of £230.
Make the most of it
Ultimately, most home users don't really need to achieve true photographic quality in their prints, so the trick is to make the best of the equipment you've got.
If your camera doesn't have the highest resolution in the world, you can still achieve good results by printing smaller images on good quality photo paper. Glossy photo paper may be pricey but it's well worth the money and can turn an average picture into a good one.
For the same reason, don't be tempted into buying bulk stocks of the cheaper ink cartridges that are available on the market; you're more likely to get better results with the manufacturer's own brand of ink. Experiment first.
If you're using expensive paper, it is a good idea to do test prints on cheaper paper so you can see if you're printing your image at the right size for its resolution.
With a little knowledge under your belt, there is no reason why you can't produce great-looking images with your camera and printer for years to come.
Windows wizardry
If you're running Windows XP you can use the Photo Printing Wizard to print out your digital photographs automatically. This allows you to output prints at standard paper sizes.
At the click of a mouse, Windows will automatically rotate and crop images to fit the layout you choose. It's really handy if you want to create passport-sized photos to slip into your wallet or contact sheets with many images on a single page.
The Photo Printing Wizard also allows you to order photo prints online, publish photos on the internet with the step by step Web Publishing Wizard and email your photos to family and friends.
Perfect prints part 1: Altered images
See also:
All Peripheral Devices
del.icio.us
Digg this
reddit!
