How to Print Your Own Photos

HEY, HI

hello!

Yay! Your pictures are here!

I had so much fun taking your pictures and I am beyond thrilled with the final results! :) I hope you've found a few favorite images to share with friends and family as well as to print off and put on your walls.

Yes, you heard me right. PRINT off those cute photos so that friends and visitors that come to your home can ooh and ahh over how adorable your family is! Because you guys are gorgeous!

I know getting your pictures PRINTED can sometimes feel daunting... Where should you go? How high can you print? Can a picture with a landscape orientation (longer width) be turned into a portrait (longer height)? etc. With this guide I will help walk you through some of the most common questions as well as some quick steps for printing that will leave you coming away with wall art that looks just as amazing as it does on your screen. :)

A beautiful family of four laughing and playing together during their Dallas family photoshoot at Erwin Park.

Ordering prints thru your gallery

I want to first address the steps on how to purchase some wall art through your gallery, because that is the number one question I receive. Plus, the majority of my packages come with some complimentary print credit. So take advantage and get yourself some FREE wall art!

Here's how to order wall art through your gallery:

Image Selection

First, go through your gallery and "favorite" all the images you are thinking of printing off. These images will be places in a separate folder so you can look at them side by side. If you are doing a collage of photos this is a very important first step.

Add to Cart

Once you've chosen the size(s) and quantity of prints you want, select 'Add to Cart'. (Repeat for as many images as you want printed off)

"Buy" the photo

Next, select the image you want to order a print of; in the upper righthand corner you will see a button labeled 'Buy Photo'. Click on it.

Insert your Promo Code

When you are ready to check out select 'View Cart' to see everything you've chosen and insert your Print Credit Promo Code.

Package or separate prints

A menu will pop up giving you the choice between purchasing that print as part of a package OR you can order an individual print, canvas or metal print.

Payment & Delivery

Following our Zoom call you'll be able to download your digital images and order prints! Your digital gallery will be available for downloads for 60 days.

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Why order prints thru your Photographer?

Going through a photographer's photo lab will cost more than when going through a drug store's photo lab, but here's why you should do it anyways:

No one cares more

No one else is going to care about how your photo turns out more than the individual who took them. As a representation of their work, photographers want to ensure the images produced look their best.

No one knows better what the final image should be

As the one who hand-edited and refined each photo, your photographer KNOWS how each picture should look when printed off and can identify if/when something is off.

Highest quality materials

The quality of materials, workmanship and experience from a professional photo lab is always going to mean quality wall art, whereas drug store photo labs, and other printing vendors are going to be a shot in the dark. Maybe you'll get lucky and receive a half decent piece, but do you really want to leave it to luck?

Print Sizing

Unless you've done some research on the matter, I'm betting you probably don't know just how high you can print your images without them becoming pixelated/blurry.

There's a simple formula that can help you know the best sizing and that is to divide the dimensions of your photo (in pixels) by 300:

For this image the formula would look like:

3675 x 5513 = 12.25" x 18.37"

300

Because 12.25" x 18.37" isn't a common print size you can round up or down to the nearest print size without too much worry of detail distortion. So 12x18 would work well for this image.

Now, you can print in a larger size, but that means you will have less pixels per inch which could result in a loss of definition. I would recommend staying between 200-300 dpi for the best results. To see how big you can print at 200 dpi you simply divide the dimensions of your photo by 200:

3675 x 5513 = 18.38" x 27.57"

200

The closest print size to these dimensions would be 18x24 or 20x30 (I do not recommend rounding up to 20x30 because that will mean your dpi would then be less than 200).

I know that can be a lot to remember, so I've created a simple table to help you out:

Aspect
RATIOS

Another important detail to keep in mind when choosing the right print size for your picture is the aspect ratio of the print.

Differing aspect sizes = differing amounts of clipping/cropping of your image.

The three most common aspect ratios you can choose from are:

As you can see, knowing the aspect ratio of your desired print size can help you determine which images to print at different sizes.

If everything in the original photo is important to you then make sure to only print off your image in one of the 2x3 aspect ratio sizes listed above on the left.

If you don't mind clipping off some of the top or bottom of your image then a print with the 5x7 or 4x5 aspet ratios will be fine for you to use.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I print a landscape photo as a portrait?

The simple answer is 'yes'. You will need to crop the photo with some form of photo-editing software (you can ask your photographer for help), but know that doing so will essentially crop your file dimension in half so you won't be able to print as big as before.

What can I do if I want to make a bigger print than the sizes you've shared?

There are two ways you can increase the file size of your image:

1- You use a photo enlarging software (your photographer may already have access to one - I do), or

2- You can print off a quality copy of the image you want at its ideal size (300 dpi) and then scan it to your computer at the highest scanner setting (1200 dpi). Because the scanner records up to 1200 pixels per inch (4x the density of your original photo) your new image file size will be dramatically bigger than the original meaning you can then print a larger image without any loss of pixels close to the size of your first print.

Why do the colors of my print look different from the image on my screen?

Monitors use the RGB (red, green, blue) color model, which usually supports a wider spectrum of colors. Printers use the CMYK (cyan, magenta, yellow, black) color model, which can reproduce most—but not all—of the colors in the RGB color model. Depending on the equipment used, CMYK generally matches 85–90% of the colors in the RGB model.

When a color is selected from the RGB model that is out of the range of the CMYK model, the print vendor chooses what it thinks is the closest color match. This is partly why the same image can look so different when printed off at different vendors.

What types of wall art are there?

Matt vs Lustre Prints

When printing off your pictures this is going to be your biggest and most important decision. To help you make the choice consider the outcome of each option:

Matte - No shine, high detail, less affected by finger prints, color is pretty true to the original, best for black & white images

Glossy/Lustre - Amplified colors, prone to glares (esp beneath glass), moisture resistant, details are good, most affordable

Canva Prints

Most people know what a Canvas print is, but in case you are debating between it and another form of wall art, here are some things to consider:

Canvas - Lightweight, looks similar to an oil painting, ready to hang, visually pops off the wall, but less vibrant and loss of detail, plus there is a massive loss of image due to the material wrapping around it's frame

Metal Prints

Metal prints are one of the newest forms of wall art available to the public. These prints are created when an image, printed on a sheet of transfer paper, goes though a heat press that turns the dyes into a gas which get trapped into the polyester coating previously applied to the aluminum. When the aluminum cools, the dye changes back to a solid state where it locks into place.

Metal Prints- Lightweight, very durable, tremendous depth and radiant colors, ready to hang, easy to clean, but very reflective (glare)

Photobook Options

DON'T FORGET YOUR HERITAGE PIECES OR COFFEE TABLE BOOK!

You could get a photo book printed off at Shutterfly that has thin pages that bow at the binding, OR you can order a book of heirloom quality, with thick durable pages that lay completely flat so you can enjoy every detail on each page.

I offer two Photo Album Options for my clients, hand designed by me, and perfect by you.

STARTING AT $249

STARTING AT $400

HERITAGE PHOTO ALBUM

10" x 10"
Thick pages (Lustre)
15 Hand Designed Spreads
Linen Cover
Debossing ($30), Engraving ($30), or Matte pages ($50), or additional spreads available upon request

COFFEE TABLE BOOK

8" x 8"
Thin pages (Lustre)
10 Hand Designed spreads
Linen Cover
Debossing ($30), Engraving ($30), or Matte pages ($50), additional spreads available upon request

There you have it!

I hope that you find this guide helpful as you decide how best to display your new family photos.

Don't forget! If you have a question, or need a second opinion, feel free to give me a call or send me an email!

Sarah Mae