Tips for Printing

In this day and age, it seems outdated not to offer digital files to photo clients. I know not every photographer agrees with this, but the convenience and flexibility digital files offer, to me, makes it a no-brainer.

That said, there are risks. No one wants their photos displayed above a mantelpiece with heads chopped half off and skin a striking orange.

So here are a few tips for printing that should help keep your lovely photos looking the way they are meant to look.

1. Use a good lab. I recommend www.mpix.com, which is a good mix of professional quality and reasonable prices.

2. Crop judiciously. Most labs, when you place items in your shopping cart, give you the opportunity to adjust cropping. Don’t let them decide for you. Remember – the photos come out of my camera sized perfectly for 4x6 print. An 8x10 print, for example, is much shorter (closer to a square shape) and you could end up with the dreaded forehead-crop if you are not careful.

3. Trust my editing. When you order from a lab, sometimes they will offer to “auto correct” photos for you. Since I have already fully prepared your files, any auto correction that the lab offers should be turned off.

4. Don’t print from Facebook. These files are intended as sneak peeks only. They are low resolution and will not print out nearly as well as the files you receive from me later. By all means, share them online, post them to your web site, email them to your sister-in-law—but don't print them. 

5. Don't be shy. If you are planning to print in black and white, are unsure about cropping images, or have any other special requests, don't hesitate to ask. For example, when I convert images to black and white, I never simply click "convert to grayscale" as the lab would do. By modifying the levels in the image, you can maintain detail and depth that would normally be lost. If you know you want specific changes made, check with me to see if I can help prepare the file(s).

6. Speak up. If you get your enlargement or canvas print or photo book back from the lab and it doesn’t look right to you, call them! Usually they will do everything in their power to make it right, or take it back for a refund.