Many home inkjet printers can produce quality photos.
Digital photography makes enlarging and printing photographs a much quicker and cheaper process than it used to be using the darkroom. You need high resolution files to create quality prints -- just how high depends on the size of the enlargement you want to make. An image-editing program helps you make the adjustments you need to get good color and contrast from your home printer.
Instructions
1. Open your photo file in an image-editing program.
2. Open the image options that display the size and resolution of your image file. Note that the highest quality prints come from files with a resolution of 300 pixels per inch. At least 150 ppi is recommended for a photo to print without a blocky, pixelized look.
3. Enter the image size in inches and the resolution according to the size and quality level you want to print. Take note of the "before" size of the file (measured in megabytes) versus the "after" size of the file once you have entered the enlargement size in inches. If the "after" size is larger than the "before" size, the file will print at less than optimal quality. Stay within the original file size in megabytes when choosing your enlargement size for the best quality.
4. Try using a program designed specifically to enlarge files if your image is simply too small in resolution and size to make a quality enlargement. A number of plugins and standalone programs are available for this purpose, such as the free SmillaEnlarger or Genuine Fractals.
5. Make adjustments to the contrast or color balance of the photo in your image-editing program, if necessary. Sometimes, photos have slight color casts that the untrained eye may not detect. For example, slide the color balance scale toward blue if the image contains a yellow cast from indoor light bulbs. Use the preview function with a contrast adjustment tool to make subtle changes in this way as well.
6. Press "Print," usually located under the "File" menu in your program. A dialog box with print options opens. Choose the highest print quality available. Use a printer paper specifically for printing photos rather than plain paper, and choose its type according to the available choices -- most importantly, whether it is glossy or matte. Choose either "Landscape" or "Portrait" as the orientation for the print. Press "Print."
7. Examine the print for quality. You may need to make adjustments for contrast or color if the results greatly vary from what is on your screen. If the print looks blocky, the resolution is not adequate. In this case, you may need to reduce the printed size or try an image-enlargement program to increase the file size.
Tags: image-editing program, size file, adjustments contrast, adjustments contrast color, after size, before size
