Do you print your photos?
There is so much pleasure from holding a physical thing or placing it in a frame to be viewed.
Recently I’ve had some time to pick up a couple of printing projects for my kitchen that had got pushed to one side.
A couple of images that are replacing a very faded print and a project involving some black and white photos that my dad took whilst on national service in the early 1950’s. They have so much charm to them.
I repainted some unused frames and got the mounts cut by a local framers to fit the little square prints. I then converted and resized some of my photos to match Dad’s.
Printing photos can be really satisfying but it is equally frustrating at the same time! What you have to print on, what paper you use, and the software can all make a massive difference.
Printers:
I have three printers:
- An A4 three in one – good for day to day stuff or proofing images.
- An A3+ photo printer that I use with the good paper when I want to properly print images.
- An Instax Square mini printer which is great for producing polaroid type images on the go. I use them for sticking in journals or just for fun.
Photo printers are worth it if you want to get really good results. They usually have a larger number of ink cartridges. Always look for printers with separate colour cartridges for the best results.
Paper:
- The paper does make a difference.
- I print almost totally on matt papers – I like the denser saturation of the results.
- If I’m framing them behind glass there’s no real point printing on glossy paper.
- Not sure which to choose? Pick up a sample box to try different papers from a manufacturer before buying a whole box.
It’s a challenge as results may not look exactly like the onscreen version.
This is because screens are backlit and set up to be bright and dynamic. But you can get pretty close!
It is definitely worth doing some research so that you get the best set up for your printer. I always do test prints on a cheaper photographic paper to check – it’s not a waste of ink and paper to get the right results.
But of course you don’t have to do it yourself – there are lots of good online options who give advice on image quality and paper options.
I’ve really enjoyed getting back into printing – now I’m off to drill some holes in the wall to hang my new prints!