How to Get the Best Prints From Your Photos

Hooray! You now have an online gallery full of gorgeous Flytographer vacation photos. Enjoy those memories every day by getting them out of the hard drive and into your life.

Your Flytographer files are 2200X3300px at 300dpi, which are big enough to print 16X20″ and larger. Please note that the file weight, or megabytes, is irrelevant for print quality. Many photographers run their images through a resizer that shaves weight off the image for easier download and transfer but does not affect image quality, so don’t worry if your high-res photo weighs under 1 MB (ie. 907 kB)! It could also weigh 10 MB, and that’s fine too — file weight, or the number of MB, really translates into how much memory a photo will take up on your computer.

**Important first step: Be sure you are printing with your high-resolution files by clicking the download link that was sent to you by email and in the “My Photos” section of your dashboard. This link will automatically download the high-resolution images to your computer (usually found in your downloads folder). The high-res files cannot be downloaded to your smartphone or tablet at this time. If you need help with the download, please message your Shoot Concierge for help.

Choose a High-Quality Professional Printer

Using a high-quality, professional printing service is an important step towards enjoying your photographs. A visit to your local photography specialty shop rather than the nearest drugstore will often produce much higher-quality prints. Paying for quality prints means you receive your images on top-grade photo paper with proper archival inks and finishes for longevity. In addition, colour and resolution are carefully inspected so your photos look like they are meant to.

You can order prints directly from your gallery! Click on the “Order Prints” button in your gallery (“My Photos”), and then hover over a photo to click on the blue “Order Prints” button. Clicking on “Photos from this Gallery” will allow you to choose and order prints from SmugMug.

Other online printers to try: MPix; PosterJack; Nations Photo Lab; or WhiteWall.

Printing at Home

First, know that printing at home will not necessarily save you money – you need to factor in the cost of a good quality printer, ink and paper. If you do decide this is the route for you, set your printer to 300 dpi and be sure you are not attempting to create larger prints than your pixels allow. Use only quality ink branded for your printer, and your paper should be photo-grade to properly absorb the ink. Some printers offer speeds of printing (Best, Normal or Fast); make sure to choose “Best.”

Note: If the colour looks different onscreen than when printed, start by calibrating your monitor – that is often the culprit.

Think Display

Preserve your memories in a book or classic frame. Check out the many companies that offer custom, high-quality books with an easy upload of your favourite images. We love Artifact Uprising, although Blurb, Chatbooks, or Shutterfly are also good choices.

More:

• Suzanne O’Brien, photographer and Flytographer customer, shares her thoughts on memory-keeping using photobooks here.
• Find expert tips in this post on creating a photo wall with designer Gillian Segal.