Guide to Printing Photos at Home | Dawlish & Teignmouth Photogaphic Club

A guide to photo printing at home by Ken Holland FRPS

"A photograph isn't a photograph until it's a print." Tillman Crane

Problems with making your own prints

Professional labs can handle larger formats, making them ideal for high- end prints.
Labs have more printing options (canvas, wide-prints, extra large prints etc).
Cost to Quality Ratio can be higher.
Upfront equipment cost is higher than buying prints from a lab.
There is a learning curve to creating good looking prints.
You don't have to spend your time tweaking print settings to get optimal results.
You need to store a bulky large/wide format printer.
You need to stock up on photo papers or ink cartridges.

Reasons for making your own prints

Complete control over colours and settings,
Fine tune the print immediately.
Home printing can be more affordable, especially if you print in bulk: as you save on delivery, materials and labour costs.
Home printing allows for immediate prints without waiting for delivery, giving you more control over your prints.
Satisfaction & pride in your achievement.
Enjoy learning a new skill. Convenience.

What do we mean by "good print quality"

Generally, but certainly not always, a well-made print will have, among other things, ...
accurate colour rendition: not too saturated or weak
a wide tonal range from shadows to highlights
a good range of mid tones
accurate colour temperature
appropriate resolution: no pixellation
If monochrome: no colour cast (e.g. purple or green)

A few useful tips

Spend time setting up your printer and monitor. Start with just one or two types of paper.
Do small practice prints first: it saves paper.
Make small tweaks to get the best from your image. Keep spare cartridges handy.
Save the printer details with the revised file in case you make more prints. Enjoy it!
Size your printed image to fit your chosen mount.
Remember to print at 25% (or thereabouts) screen brightness.
Avoid cheap inks: they're not consistent and can cause printer problems. Start with a lustre or satin paper. and avoid high gloss.

A balanced view

You can use a variety of papers.
It's possible to obtain reasonable prints from most budget desk-top printers.
It's not as tricky as you think.
Printers don't have to be big.
Having 2 or 3 paper types is usually enough for most prints.
It doesn't have to be expensive.

Workflow ...

Buy your printer > Install the drivers > Buy your paper > Buy spare inks > Buy your mounting board > Select your image > Process it as usual > Crop, tidy up, sharpen etc > Turn screen brightness to 25% > Adjust light levels > Small test print > Tweak levels, colours, contrast etc > Another small test print > Full size print > Mount it > Stand back and admire!

www.lowenna.co.uk

Download this guide to printing at home as a pdf