Digital Photo Development - How Do I Print My Digital Photos Online?
Digital Photo Development - How Do I Print My Digital Photos Online?
Ever thought about making your own prints from your digital photos? This article will discuss what you can do when you want to print your digital images. If you have ever wanted to make a photo book, a business card, or anything else that is printed from paper, this article will lead you through the process of designing and printing those prints. As with most things, there are alternatives in this world. Instead of going out to print your photos yourself at expensive labs, here are some resources that offer different ways for you to turn those digital files into physical ones.
Picking a Method:
There are several ways to print from digital images. The method you choose will depend on your needs and the type of print you want to make. It is beyond the scope of this article to cover every way of printing digital images, so instead I will give you all my opinions on which method is best for a particular type of project/scanner/print quality that I would like. Here are some ways that can be used to print your digital photos:
1) Using a basic photo printer to print directly from the few formats that have been supported since 2004 by Adobe Systems called "supported" (The Kinko's Laser Printer lives!).
2) Using a scanner to scan the digital and print straight from the photos.
3) Wireless printing from your computer - It is possible to use the wireless capabilities of a printer or scanner to print directly from your computer. This is a great way to make copies of your photos, but it can be expensive and have limited options for clients with different needs.
4) Using a dedicated high-end photo printer that supports most photo file formats.
5) Each method has its own advantages, so it is up to you based on what you are trying to do with your photography that will best suit your needs. In this article, I will cover the different methods and my opinions on which method is best for each type of printing situation.
Method #1: Printing From a Basic Photo Printer:
Pros & Cons:
The first method of printing is to use a basic photo printer to print directly from the few formats that have been supported since 2004 by Adobe Systems called "supported" (The Kinko's Laser Printer lives!). The main advantage with this from a quality point of view is that it is the most reliable way to ensure your prints will match your monitor exactly. The reason for this is that the printing process simply takes your digital file and places it on a sheet of paper, nothing else. This will ensure that your print will match exactly with what you see from your computer. Since this method uses the same technology that commercial printers use, it is also a more predictable way to get a better quality print than with other methods. If you are looking to make a beautiful photo book, the basic printer is one of the best ways to get your base prints for those types of projects.
Basic printers can be had for $50-$100 and are available at most stores now. These all-in-one units come with scanning capabilities and are very easy to use. You can scan a photo or printed page from a book and bring that page up on your computer and it will be just like the original.
The main disadvantage with this method is the cost. As with most things, you get what you pay for. With the lower quality of these basic printers, the quality of prints is not as good as others methods. For example, you might get the same scan from a high quality scanner and the quality is much better. For example, it is not uncommon to pay $15 an hour for a basic photo printer to print a photo that could be done for around 50 cents using a professional photo printer.
In addition, you will need to purchase special paper backs or 'print on demand' options from your service provider (or from your own printing company/shop) if you want to do anything other than standard prints. This can be very expensive and can limit the types of prints that you are able to make.
Summary:
I personally prefer this method of printing over other methods because of the cost, reliability and consistency that it provides. It is the easiest way to print your digital photos and will ensure your prints match exactly with what you see.
Basic photo printers can be found for under $100 and include all-in-one photo, copy, and scanning capabilities. If you are looking to make a beautiful photo book, the basic printer is one of the best ways to get your base prints for those types of projects.
Basic printers can be found at most stores like Walmart or Target and include all-in-one photo, copy, and scanning capabilities. You can scan a printed page from a book and bring that page up on your computer and it will be just like the original.
Basic printers can be found at most stores for under $100 and include all-in-one photo, copy, and scanning capabilities. If you are looking to make a beautiful photo book, the basic printer is one of the best ways to get your base prints for those types of projects.
Basic printers can be found for under $100 and include all-in-one photo, copy, and scanning capabilities. You can scan a printed page from a book and bring that page up on your computer and it will be just like the original.
Basic printers can be had for $50-$100 and are available at most stores now. These all-in-one units come with scanning capabilities and are very easy to use. You can scan a photo or printed page from a book and bring that page up on your computer and it will be just like the original.
Basic printers can be found at most stores for under $100 and include all-in-one photo, copy, and scanning capabilities. You can scan a printed page from a book and bring that page up on your computer and it will be just like the original.
Basic printers can be had for $50-$100 and are available at most stores now. These all-in-one units come with scanning capabilities and are very easy to use. You can scan a photo or printed page from a book and bring that page up on your computer and it will be just like the original.
Conclusion:
The truth is that no one method is the best. It all depends on what you are trying to do with your photography. The pricing depends on what you want and the quality of prints is dependent upon your use of the printer. Basic photo printers are great for printing photos quickly and for those uses where cost and consistent quality are not major concerns.
If you need more professional prints, or if you need to make a book, I recommend using a higher end photo printer that can print to more file formats than basic printers can handle.