 |
| Model: Sabrina Moiseyev |
We all love to decorate our homes with beautiful artwork- taking those walls from ‘bland to fab’ as they say. What better way to do that than by hanging and displaying sentimental, personal photographs? As photographers, one of our top goals is to give our clients beautiful prints of their favorite images. Online photo storefront providers, such as Instaproofs, allow us the luxury of uploading photo proofs to a photography storefront for our clients to choose from and order. Although dedicated print labs are typically used for developing and printing the images (few actually make these by hand. That being said, those that do hand-print need our utmost support!), formatting these images so that they come out perfect is on us; the photographers. Printing companies release the majority of the responsibility on the upload-er, so you need to be at the top of your game! The three main things you need to understand are DPI, Color Mode, and Image Size.
DPI stands for “dots per inch”. This is also known as resolution, which refers to the dots of ink that make up a picture! The higher the DPI, the clearer and more detailed the images. So, why wouldn't you want to have your DPI at maximum? Simply put, printers cannot always handle it! The range of DPI supported depends exclusively on the kind of printer you have- the more expensive the printer (unfortunately), the higher the DPI rate. The general range is 300 – 600, from what I have personally encountered. This being said, unless you are an exceptional perfectionist that will sit there analyzing an image for hours, there is very little difference to be seen between DPI levels above 300.
 |
| Model: Derek Jochmann |
Colors are divided into two categories: CMYK and RGB. What’s the difference between the two? RGB is additive color and CMYK is subtractive color. That sounds complicated, but it’s really not! Here is what I mean: The letters in CMYK stand for cyan, magenta, yellow, and black. Think of it as a math problem. If you add even parts of cyan, magenta, and yellow, you will produce black. It is a subtractive process, which means that each additional color means more light is removed to create colors. The ink “subtracts brightness from the white”. RGB stands for red, green, and blue, and it is an additive process. Red, green, and blue is added together to create white. Wait, how does that happen? Well, you see, we are actually talking in terms of light! If you mix a green light, with a blue light, with a red light, you will get the lovely color white! This may take a moment to process, it sure did for me, but once this overall concept settles in your brain, you can formulate why printers use CMYK and not RGB. Printers always use CMYK because using RGB will create murky colors, as you are not using light… you are using ink. Mixing those colors together with ink will create dark and dull colors. RGB is used for computer, television, and screen processes, anything that involves light. Printers that “allow” RGB color formats do not print in RGB- they convert to CMYK internally.
How does image size affect printing? Well, when you change the DPI you can either re-sample the image, or not. Re-sampling the image will enlarge it, but may reduce the quality. Not re-sampling will show you, in inches, how large of a print you can make. Besides selecting a print size on the computer or program, the DPI (or resolution) and image size also do their part to let the printer know what size image you are printing, so you can get the best results.
Formatting images for editorial use is different than formatting for printing. Essentially, if you’re a photographer who submits images to magazines, you want to look up the DPI and image size on the publication’s website and format accordingly. For client printing, the general DPI sits at around 300. If you print at home, your printer will have setups written in the instruction manual. Make sure your images are in a CMYK format! All of these changes are usually found under the “image” and “mode” tabs in photo editing programs, such as Adobe Photoshop. Good luck, and happy printing!
Anabel DFlux is a California native who prefers to spend every waking moment with her trusty camera in hand. In 2009 she started her own photography business on a whim and a wish, and has since gone on to work for a variety of publications, companies, and unique clients throughout the country. With her foot in a variety of photographic doors, Anabel is recognized as a zealous individual with a passion for art that knows no bounds.