The Steps of Making Beautiful Prints Premium Matte Photo Paper

The Steps of Making Beautiful Prints Premium Matte Photo Paper

    1. Begin with a high quality photo. Digital photos should be high enough resolution to print at the size you want at 300 dpi (dots per inch).

    2. Set your image processing software to your desired print resolution and not screen resolution.

    3. Many printers on the market will produce a good-looking print these days. If you want to bump it up a notch, look for a printer that can use heavier or textured paper, such as premium matte photo paper, adhesive vinyl sheets and large format paper.

    4. Paper. A good print requires good paper. Inkjet glossy photo paper will give you a bright, crisp image. Premium matte photo paper has a warmer, more subdued look. Paper is fun--cotton rag, linen, pearl, canvas and vinyl--try a sample pack to see what you like working with. It can get expensive, but there are discount sources online, and after some playing around with sample packs, you'll buy smarter.

    5. Color management. This may be more scientific than you want to get, but if you're ready to take home photo printing to the next level, read on. Should you find that the color of your prints just isn't matching up to the beautiful color of the image on your monitor, ICC (International Color Consortium) Profiles can help you with controlling the accuracy of color between your camera, display, and printer. Ask your paper manufacturer for the ICC profiles for your printer, or visit color.org for more information.

    6. Experiment! This is why photo paper sample packs are so great. You're not just printing, you're making art. Trial and error are part of the process.

    7. Displaying your photos. You can get really DIY with this, or you can keep it simple.