With the popularity of social networking sites like Facebook and the ease of attaching images to emails, printing photographs isn’t nearly as popular as it used to be. However, there are some pictures that are just too perfect not to print and for special events like Christmas, printing photos to send to friends and family is still a great idea. Follow these simple tips for printing photographs on a Mac to get great, high quality prints.
1. Choose Good Quality Photos
Possibly the most important aspect of getting good quality prints is choosing pictures that are high quality to begin with. Blurry or poor photographs won’t look good no matter how impressive your editing skills are or what kind of printer you’re using. Select photos that are clear and look good on your computer screen and you’re far more likely to get prints that you’re proud of. Use a good camera that takes pictures in at least 5 to 7 megapixels. Also, set your camera so that it doesn’t reduce megapixels to save space.2. Explore iPhoto Before Printing
iPhoto is an application that comes standard on all Mac computers as part of the iLife package. For an included program on a computer, it is extremely robust, but like any computer program, it’s only as good as you are at operating it. Apple offers free tutorials on iPhoto and it’s well worth your time to go through a few of them before attempting to print.
iPhoto will allow you to crop and rotate your photos, but it also offers advanced straightening tools and much more. For example, within iPhoto you can adjust everything from exposure, contrast, and saturation to the definition, sharpness, and more. If you don’t like your changes, just use the reset button at the bottom of the editing tool and you’ll be back to your original photo.
If you have minor areas on your photos that need to be retouched, such as a blemish on a face, you can easily use iPhoto’s retouch tool. iPhoto allows you to change the size of the tool and automatically matches the colour for you.
Remember, understanding the software you’re using will ensure that you get the best quality photos possible when it’s time to print.
3. Choose a Good Ink Jet Printer
Laser printers are far more popular today, but for printing pictures, ink jet does a better job. There are a number of ink jet printers that are designed specifically for printing photographs and purchasing one of those for your photo printing needs is your best bet.
4. Always Use the Print Preview Feature
Ink and photo printing paper are expensive, so you don’t want to waste them because you forgot to check what your final image will look like once you send it to print. On a Mac, simply choose File and then print to get a preview of what your photo will look like. You’ll be given a number of printing options that include standard, contact sheet, simple border, simple mat, and double mat. You can select each of the options to view what it will look like when printed. Once you are satisfied with your image, simply click print and your photograph will be sent to the printer.
5. Paper and Ink Make All the Difference
High quality ink and photo paper will cost you a little more money, but the quality is worth every penny. It’s best to use the ink that is made specially for your printer. When choosing photo paper, stick with paper that is made especially for printing photographs and always insert the paper so that your image will print on the glossy side.
6. Allow Your Photos Time to Dry
Once you’ve sent your photograph to print on your Mac, you’ll want to give it at least 10 minutes to dry completely. If you plan to frame the picture, wait an additional six hours as the ink can transfer to glass if not completely dry. A large amount of ink is used to print your pictures and it takes some time to dry. You don’t want to ruin a perfect picture with a smudge because you touched it too soon!