Photo printing advice needed....

[charlie76]

Hey guys...so I think I am ready to print some photos to put together a portfolio...maybe put some shots up in a few coffee shops or something. This is something I have never done before...but some people like my stuff and tell me I should (yes, my Mom is one, LOL) ... so I am gonna go for it....maybe.

Where can I get good quality prints of my photos? I would like to print up to 15 inches, or so. I have a Nikon D7000...not exactly sure what the largest enlargement I should do. I live in a pretty small town with not many resources.

Camera shop?
Professional studio?
Kinkos?
What is the largest print size I can get from my D7000?

Any suggestions? Thanks if you do

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[otherprof]

The maximum size will depend on many factors, including the percentage crop of the original image, and will vary from image to image. Generally speaking, the D7000 will not limit you to small enlargements, but that depends on the settings you choose, J-peg or Raw, size of file, etc. For an internet source of prints I have been very happy with, I suggest Adorama. They have five types of paper to choose from, produce excellent work, and get the prints back to you very quickly. I suggest you check "let them make corrections." By the way, their online software will indicate if there is not sufficient detail in your image for a particular size. Good luck.

[KmH]

15 inches is fairly small for a wall print.

do you use color management techniques, have a calibrated display and image editing software that can soft-proof using the print devices ICC profile?

I recommend you visit this small group of tutorials - Tutorials on Color Management & Printing

You can do enlargements as big as a billboard.

Mpix.com, WHCC.com, BayPhoto.com, NationsPhotoLab.com, Adoramapix.com, Costco.com, etc, etc, etc.........

[charlie76]

15 inches is fairly small for a wall print.

do you use color management techniques, have a calibrated display and image editing software that can soft-proof using the print devices ICC profile?

I recommend you visit this small group of tutorials - Tutorials on Color Management & Printing

You can do enlargements as big as a billboard.

Mpix.com, WHCC.com, BayPhoto.com, NationsPhotoLab.com, Adoramapix.com, Costco.com, etc, etc, etc.........

I see your point..thanks for the advice. Everyone says that laptop screens are not good...so I will have to experiment a little.

[ItsDaveTime]

Personally I use MpixPro. I've tried Bay Photo, Simply Color and others. If you're not a pro photographer, you won't be able to use MpixPro, but you can use Mpix, which is basically the same lab. Also, make sure you color correct your monitor first. This will ensure that what you see on your screen is exactly what will print. You also need to check your color profile in Photoshop or whichever editor your using, to ensure the profile matches what the lab uses.

Take a look at this site. It compares some of the labs:
Photoshop Actions | Preparing Images for Print, Compare Labs | Photoshop Actions for Photographers by Paint the Moon

[charlie76]

Personally I use MpixPro. I've tried Bay Photo, Simply Color and others. If you're not a pro photographer, you won't be able to use MpixPro, but you can use Mpix, which is basically the same lab. Also, make sure you color correct your monitor first. This will ensure that what you see on your screen is exactly what will print. You also need to check your color profile in Photoshop or whichever editor your using, to ensure the profile matches what the lab uses.

Take a look at this site. It compares some of the labs:
Photoshop Actions | Preparing Images for Print, Compare Labs | Photoshop Actions for Photographers by Paint the Moon

Great website link...thx

[KmH]

Laptops that have IPS (In-Plane Switching) type displays are fine for image exiting. The kind of display that most laptops (and inexpensive desktop display) have is a TN (Twisted Nematic) type displays.

TN displays have very limited color accurate viewing angles, which is why the are less desired as a display type.

[charlie76]

Laptops that have IPS (In-Plane Switching) type displays are fine for image exiting. The kind of display that most laptops (and inexpensive desktop display) have is a TN (Twisted Nematic) type displays.

TN displays have very limited color accurate viewing angles, which is why the are less desired as a display type.

Ok...I'm gonna order a few testers. Thanks for the advice

[Ernicus]

My laptop blows and my images are always darker when I print them at work. So when I get a nice one, I use a pc there to do final adjustments.

I can speak from experience, many folks think they are doing great by adjusting their images and resizing and sending in 100mb tiff files. It isn't necessary. Keep your original file once edited as you have it, and specify to whatever lab you send it to what you want. The good ones will print what you want and you'll make them happier.

If you are wanting specific ratios, it is ok and best to crop to that ratio, but don't resize and change resolution and that jazz. If you shot and edited in 72 ppi and resize to 240 or 300, you are going to add pixels and make your photo ugly. Leave it as it and let the lab do it with their machines.

my 2 cents.

oh, someone said earlier about some online programs, it will often reject telling you your image isn't right or whatever. Ours even does that, we use lifepics for online ordering. So I generally tell customers to email us the file and we print from that, if they are not local. I don't particularly care for the online software we use for ordering, but it is what it is, and is more than sufficient for the average point and shooters wanting prints. The ones wanting real photos printed, I advise them to come in or email.

I don't thin you'll have that issue with outfits such as mpix and whcc. I have used both and they provide great customer service and great pricing. We can't even compete with pricing on those types of outfits as they are the "wal mart" of print labs, but our stuff is just as good and our metallics I believe are even better. But most want inexpensive, so there ya go.

[charlie76]

My laptop blows and my images are always darker when I print them at work. So when I get a nice one, I use a pc there to do final adjustments.

I can speak from experience, many folks think they are doing great by adjusting their images and resizing and sending in 100mb tiff files. It isn't necessary. Keep your original file once edited as you have it, and specify to whatever lab you send it to what you want. The good ones will print what you want and you'll make them happier.

If you are wanting specific ratios, it is ok and best to crop to that ratio, but don't resize and change resolution and that jazz. If you shot and edited in 72 ppi and resize to 240 or 300, you are going to add pixels and make your photo ugly. Leave it as it and let the lab do it with their machines.

my 2 cents.

oh, someone said earlier about some online programs, it will often reject telling you your image isn't right or whatever. Ours even does that, we use lifepics for online ordering. So I generally tell customers to email us the file and we print from that, if they are not local. I don't particularly care for the online software we use for ordering, but it is what it is, and is more than sufficient for the average point and shooters wanting prints. The ones wanting real photos printed, I advise them to come in or email.

I don't thin you'll have that issue with outfits such as mpix and whcc. I have used both and they provide great customer service and great pricing. We can't even compete with pricing on those types of outfits as they are the "wal mart" of print labs, but our stuff is just as good and our metallics I believe are even better. But most want inexpensive, so there ya go.

Hey, thanks...that's good info. I shoot in RAW, and with my D7000 I end up with files at 300 ppi...and Photoshop tells me I can get about an 11 x 15in or so print size. I am not sure what a good print dpi would be for good art photos...and what ppi I would need to do that (it's been years since I printed anything). I am assuming that 11x15 is the max size I can get out of my camera.....? We will have to see.

[Ernicus]

My laptop blows and my images are always darker when I print them at work. So when I get a nice one, I use a pc there to do final adjustments.

I can speak from experience, many folks think they are doing great by adjusting their images and resizing and sending in 100mb tiff files. It isn't necessary. Keep your original file once edited as you have it, and specify to whatever lab you send it to what you want. The good ones will print what you want and you'll make them happier.

If you are wanting specific ratios, it is ok and best to crop to that ratio, but don't resize and change resolution and that jazz. If you shot and edited in 72 ppi and resize to 240 or 300, you are going to add pixels and make your photo ugly. Leave it as it and let the lab do it with their machines.

my 2 cents.

oh, someone said earlier about some online programs, it will often reject telling you your image isn't right or whatever. Ours even does that, we use lifepics for online ordering. So I generally tell customers to email us the file and we print from that, if they are not local. I don't particularly care for the online software we use for ordering, but it is what it is, and is more than sufficient for the average point and shooters wanting prints. The ones wanting real photos printed, I advise them to come in or email.

I don't thin you'll have that issue with outfits such as mpix and whcc. I have used both and they provide great customer service and great pricing. We can't even compete with pricing on those types of outfits as they are the "wal mart" of print labs, but our stuff is just as good and our metallics I believe are even better. But most want inexpensive, so there ya go.

Hey, thanks...that's good info. I shoot in RAW, and with my D7000 I end up with files at 300 ppi...and Photoshop tells me I can get about an 11 x 15in or so print size. I am not sure what a good print dpi would be for good art photos...and what ppi I would need to do that (it's been years since I printed anything). I am assuming that 11x15 is the max size I can get out of my camera.....? We will have to see.

If your image is a good sharp clean image, you can go much higher than that at 300. you'll be fine.

Shoot me two you'd like and I'll print and send you for free and you'll see. Pick one for 8x10 and one 12x18.

Just leave it at 11x15 @ 300 ppi, or whatever it is and I'll show you what I mean.

I have printed a few of mine at 12x18 and 11x14. I have not gone larger than 12x18 yet, but I could easily with this image. My final version is 15.36x8.813 @ 300ppi. Obviously I have to consider crops when I want certain sizes when enlarging, but its easy enough to do. Enlargements, standard sizes, are based on the basic formats, so we just crop to that ratio and print big...simplified version of the process. lol.

[Ernicus]

Your not giving your d7000 nearly enough credit. lol.

In the image I posted above, if I wanted to go 20x40 (and here is where a lot of folks mess it up), the res drops to 115 ppi. Which with that image at 20x40 at a viewing distance, will look great. If you stand in front of it, sure you might see some ick...but 20x40 is not made to view from 3 inches away. (your D7000 should do much better than my 3100)

So a lot of folks jack up that res to 300 or I have even seen 600, but then when they get it they will be pissed, 'cause photoshop will fill in where it thinks it should to make up the difference and it 9/10 times comes out worse than just leaving it alone.

anyway...PM me if you want some stuff and I'll shoot you my email.

[charlie76]

If your image is a good sharp clean image, you can go much higher than that at 300. you'll be fine.

Shoot me two you'd like and I'll print and send you for free and you'll see. Pick one for 8x10 and one 12x18.

Just leave it at 11x15 @ 300 ppi, or whatever it is and I'll show you what I mean.

I have printed a few of mine at 12x18 and 11x14. I have not gone larger than 12x18 yet, but I could easily with this image. My final version is 15.36x8.813 @ 300ppi. Obviously I have to consider crops when I want certain sizes when enlarging, but its easy enough to do. Enlargements, standard sizes, are based on the basic formats, so we just crop to that ratio and print big...simplified version of the process. lol.

Man..thanks very much...that is very nice of ya! I am moving home to NH next month after 10 years in CA...I'll have to stop by your shop when I am up shooting in ME....which is on the top of my to-do list (always wanted to go to Acadia N.P.). I bet you have a lot of good rustic/americana stuff up there...just the type of stuff I like to shoot. I was actually in ME for the huge blizzard you guys had this past christmas....love it up there.

The images from my camera are great...very sharp, especially on the type of stuff that I shoot. Thanks a lot for the great info and great offer. Should I email you or PM you or something? Jeez..now I gotta go in and find two good ones

[charlie76]

Your not giving your d7000 nearly enough credit. lol.

In the image I posted above, if I wanted to go 20x40 (and here is where a lot of folks mess it up), the res drops to 115 ppi. Which with that image at 20x40 at a viewing distance, will look great. If you stand in front of it, sure you might see some ick...but 20x40 is not made to view from 3 inches away. (your D7000 should do much better than my 3100)

So a lot of folks jack up that res to 300 or I have even seen 600, but then when they get it they will be pissed, 'cause photoshop will fill in where it thinks it should to make up the difference and it 9/10 times comes out worse than just leaving it alone.

anyway...PM me if you want some stuff and I'll shoot you my email.

Nice..! Very cool....that is a pretty big print size!

[Ernicus]

I'll pm you my email.

When you get up this way, definitely look me up. I am always trying to host photo runs. I want to do a Maine Lighthouse run, and some Coastal Maine runs. I love it at Acadia, that is actually where that image I posted above is from.