Photographs are a wonderful thing! They detail many happy memories and important moments in a person’s life, so it’s no surprise that people like to print out photos to display in their homes. If you’re looking into the possibility of printing photos at home, then you’ll want to purchase a printer that has photo printing capabilities.
So, how do you create quality photo prints at home? Read on for our helpful guide!
Is it worth printing photos at home?
First, you should work out whether printing photos at home is worthwhile for you. If you’re only looking to print one or two photos a year, it might work out better for you to simply print these photos out at a store. However, if you are looking to print out many photos for an album, scrapbooking, or to display around your home, you might like to consider purchasing a printer that is able to print out photographs. Many modern printers can print out photographs along with documents. Below is a guide for producing quality photo prints from a home printer.
Purchase a photo printer
A good quality photo printer is a must for those looking to print photos at home. When it comes to choosing a photo printer, there are many different options to decide between.
If you’re looking to create smaller pictures and aren’t so worried about printing out documents, then you might be interested in a portable photo printer. Recent years have seen a big surge in portable printers hitting the market. There are many different portable photo printers out there, including the HP Sprocket Plus and the Canon Selphy.
HP Sprocket Plus
The HP Sprocket Plus uses ZINK technology to create its 2.3 x 3.4-inch prints. Each of these prints come with a peelable sticker back, which you can peel off to adhere the prints to a water bottle, photo case, book, or anything else you like! These photo printers are made for a bit of fun, rather than for creating professional photographs. The HP Sprocket Plus is about the size of a smartphone, which allows it to fit in a pocket.
Want a printer that can also print documents? Then you’ll probably be after a home printer with this feature. Many printers can print out 4” x 6” photos, and some can also print larger photos. These printers have been designed to create photographic prints and are compatible with photo paper.
While you can technically print photos onto plain paper, they won’t be high quality. For high quality photo printing, you’ll need to have a machine that is specifically able to print photos. Below are a few examples of printers that have photo printing capabilities:
Canon PIXMA iX6850
An A3 printer, this machine can print photos and documents. The PIXMA iX6850 can print at resolutions up to 9600 x 2400 dpi and can be used with Google Cloud Print, Apple AirPrint, and PIXMA Cloud Link. This printer can produce monochrome A4 pages at speeds up to 14.5ppm, colour A4 pages at speeds up to 10.4ppm, and borderless 6” x 4” photographs at speeds of around 36 seconds. We have a wide range of Canon PIXMA ink cartridges available at Inkstation.
Epson Expression Premium XP-7100 Small-in-One
This Small-in-One can print photos, documents, and DVD faces! It can print borderless photos from 6” x 4” through to 8” x 10”, allowing users to create beautiful larger prints. This wireless all-in-one printer can also print black and white A4 pages at speeds up to 15.8ppm and colour A4 pages at speeds up to 11ppm.
Canon imagePROGRAF PRO-1000
The imagePROGRAF PRO-1000 has a 12-pigment ink system and can print photos up to A2 in size. It can produce these A2 photographic prints in about 6 minutes and 25 seconds per print. This machine is specifically designed for creating photographic prints, rather than documents, and has a chroma optimiser for uniform glossiness.
We have an article on the Best Photo Printers 2021 if you’d like to read more!
Check the image quality
When printing photos at home you’ll want to check to make sure the images are of a high quality in order to get the best results. Generally, you’ll want to check to make sure the PPI (pixels per inch) is around 300 to obtain a high print quality.
To take it back a step further, you should be aiming to shoot your photos in RAW format, where possible. This is due to the fact that RAW photos tend to be larger than their JPEG counterparts. However, with many smartphones and cameras this choice might not be an option. Don’t stress too much if you can only take JPEG photos, it’s more something to keep in mind if and when the option presents itself.
Invest in high-quality ink
Using high-quality ink is important for producing high-quality photographs. At Ink Station, we stock a range of quality inks to choose from, so you can select the type that best suits your printer. Purchasing a genuine cartridge created by the same company that created your printer means you’re getting a product that was designed and built for your machine.
Investing in high-quality ink is a good idea for those looking to produce photographic prints at home. When you think about it, the ink is the product that translates the image from your computer screen to a photograph you can hold in your hands. Cutting corners when it comes to the ink for your printer may result in poor quality photographs.
Choose quality paper
Quality paper is another must for printing photos at home. There are so many different types of printing paper out there, and the type you choose will depend upon the results you’re after. Some common types of photo printing paper include:
Gloss
This photographic paper type produces shiny photographs, and is very common for both at home and in-store printing. Glossy paper can make colours pop, which is great for displaying vibrant photographs in your space. Just keep in mind that this gloss finish can create a reflective glare, so it may not be suitable for all display circumstances.
Semigloss
Semigloss is a type of photo printing paper that is somewhere between a gloss and a matte. This photographic paper has less glare than glossy paper, making it a good choice for those who are after a vibrant print without too much of the reflective shine. Semigloss is sometimes also referred to as lustre, satin, or pearl.
Matte
A matte finish is a good choice for those who wish to print photographs with no glare and don’t collect fingerprints easily. You may wish to use matte photo paper if you are printing photographs that will be handled frequently or when you don’t want your prints to have any glare. Matte photos tend to be a little less vibrant than gloss and semigloss photographs, so just remember that this is one of the trade-offs of creating matte prints.
Edit your photos
Another element of producing professional quality photographs at home is the editing process that occurs before you press print. Rather than simply shooting an image and then sending it to the printer, you may wish to edit the photograph before printing.
There are many different types of photo editing software, with both free and paid options available to consumers. Some printers also come with photo editing software which you can use before sending the photos to print.
Some elements of an image you may wish to edit before printing your image include the colour vibrancy, exposure, white balance, and cropping. Editing software also generally lets you play with contrast and saturation. You might like to turn your photograph from a colour print to a monochrome print. Of course, there are many filters available to give your photographs a different tone or look, too!
As you get better at the photo editing process, you may even notice your own style developing. Many photo editors like to use certain editing presets or even create their own unique presets to keep a similar style and look across all of their photographs.
Even if you’re not a professional photographer, you can achieve impressive photography results when printing from home, as long as you have the right tools!