How to Print Great Digital Photos at Home

It seems like with all the technology that digital photography offers it would be easy to make great prints at home. After all, you can buy a digital camera and printer combo that creates photos in mere seconds. But, getting the picture perfect is not always as easy as it seems. As I know from experience printing digital pictures at home, not every print comes out great. Some are too dark, some too light, and other imperfections exist.

Printing a great digital photo at home requires more than just downloading and clicking print. Pixels are not the easiest format for beginners to work with because they require an eye and talent for detail. Quality digital equipment, including software will also help you get outstanding prints right at home. Learn how to tweak your camera, computer, and printer to get the best quality print you can afford at home.

Think about the photos on your digital camera for a moment. On average, are they too dark, too light, or out of focus? The quality of your digital camera is your number one concern. A basic point and shoot digital camera with 6-8 mega pixels is fine for the home user or novice photographer. The more pixels you have on a small camera the more interference you will have in photographs. Of course, for professionals a DSLR can handle much more pixels without creating noise.

After examining your digital photographs adjust the bright and contrast levels until you create the proper balance. There are many methods for doing this on digital cameras because there are so many different kinds. Read your owners manual if you are not sure of how to adjust the camera settings. Also, if you are having trouble with shooting speed or time in between frames, adjust the shutter speed if possible.

After downloading your digital photos you should take some time to edit them. Don't just expect to get a great set of photos by clicking print. Editing can be time consuming so adjust your camera settings first to save yourself some time later. The first thing you should do before editing photos is to do a print test. You want to make sure the colors on the screen are actually what are printing on the paper. Do a test using a single photograph using the paper you intend to print your digital photos on. If the colors are off, even a little bit you should adjust your computer screen and print settings until they match.

Sometimes, when colors are too intense they create distractions when printed. Red and blue are two colors I notice that always seem to create problems. Either the red is pink or orange toned, and the blue can have too much green in it. Most printers are also equipped with a self print test and tools for adjusting the color so it is easy to get the perfect match. Choose printer settings on your devices menu and there should be an option to run a print test. Follow the instructions provided by the wizard on your computer screen.

Once you have a color match you can begin editing your photos. I like to use Microsoft Photo Editor. It is easy to use, even for the inexperienced. The Microsoft Photo Editor comes preinstalled on most Windows Operating Systems. If you do not have it you will have to install digital photo editing software. Right click on any photo and choose edit or open with Photo Editor. The editor allows you to crop and adjust bright, contrast, and gamma. You can also control the intensity of red, blue, and green as well as add effects. The program is very easy to learn and there is a wizard if you need help. Avoid using the program Paint to edit photos unless you are especially artistic because it is harder to cleanly edit digital photos. Paint can come in handy though if you want to add messages or drawings to your photographs.

Lastly, your choice of paper and ink are as equally important as choosing the right camera. Using quality supplies will only make the process of creating great prints at home easier. An inkjet will create the best photo for your money and costs these days aren't too bad. You can expect to pay anywhere from about $65 to just over $100 for a decent inkjet printer. I myself use a Brother printer and supplies but there are plenty of good brands out there. Just do your research first.

It is best to choose a quality printer and to use the brand of ink supplied by the manufacturer. Other brands may clog and ruin your printer because they do not follow the exact specifications as set forth by your printer's manufacturer. I have found it best as well to stick with a name brand photo paper. You will get much better and more consistent quality when you choose a proven brand. I prefer HP matte finish photo paper because it dries effortlessly and the prints don't have a lot of gloss. Gloss paper always seems to take more time to dry creating a chance to smudge the ink. After doing all the work of editing I hate to see a one photo out of the bunch that has a fingerprint in it.

Inks are also more inexpensive and better quality today than in the past. There a few high quality ink products you can purchase if you are willing to spend a little more money. Some are guaranteed not to run, fade, or stain. Never expect to get a great digital print right out of the box. All software, cameras, and printers will need some tweaking to achieve perfection. With a small investment and some time you can create spectacular digital images at home with ease.