Printing BIG makes you a better photographer

[etherial]

Hey everyone, I've finally got around to printing some of my photos. I printed a wide selection of styles from night landscapes, to dogs to motorsport and portraits. It was remarkably easy, I ordered online, sent the files overnight Sunday night and the prints arrived today! It wasn't expensive either, I had around 35 prints done the smallest being around 10x8, the largest 18x12 and it came to around $120 and it was well worth it! Next time I think I'll take it up a notch and order a 40x20, I can't wait!


What I learnt though was that when you print big you get a different appreciation for your photos.

1. They are sharp!! In my opinion they look much nicer in print when compared with screen so stop pixel peeping!

2. You see your mistakes! Some photos I thought where pretty good on the screen, I had printed and as soon as I looked at them I thought "bugger, missed that. Should have done x y z, should have fixed that before printing". You will learn to look for different things.

3. You learn more about colour. Taking images from capture, to monitor, to print requires some attention to you digital workflow and colour spaces etc. Photos you produce you want out in the world looking the best they can. If someone prints one you want it to be right. Take the time to learn how to get consistent colours.

4. You see aspect ratios differently. The screen is very flexible, any size will do. But when printing you have some decisions to make. Some of my prints are going to be difficult to frame, next time I'll likely crop a little wider and think more about the aspect ratio especially when doing a series of photos.

5. BIG is AMAZING! I have a 27 inch monitor which is fabulous, but pull out an 18x12 print next to it and WOW!! You photos feel different, they feel substantial. The family love them, get them out there on display all the time! You photos look amazing, and it is INSPIRING!!!

So do it now, what are you waiting for...

PRINT BIG!!

[Cyza]

I too was astonished when i had some of my photos printed

I only printed my largest at 12 by 8 inches as wanted to keep the dpi above 240, ended up at something like 300 I think, as that's the highest I was told they print at @http://photoenlargements.com.au/ (great website/store, offered quick informative reply to my emails, and printed very high quality photos, at a great price and delivered safely by a courier within 2 days, could not have been happier)
What dpi did you print your larger photos at, and was there any noticeable loss in quality?

would you care to send me the link to the site you had yours printed from, the idea of a 40x20 print is rather appealing

[Danielle10]

Where did you have them printed etherial?
I've had a couple printed and I was impressed and want to print more

[geoffsta]

I have a few Panos I want to get printed. So I too want to know your printer.

[Seabee]

I will give a quick answer for those looking for printing........
I personally use 'Nulab' in Braeside Victoria, but it's all done online of course....however you do need to set up an account with them, by memory I think you need an ABN.

When I first started I used Digital Works in Hallam, Victoria...........never had a problem with them. They are also an online, download the software and away you go company.
But you do not need to set up any account with them.

Hope this helps!

[JM Tran]

40x20 inch? that is a weird format size to print from a DSLR

I always print at 45x30 inch - which is 114cm x 76cm - clients love it, I love it, and it looks great at home or in the office when mounted - that ratio maintains the DSLR ratio of 3:2 so I dont need to do any cropping to the photo

[Longshots]

basically the reason is in the difference between the resolution of the print, and the resolution of the monitor - which is far lower resolution than the print.

mind you, print big also shows up the flaws.

[reaction]

I always wonder whether we should always crop to a ratio or even not crop at all, where clients may want to print

[98kellrs]

I always wonder whether we should always crop to a ratio or even not crop at all, where clients may want to print

I came across this issue recently, doing a studio shoot for a dance studio. I processed the images in a 8 X 10 format, figuring that it would be a popular size. I then discovered that 90% of the orders I received were for a standard 4 x 6 size and due to my tight crop they were getting arms chooped off etc. (Thankfully I had proof-days setup so managed to edit the photos before they were sent to the printer)

Since then I have learned to shoot loose, and crop loose and let the client decide what AR they want.

[JM Tran]

I always wonder whether we should always crop to a ratio or even not crop at all, where clients may want to print

if you crop, try to maintain the same crop ratio as your camera's native output, if its a DSLR it is 3:2, whereas a small 4/3 camera has a ratio of 4:3. I always keep it the same, and if the client wants to do their own 8x10 they can crop it themselves or let the printer do it.

[etherial]

Re cropping, I'm not to fussed on keeping to any rules, I just go with what works. Most of the time the printer will be able to print the odd sizes. Yes 40x20 is an odd size, I just used that as it's their biggest. The printer I used also do 20x20, 20x24, 20x32, 20x36, and finally the 20x40 so that covers off most aspect ratios. Framing might be another can of worms though .

[JM Tran]

Re cropping, I'm not to fussed on keeping to any rules, I just go with what works. Most of the time the printer will be able to print the odd sizes. Yes 40x20 is an odd size, I just used that as it's their biggest. The printer I used also do 20x20, 20x24, 20x32, 20x36, and finally the 20x40 so that covers off most aspect ratios. Framing might be another can of worms though .

you need to take into account the client as well if you are shooting professionally, in terms of framing and mounting choices if a client has to go out and get some expensive customized frame made up just to cater for your quirky crop ratio etc - that increases their costs on top of paying for you etc, referrals go a long way with private clients.

[etherial]

Regarding which printer to use, I don't want to name the one I used at this point as in another thread I've asked about a minor colour issue I'm having with them that I need to get to the bottom of and give them a chance to resolve.

In any case, ones that I've looked at and have come recommended either here for through other channels in no particular order include:

http://www.digitalworks.net.au
http://www.pixelperfect.com.au/
http://www.rgbdigital.com.au/
http://www.blackandwhitephoto.com.au/
http://www.bluehorizonprints.com.au/
http://www.bondimaging.com.au/
http://www.prismcolor.com.au

[etherial]

you need to take into account the client as well if you are shooting professionally, in terms of framing and mounting choices if a client has to go out and get some expensive customized frame made up just to cater for your quirky crop ratio etc - that increases their costs on top of paying for you etc, referrals go a long way with private clients.

Absolutely right!!

I found this article a long time ago which talks about shooting with the end resultant crop in mind, worth a read for the newbie.

http://www.digital-photography-schoo...yourself-short

[Longshots]

Never, ever, ever assume what your client wants.

I'm not sure of the logic why anyone would guess that there client wanted everything 10 x 8, as in all honesty thats just asking for trouble as you're forced to crop out from the captured ratio. Sorry, but that was just asking for trouble.

What works is leaving the ratio the same as the capture ratio. Thats what you're being paid for. The printing and framing is an entirely different issue. If you then profit out of the printing and framing then that is then something you would do AFTER showing files - explaining that anything that is not the same ratio as the capture ratio, involves cropping and losing some of the original sized image.

[pacman]

a very interesting and informative thread for a relative newcomer like me

[98kellrs]

Never, ever, ever assume what your client wants.

I'm not sure of the logic why anyone would guess that there client wanted everything 10 x 8, as in all honesty thats just asking for trouble as you're forced to crop out from the captured ratio. Sorry, but that was just asking for trouble.

What works is leaving the ratio the same as the capture ratio. Thats what you're being paid for.

Yep hear you on this, I certainly learnt my lesson and I'm not too sure where my poor logic came from! It was my first shoot where prints were the primary medium, prior to that I had only ever sold digital downloads at the capture ratio.

I sold my work through my smugmug site, so they took off their framing/printing/postage costs from whatever base price I set.

[mowgli]

i've only just got my first lot of prints done in 6*8, not big i know but i have to agree with the OP that it looks much different to a screen and i noticed a lot of things i hadn't spotted on the laptop

[soulman]

I agree that big prints generally look great, but I've also found that not all image look best at larger sizes. I had an A4 of this image and then printed it A3+ to give it to my partner as a Christmas gift. It really didn't look as good large though - somehow the composition seemed to lose something. I took them both to my framer, who has a good eye, and without any prompting from me she gave the same opinion.

The other thing that seems to me to be important about print size is the scale of the display space. Something that is big enough for an apartment living area for example, can look ridiculously small in a gallery. A3 seems to be a general minimum for prints in big spaces. It still depends on the image though.

[milesy]

the trouble with big prints is you need big walls to hang them on........and if you have lots of big prints - you need lots of big walls