Printing Your Art

It has been said that pictures hasn't been realized until it is put into print.  In today's age, it is so easy to shoot the pictures, share them with friends and family online, but most pictures never actually make it to print.  But really, even a 4x6 sitting in a photo album isn't doing your art justice, how many times do you actually pull out that album and look at it?  Or show your friends?  Chances are, not very often.  Your best work should be hanging on your walls, framed on your coffee tables, not lost on your hard drive or in a closed photo album.  The problem is, how should you go about printing them?


The truth about why photographers hold printing rights...

Usually when you hire a photographer to capture an event like a wedding, or a studio session, their contract states that you must order all prints through them.  There is a lot of negativity about this.  I've heard things like "this is just a way for them to scam us out of money."  Of course, the residual income is something any business person would like to capture, but that's not the whole story.  In fact, this isn't even the main issue.

The main issue is simply this: if they control the printing rights, the customer is assured of getting high quality prints!  A good photographer takes pride in their work, and doesn't want to see their pictures get printed without an appropriate level of quality.  There is a huge difference in a print from a low quality (an inexpensive) printer like Walmart, compared to a dedicated printer that has very expensive and well calibrated printers and quality assurance processes.

The contrast and detail that you can lose from budget printers is astounding when you see two identical prints from two providers side-by-side, making it clear why they are so cheap.  A photographer doesn't want to have their art work cheaped out on when printing, because:
1) the customer will not be as happy with it, and
2) their friends and family who see those pictures will not be impressed with the quality and assume it is a flaw with the photographer, leading to a potential loss of business.

It's like buying blu-ray movies and watching them on the old cathode ray tube television in your parent's basement.  If you've spent hundreds of dollars on a professional photographer, don't cheap out on the prints!


What to consider when printing...

We are getting to the point where it almost doesn't make sense to have your own printer.  Ink is very expensive, and the ink dries out fast, meaning if you don't use the printer, the ink is just drying up, making the actual cost per sheet sky-rocket if you aren't using it daily.  Outsourcing your print jobs, for most people anyway, often makes sense, so you need to consider if the convenience of being able to do it yourself outweighs the typical loss of cost and quality.

If you are printing out small pictures, up to 5x7, then a budget place like Walmart, Costco, or London Drugs is usually good enough.  Any bigger than that, and chances are you plan to use the picture for something special, so paying a little extra for quality becomes something worth very strongly considering.

Please note that I won't be recommending any quality printers, because this depends on your printing purpose and desired format, and the best places change over time.


Printing formats...

1. Metal
I recently had my first metal prints done.  I'm not talking about the metallic photo paper made by Kodak, I'm talking about prints done on a piece of aluminium.  The first time you see a print on metal, it is like nothing you've seen.  It's kind of like seeing HD TV for the first time.  There are several different ways to do metal prints each having their own best uses (i.e. glossy for nature, satin for portraits, sheer for high key, etc.) so it is important to do your research for best results.

2. Canvas
Another popular format for fine art prints is canvas.  These are prints done on a muslin canvas (the material, not the religion) and stretched onto a wood block frame.  These prints, even more than with metal, work much better when they are printed very large, otherwise you lose a lot of detail.  But they give you a lot of flexibility on sizes and framing options, and stand out on your wall as a gallery ready print.

3. Books
The digital age has made it extremely easy to create your own custom book and have it professionally printed.  You can use pre-set templates, or design your own layout.  This is a great way to put an entire event into one book, with a more customized look than a standard album.

4. Speciality items
We've all see the customized coffee mugs, mouse pads, and place mats.  The options here are as extensive as your imagination, pretty much everything you could want is available in one way or another.  Again, quality here goes a long way, so depending on what your gift is for, you may want to consider paying a little extra for something that will look good last you a long time.

With all of these options, including just large prints on "old fashioned photo paper," you will want to make sure you do your research and know what you are getting for your money.  You may even want to talk to your photographer to make sure you really are getting the best deal.  In fact, your photographer my even know how to get you discounts!

Just remember this: cheaper is not always a sacrificing worth taking. You truly do get what you pay for.

If you have any questions about any of this, feel free to contact me.  And remember to like me on Facebook!