So what print size will I be able to print without loosing any of the image? The question is almost daily. “Why is it when I get a 5×7, 8×10, 11×14 or 16×20 print made of my digital file I have some of the image cut off”?
The answer
A digital camera sensor is NOT the same proportions as the print sizes mentioned above.
Why are those print sizes so popular? According to history the sizes that we have come to know as normal where used by photographers that shot 645 medium format. These sizes fit this format perfectly. 35mm Film and most sensors in digital cameras are proportioned to 4×6, 8×12, 11×16, 12×18, 16×24. Only these sizes will give you the full image file without cropping any of your image.
Cropping can be a good thing if you plan for it. It can allow you to get closer to the subject and eliminate “extra” parts of the picture. For some pictures it is a killer. Imagine a picture of a large family and the people are from one edge of the image to the other. Then the client asks for a 16×20. Well you now have to choose who in the family that you are going to cut out. Or you will have to do a lot of editing to add sky or foreground to the image.
The full digital image
When you ask for a cropped print size
So what should you do?
When shooting images imagine that you have crop lines in your viewfinder. Or do like many did in years past and draw the crop lines in – if you so dare or are crazy enough to try. Then leave space around your images for the cropping to the common sizes.
If you want to do something artistic like shooting a image to print to 24″x8″ make sure that you let your client know first. That way they won’t try and order a 8×10 from that image. Or maybe do one that is more artistic in posing then do some that will fit the common format sizes.
If you do mess up and crop too tight for the print size, add some space using Photoshop. Unsure of how to add space ask when ordering and I will help you with it.
Finally available a folding borderless art card. Printed on a fine art paper this is great for a gift, for trade shows and art shows.
Art cards printed on fine art water color paper. These cards have a very expensive feel and look at a reasonable price!
I can make these cards using a digital image, negative, slide, print or from your art work
Suitable for:
Christmas cards
Birthday cards
Graduation cards
Thank you cards
Wedding announcements
Gift cards with your art work or photography
Art cards to sell at craft shows
and many more uses.
Borderless art card
Flat cards
Flat cards are 5×7 in size and can be printed with or without borders. Back text can be black & white or color.
5×7 flat cards (standard – no text on back) $2.20 5×7 flat cards (deluxe – with text on back) $2.30
Folding cards
Folding cards are 5×7 when folded and can have a border of 1/4″ or no border. Back text can be black & white or color. Printing can be inside on top of fold, below fold and / or on back of card.
5×7 Folding cards with or without inside text including envelopes $2.75 Card Boxes
When you want to put together a collection of cards a card box is PERFECT. A clear top with black bottom will easily hold up to 24 folding cards and envelopes, or up to 48 flat cards and envelopes.
Boxes/ tops $4.00 each
Clear Envelopes
If you want to sell your cards you need a way to package them to
prevent damage. Our clear envelopes are the perfect solution!
Re-closable adhesive top, Perfectly clear so customers can easily see
your art. You can purchase 1, 10 or 1000. Price breaks for larger
quantities.
Advertising Information
If you are selling your cards I can print information on the back of
the cards such as website, email, QR code, phone number or the name of
the artwork. A great form of advertising. Set-up fees apply.
I just got finished installing a new printer. If you asked me 20 years ago what would I be doing for printing today I would have been so far off it would have been amazing. 20 years ago I had a chemical darkroom and one digital printer. I would never have thought how busy the printing department would have gotten or that I would need so many printers.
Today I introduce to you my 5th digital printer! That is right I now have running in the backroom 5 printers. The newest printer is an Epson P800. It was brought in to not only add more capacity to the printing department but it has a couple COOL new features that I will be bringing on-line in the next couple of weeks.
The only issue I have found is my printing room seems to be getting smaller. That is okay it may be smaller but wow can I print a lot of prints in a day!!
When you need quality photo printing in Lethbridge Paterson
Photography is the photo lab you should be using! I will make your
digital images look the best they can. We are the only choice for
exceptional service and amazing prints!
I print for all types of photographers – Individuals & families,
professional photographers or beginners, photo studios, businesses,
industry, – ANYONE that needs a quality print. I am here to help.
Friendly helpful service is standard and at no additional charge! No
longer do you have to settle for poor quality department or drug store
prints!
After close to 20 years I have switched to a new laminate!
Why New Laminate
Well first it was the fact that there is no more of the old stuff being made and supplies are getting low.
Second is because this new laminate is AMAZING!!! Just developed in the past year this laminate is thinner, clearer and has less of a texture than the sand so it shows the print even better!
It has taken a few months to test this new product and the results are in……. I LOVE IT!!!!
So a few things are happening with printing.
Starting today all work will now be printed on the new laminate. In order to show you the quality I am offering FREE lamination on all 16×24, 20×30 & 24×36 prints till the end of July. Limit of one per customer and you MUST mention this ad to get this..
ALSO>>>>>>>>>
I am selling off ALL display prints in the studio at 50% off. Some frames available as well at 50% off when purchased with the print. I want to switch my display prints to the new surface and this way everyone can get a bonus!!! LIMITED quantities!!
Prints you will be proud to sell or to display on your walls!
When you need quality photo printing in Lethbridge Paterson Photography is the photo lab you should be using! I will make your digital images look the best they can. We are the only choice for exceptional service and amazing prints!
About my printing
I print for all types of photographers – Individuals & families, professional photographers or beginners, photo studios, businesses, industry, – ANYONE that needs a quality print. I am here to help. Friendly helpful service is standard and at no additional charge! No longer do you have to settle for poor quality department or drug store prints!
People have been asking me how to improve their photography business, simple it comes down to the print! The past couple of weeks I have had a chance to sit down with a number of photographers. I have been hearing a lot of the same things from these people and I thought that it would be worth sharing with others. The main issue is how do you impress your customers, set your business apart from others and improve your sales?
Several points keep coming to the forefront
Set yourself apart with the print!
1) For those that do shoot & burn weddings (shoot the wedding and burn the digital files to disk or USB for the client) I have been hearing a number of photographers mention that their customers are complaining about bad prints. Their clients are taking the images to a discount lab to get prints made. When they get the prints back they are coming back horrible. Most times the photographer does not know how their client feels as they don’t hear about the bad prints. The clients think it is the photographer ~ because the lab says it is not them. If the photographer hears it is through a third party and the bad printing has damaged the photographers reputation.
2) Many photographers have seen a drop in the number of assignments they get. A couple photographers actually inquired of past customers and received some feedback. One of the biggest points is that clients were not happy with the final prints. Many clients mentioned that it was a pain to go and get the prints done themselves. All had mentioned they were having prints done at a discount lab.
The common statement went something like this…….
“…. the photographers service was great”. “We were not happy with the way the final prints looked”. “The prints looked like the ones that you get from a one hour lab ~ not professional prints”. “It took me a week to get a couple pictures done properly. It was a HUGE waste of my time”. One photographer actually brought me a couple of files to print. Their customers had them done someplace else. They wanted to see what their client thought. The response from their client was “These are amazing, we never thought that the printing would do that!!!!”
3) Many of the photographers also mentioned that they needed something to add a WOW factor to the services that they were offering. They have been giving clients 4×6 & 5×7 prints. The small prints were not impressing their clients.
The consensus
In just about all the comments one thing was clear. The photographer’s clients want/demand something more than a cheap 4×6 or 5×7 one hour print. I have been saying for years that if photographers want to survive that they need to set themselves apart. Something more than what uncle Bob is doing ~ usually for free because he is a relative and wants to be helpful. Uncle Bob can have the nice camera. Many times he is handing the wedding couple a disk and that is it. Or he is printing some prints at the one hour place and handing them to the couple. The problem is if that is what the “professional” photographer is doing we are not setting ourselves apart and WOW’ing our clients.
So what should professional photographers be doing?
First, every client should be getting a WOW picture. Something that stands out like a 16×20 or 20×24 portrait fully finished!! Second you should be providing your clients with some professionally printed images that they can show friend’s and family so they can see what a great picture looks like. Prints that they cannot get at the local one hour!
Finally if you are handing over the disk to the client make sure they know the difference in the printing that they will get.
Remember we need to set ourselves apart for the positive. One of the best ways to do this is with professional printing!
To help with giving some wow to your photography we are offering a coupon for a discount in printing that you can give to your client to get professional printing. That way they will get the best image possible from your files. Drop us an E-mail and we will run off some discount coupons for you!
One of the challenges that many people have when ordering prints of their digital images is trying to figure out the print sizes. Many times I get requests for a 8×10 print or a 24×30 print and I have to contact the customer to tell them that a print of those dimensions will cut off part of their subject. If your subject takes up most or all the image then cropping it will either take away the look you were going for a ruin the image.
Common print sizes
So to explain print sizes I made the following chart.
If the size you are looking at having printed says cropped then you will be loosing some of the subject in the image. Sometimes this is not a huge issue. Other times it is not good.
