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Tips for Perfect Prints (For Beginners)
Undeniably, photo prints still remain the most popular way of sharing memories. With the right printer and a handful of simple techniques, your pictures can look as sharp as the lab-processed ones. Read on for some great tips for getting the best prints possible.

Start with a Good Image
The first thing you need to get a good print — a high-quality image. An image that merely looks good onscreen is not enough. Here’s what a good image file would have:

Good Resolution
Resolution refers to the number of pixels in an image {usually stated in dpi (dots per inch) or PPI (pixels per inch).}. The more pixels a photo has, the more clarity and detail it will retain as you increase its dimensions. Resolution can also be expressed by the width and height of the image, and the total number of pixels it contains. For example, an image that is 1500 pixels wide and 2100 pixels high (1500 x 2100) contains 3,150,000 pixels—or almost 3.2 mega pixels.

Most digital cameras offer a variety of resolution settings. It’s a good idea to use a higher-quality setting if you plan on printing large sized pictures. Here are some general guidelines:
Less than 640 x 480 pixels = Wallet-size prints. Good for E-mailing to friends , picture displays on the refrigerator etc.
640 x 480 pixels = 4″ x 6″ photo prints. These are going to be best for photo albums, General usage including craft projects (scrapbooks, stickers, etc).
1152 x 864 pixels = 5″ x 7″ photo prints. These are good for framing for home display, screensavers and photo greeting cards
1600 x 1200 pixels = 8″ x 10″ or larger. Good for framing, screensavers for home or gallery display and photo calendars

Best Format

Even if your image is high resolution, you will still need to save it in the correct file format: TIFF or JPEG. For best printing results, always save your pictures in the TIFF format (example: my_friends.tiff). Although this format results in a slightly larger file size, it will produce the most satisfactory results. The JPEG format (example: my_friends.jpg) is preferable for e-mailing photos as it results in smaller, compressed files—ideal for sending electronically.

Quality Control

Use a good image-editing program to remove dust marks and specks on your photos. The printer will most definitely pick up imperfections even if they’re very small. You can also use the sharpening option to more clearly define the edges of objects in your print.
Use a Good Printer and Know How to Use it
Once you are familiar with the features and settings of your printer, you will be able to get the best possible results.

Avoid DPI Dilemmas

Dots per inch (dpi) is a measurement of print resolution that indicates the number of individual dots a device can create on a page per square inch of area. For crisp, colourful, professional-looking prints, you should choose a printer with at least 600 x 600 dpi. Otherwise, your photos may turn out pixilated (objects will appear jagged and speckled).

Printer Drivers

Printer drivers play the role of translators, acting as a medium of communication between your printer and computer. To help fix problems and bring significant performance improvements, it is important to use the most current version available for your printer. Printer manufacturers regularly update drivers, and you can download new versions for free from the company’s website.

Resolution Settings

Refer to your printer’s manual to learn how to change quality settings. Usually, you would want ‘best quality’ resolution for photos; however, for wallet-size prints, ‘normal’ resolution may be enough. Experiment with your printer settings to see which ones give you satisfactory results.

Paper Settings

Paper settings control the amount of ink that is laid down on paper; therefore, using the setting that matches your photo paper is essential to making good prints. When you find a setting that works best for a particular paper type, make note of it so you will be able to get the same results when you use that paper again.

Clean and Clear

Running the ‘clean’ function in your printer every two to three months improves print appearance and prevents problems such as streaking and clogging. You can access ‘properties’ settings to perform maintenance actions such as cleaning the printer nozzles and aligning the print head.
Understand Your Ink and Paper

Your choice of printing supplies, such as paper and ink, can make the difference between a good print and a great one.

Paper and Ink Selection
Using Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM) supplies would definitely assure you of the quality but they come with a price. Nowadays, Canon and HP boast of inks that deliver optimum colour and fade resistance up to 110 years. Non-OEM supplies are definitely cheaper, but its debatable whether they can achieve the same quality.

Drying Time
Before you frame a photo print or add it to a scrapbook, be sure to give it enough time to dry. Most OEM inks and papers are designed to dry within an hour or so, but it is best to allow the print to dry for about 24 hours prior to framing or placing it in a photo album.
If you are printing multiple pictures, remove them from the printer slide as they come out and set them aside. This will eliminate any chances of accidental smearing or running.

Getting Started With Your New Printer

If you have recently bought yourself a new printer, follow the directions in the manual for setting up cables. Put the installation CD into the CD drive and follow the set up instructions.
If you are using Windows 95/98, select Start Menu, then select Printers. Now select Add Printer, select Local Printer. Choose your printer (If your printer is not listed, choose the one closest to yours and select OK).

For the Mac, select go to server, (or chooser) and then select printer. Then choose your printer. (If your printer is not listed, then select the closest one.) Then select install.

If you are using Windows XP, then the PC will prompt you for the drivers and install the relevant one from the CD itself (if the appropriate driver is not in the database already).

If you have any problems printing, first check your cable connections. If you get repeated error messages, then reboot your computer and redo the steps above.

If you would like to upgrade the driver of your currently installed printed, then follow the steps given in the next sub-topic.

Installing Printer Drivers
A printer driver is a piece of software that allows the computer to communicate with the printer. Without this software, the printer would be hopelessly lost since it does not speak the same language! Printer manufacturers often update the drivers and these they can be easily downloaded form the company’s website for free. It is a good idea to keep a check on your printer driver version and upgrade if it is too far out of date.

Here is how you can check your print driver version number:

Windows XP
1. Click the Windows Start button, choose Control Panel, and then choose ‘Printers and Faxes.’
2. Right-click your default printer and choose Properties. (Your default printer will have a checkmark within a black circle above the printer icon.)
3. Click the General tab, click the ‘Print Test Page’ button, and then click OK to print the test page.

Windows 95/98

1. Click the Windows Start button, choose Settings, and then Printers.
2. Right-click your default printer and choose Properties. (Your default printer will have a checkmark within a black circle above the printer icon.)
3. Click the General tab, click the ‘Print Test Page’ button, and then click OK to print the test page.
Look on the test page for Driver Version.

All major printer manufactures have web sites that allow you to freely download their printer drivers. To do so, you will need your printer’s manufacturer and model number. When you go to the web site, look for words such as ‘Downloads’, ‘Drivers’, ‘Software’, or ‘Support’ and shortlist your model.
Given below are the website URLs for the popular brands:
Hewlett Packard — http://welcome.hp.com/country/uk/en/support.html?pageDisplay=drivers
Canon — http://software.canon-europe.com/
Epson — http://emeasupport.epson-europe.com/downloads.aspx?LNG=en-EU
Lexmark — http://support.lexmark.com/cgi-perl/selections.cgi?ccs=227:5:0:0:0:0&target=http://downloads.lexmark.com/cgi-perl/downloads.cgi&&req=:::::
Xerox — http://www.support.xerox.com/go/prodselect.asp?Xlang=en_GB&metrics=HDR
Brother — http://www.brother.com/E-ftp/info/index_eu.html

Troubleshooting Printer Problems

In this section, you’ll find some of the more common problems that cause 45 percent of the help centre phone calls.

If nothing has occurred since the last time you used your printer, chances are the problem is quite straightforward. As obvious as it sounds, check to ensure that the printer is turned on. It is quite possible that somebody might have turned it off while you were away from your desk or computer. Make sure the printed is connected properly and there is power to the printer. All printers have some kind of LED that lets you know if it is powered up.

If the printer is turned on but has some flashing lights, then check with your owner’s manual to see what the lights mean. Most of these indicators will be related either to paper, ink, or toner.
Make sure there is enough paper in the printer. Refill the paper tray if it’s empty. Make sure you ‘fan’ the paper stack before putting it in the printer. When the paper stack is cut and packed at the factory, it sometimes causes the pages to stick together. Fanning the paper simply involves flipping through the paper stack with your thumb. This ruffling separates the paper, thereby reducing paper jams.
If the paper is stacked well, then check for a mis-feed or paper jam. Remove the paper stack and check the feed area for jammed paper. You may have to open several panels to make a thorough examination. Even a small piece of paper stuck inside the printer can cause problems. You might have to use tweezers to remove small pieces. Be careful of any contact of the tweezers with printer parts to avoid any damage.

If everything listed above is in place, then check the wire that connects the printer to the computer. You may be using a parallel or a USB connection. Make sure the cable is connected properly. Turn the equipment off and remove and re-insert the connection on both the printer and the computer to ensure a solid connection. If you are at work and your printer is connected to what appears to be a telephone wire, then you should call your resident network expert.

If the printer is functioning but only seems to print illegible garbage, then that is a good indication of a printer driver problem. Try re-booting the computer and turning the printer off and on before making any changes to the driver. If after re-booting you still have the problem, it’s probably time to replace the printer driver. You can download the driver from the website URLs listed earlier in this articles. Follow the instructions given by the manufacturer to install your driver.

Scanner can also sometimes interfere with printers. Try re-installing the software for both but install the printer driver first, and the scanner driver afterwards.

If nothing listed above results in a solution, then perhaps it might be time to call the printer manufacturer. Make sure that you are near the printer when you call and have all your warranty information available at hand.

Colourful Print Designs for Less!

Many people consider graphic designing as a costly occupation to deal with, and perhaps you would too if you weren’t aware of these design tricks that can keep your budget at a minimum! Read on to find out how you could save money but still enhance your coloured designs.

For a number of people, one factor that makes a design costly is the need to use numerous colours. Spot colour designs are definitely exciting as process designs; however, extras are needed if you’d want your designs to stand out among others. In this article, along with learning how to save on ink costs, you’ll encounter several useful tricks that can be easily applied to get those stunning designs without burning a hole in your pocket. If you haven’t yet encountered ideas of making one or two colours look like many colors, then this list of tricks is for you!

Here are a few ingenious ideas on how to save money and still maximise the colour on your designs:

1.Overprinting Colours to Create a Third Colour – Here’s a tactic based on a principle you must have learnt in school. Simply follow the principle of mixing colours on canvas to the world of printer technology. The result is simple: once a colour prints over another, a third colour is created. You can use this technique to create a number of colours form a limited number of colours. All you need is a basic understanding of how colours work. You might consider looking up into a color wheel, and then, coordinate your printer well for the desired overprinting results.

2.Your Paper’s Colour as a Third Colour – Technology has surely brought interesting innovations to the world of paper production. We owe many coloured and designed papers to this technology, and wouldn’t it be a waste to let go of simple uses of this technology! By taking advantage of them, you may save a lot simply by having your needed colour already in the paper you are using. Solid papers with a slightly different colour than those with traditional white or cream can bring dazzling results for your printout designs.

3.Tinting Your Colours – You can take advantage of this technique by using a variety of tints on one or two colours you are using. Tinting creates an effect of multiple colours since a 10% of a certain colour is different than 80% of it. You can have about 20 different colours simply by experimenting on colour tints!

4.Duotones - Duotone photographs are those that are printed in two colours only. If you experiment enough with duotones, you might come up with subtle effects similar to sepia tones to colourful poster photos.

5.White Text on Solid or Tinted Boxes – Instead of using a different colour for text that is placed inside a solid or tinted box, try white as your font colour. With this technique, you will also be able to use reverse text sparingly.

6. Although rubber-stamping can be a good way to save money, it is a very time-consuming affair. Use your creative skills to innovate rubber stamps, especially if you’re on a scrap-booking project.

7.Laser foil for Your Laser Printer – Many manufacturers produce and sell foils that could go along very well with your laser printer. A few also sell ones that that you can master copy. Copy the foil and use it with a copier on your inkjet printer. However, keep in mind that this can be a time-consuming piece of work.

8.Stickers and/or coloured foil labels – There are various coloured stickers and foil labels on market that you can use to enhance your printed design output. You can also print text onto coloured or foil labels and then stick them in your printed pieces.

9.Creative Scissors and Punches– Scissors and paper punches with unusual edges can be very useful in your low-budget pursuits as they can give your design that creative edge it might be lacking in the end. The scissors can also prove to be a money-saving alternative to costly die cuts.
Save On Printing Cost With Two Inks

Ever wondered if those black and white photographs in the magazines are really composed of only two colours? You might have if you didn’t notice that the colours are sometimes also closer to brown or pale yellow.

There’s an easy and simple way to create this effect  the duotone process.
Duotone (from the word ‘duo’) simply means two colours. This technique is often used to make monochromatic prints. It is done by adding a colour tint to black and white images. Both black and grey ink are used to smooth out or allocate different colours to specific parts, and increase tonal range from lightest to darkest.

Duotone also covers monotone, tritone and quadtone. Monotone (from the word ‘mono’) refers to images that have only one colour; and while tritone images use three colours, quadtone images contain four colours. Both tritone and quadtone images primarily use the Overprint Colours button. This option allows you to control the interaction of your ink.

To give your image the duotone affect in Photoshop, go to Image, then to Mode, and select Duotone. If you are using RGB or CMYK, you’ll have set your workspace to grayscale first. To do so, select Image > Mode and choose Grayscale.

Next, select Image > Mode > Duotone. A dialog box will appear, which will allow you to select the colours you want.
Open the Colour Picker by clicking on the colour swatch. Then, click on the Custom button. A pop-up menu will open, allowing you to select the colour and type of ink.
If you want to modify your work, simply re-open your Duotone dialog box. To do this, go to Image > Mode > Duotone.
Most commonly used duotone combination includes black and yellow; black and medium-blue; black and cyan; and black and brown.

The duotone technique is often used to make black and white images richer. If you compare grayscale and duotone images, you will notice a difference in the colours. Along with adding the accent colour, Photoshop changes the hue of all the pixels.

When you browse through the image details, you’ll find that there is only one channel, even if you’re using two colours. This is so because Photoshop uses Duotone curve. To access Curve, go to Image > Mode > Duotone. The Duotone Curve option is placed on the left of the colour swatch. Click on the box of the ink that you want to edit.

If you want to adjust the colour through Photoshop’s Curve Adjustment, simply select Image > Adjust > Curves. You can also change the tonal value by clicking and dragging on the line or by entering numbers on the field.

Remember, you do not have to limit your combination to black and gray; you can use any two different colours to achieve the duotone effect.

How to Choose Digital Photo Printers

Digital photo printers come in a variety of shapes and sizes, but they all do one thing – transform vividly coloured digital pictures into high-quality photo prints while you wait! Thanks to the popularity of digital cameras, most photo printers are now reasonably affordable and easy-to-use — and many of them don’t even need to be connected to a PC!

Below, is a list of some things to consider when shopping for a digital photo printer.

Is the printer compatible with your camera?
You can choose a photo printer with a media slot for the same type of memory card your camera uses, or a printer that connects directly, via a proprietary cable, to your camera. A USB-capable printer that connects to your computer is a good option too — simply drop photos onto your hard drive, edit them as needed, and then print them from there!

What printing technology do you prefer?
The two main types of technology you’ll see in photo printers are dye sublimation and inkjet. Both can produce remarkable images. Some people feel that dye sublimation (which uses heat to reveal colour on special, fairly expensive paper) excels at continuous tone printing. Others count on the crisp colours, relatively inexpensive supplies, and print flexibility of inkjet and bubble jet printers. Regardless of which printer you choose, remember that a printer optimized for photo printing will do a considerably better job than a general-use printer.

How much resolution do you need?
The higher the resolution, the crisper your print will be. Needless to say, 400dpi (dots per inch) resolution is finer than a 300 dpi resolution. Keep in mind that resolution cannot be accurately compared between dye sublimation and inkjet or bubble jet printers — a dye sublimation print made at 400-plus dpi often looks as good as a 1200 x 1200 dpi print made on an inkjet printer.

Other features to consider:

Portability: Some printers work with special batteries that are available separately.

PictBridge Direct Printing:

An increasingly common format, called PictBridge™, has now made it even easier for cameras and printers to work directly with one another, by way of a simple USB connection.

PictBridge is a standardized technology that allows you to print images from the memory card in a digital camera directly to a printer regardless of brand. This method completely bypasses the need for a computer.

By using PictBridge, you can print a single image displayed on the camera, print two or more images, or print all images on the memory card. You can also print a part of an image by first cropping it within the camera and even create index prints (also known as contact sheets). If your camera has this feature, you might like to consider a printer which offers it as well. To find out if a camera or printer is PictBridge compatible, look for the PictBridge logo on the packaging or check the manual for specifications.

Exif Print:

EXIF stands for Exchangeable Image File Format, and Exif Reader is an image file analysis software for Windows. It analyzes and displays the shutter speed, focal length, flash condition, and other image information included in the Exif image format which is supported by almost all the latest digital cameras. Exif image files with an extension of JPG can be treated in the same manner as conventional JPEG files. This software analyzes JPEG files created by digital cameras.

When used with an Exif-capable camera, an Exif-compatible printer uses information regarding the exposure values at the time a photograph was taken to provide a more accurate, lifelike print. Although the original Exif is quite competent at this job, newer Exif Print 2.2 is even more accurate.

Print Sizes: Unless you’re purchasing a printer for a very specific purpose, and are happy with limited print options, it is recommended that you choose a printer that can handle at least two different print sizes, such as wallet and 4×6 inches. Of course, with a printer capable of 8.5×11 inches prints, you have a wide range of smaller prints to choose from as well.

Cost of Paper and Ink: It is no secret that most photo printers require special paper and ink cartridges (read as OEMs). This paper means better accuracy and photo print longevity. However, the price of these kits can mean a cost of between £0.50 and £2.00 per print. If you intend to print a lot of photos, you may want to look for a printer with less expensive paper options.

Editing Capabilities: Nowadays, some printers on the market actually let you edit digital photos. This editing capability can range from a few limited text messages and crop sizes to a touch-screen LCD that permits multiple picture edits before printing. Your choice of printer should depend on:

• Whether you want to do any editing at all, and if so,
• Whether you would rather do sophisticated edits on a computer, or quick, simple adjustments from a printer.

To put it simply, if you have a digital camera, a great photo printer will eliminate the middle man when it comes to getting brilliant photo prints for albums, to share with families or to frame and display. Below is a list of the most popular printers you might want to consider for your use.

1) Epson Stylus Photo R800 Inkjet Printer
With this printer, you can get amazing borderless prints, with up to 5760 x 1440 optimized dpi printouts. This printer separates the colours and blacks into eight separate cartridges, which makes it a good choice for photo printing. (One-colour cartridge systems can be a nuisance when you’re printing lots of colour.) An advantage of this printer is that it can print directly onto inkjet printable DVDs and CDs.

2) Canon PIXMA iP4000 Inkjet Photo Printer
You can produce a remarkable print with up to 4,800 x 1,200 dpi colour on this model. The printer is also PictBridge™ compatible, so you can directly print from many digital cameras. A bonus is that this printer has built-in two-sided printing, which is handy when you’re also printing documents. The below-£100 price tag also makes this a fine choice if you want a budget printer.

3) HP (Hewlett-Packard) Photosmart 8450 Inkjet Printer
The outstanding quality of printouts is the real reason to choose this printer. It also has some cool bells and whistles, though, too. You can print directly from memory cards or PictBridge enabled cameras, eliminating the need to involve your computer. There is a 2.5-inch LCD screen for previews and it also features in ethernet port for east networking.

4) Kodak Professional 4000 Photo Color Dye Sublimation PrinterFor true-to-life, studio-quality photo prints, you could invest in this remarkable professional-level printer. Although it can cost around £500, you can deliver outstanding 8×10 prints in 1.5 minutes. The printed photos are sealed with an archiving laminate to protect the prints.

5) Olympus P-440 Digital Photo Printer
This is a higher-end digital photo printer that is capable of producing high-resolution printouts. An additional benefit of this printer is that you can set it to print a page of passport photos. It also has a nice 1.8-inch colour LCD screen.

Inkjet Vs Laser Printer

In the early days there was a vast difference between an inkjet printer and its laser version but with time the difference has narrowed down to point where it is sometimes difficult to differentiate between the two. Most individuals continue to use the Inkjet printers, as they are less expensive and nearly all of them are colour capable. The quality of the inkjet printers has improved over time and now there is not a huge difference in printing quality with the Laser printers. It’s for this reason that small or home business can use an inkjet printer without having to worry about documents looking unclear or looking cheap.

The laser printer is capable of printing much faster and usually produces better quality image, it is far more expensive as compared to the Inkjet version. Laser printers are usually used for black printing but there are colour laser printers available now.

Having pointed that out, it is also useful to note that the general rule of the thumb for printers is ‘the lesser the cost of the printer, the more expensive the running cost”. This could however depend on the volume of printing the printer is being used for. If the printing volume were minimal, it would be more cost effective to use an inkjet printer. It is very easy to get carried away by the initial price of an inkjet printer but people buying them are often not aware that the running cost of the machine would play a huge part and should be factored into the decision making.

This would be better understood with an example. Let us consider a Canon i320 colour bubble jet printer. It usually does not cost more than £30 obviously subject to the discounts applicable at your store. The cost of a cartridge is usually in the £10 range and on an average it prints 170 pages. Even if you print as few as 7 pages a day that works out to 2100 pages over the year. This in turn works out to an annual expense of approximately £135. The amount one spends on cartridges is approximately 4 times the price of the printer in the first year itself. This is the reason the subsequent expenditure needs to be taken into consideration while buying a printer.

Inkjet printers come with some added problems that need to be looked at and taken into consideration.

1. To begin with they are not as fast as the Laser printers. This is one reason why Inkjet printers are not recommended when printing needs to be done in large volumes.
2. They are known to throw up cartridge error messages even though the cartridges might be working just fine. This is not to say that Inkjet printers are always problematic but these are just a few errors that do crop up once in a while.
3. The print can also start going haywire sometimes and it may start printing in endless loops.
4. It is often difficult to minimize and regulate the amount of ink being used in the Inkjet printers.
5. There is a difference in quality of an Inkjet print and a laser print. Often the laser print is of better quality.

It is for these reasons that the laser printers sales have taken of in a very big way in spite of being a more expensive buy.

However, in comparison to the laser printers, there are a few positives about the inkjet printers, which are more suitable to the requirements of a small or home business where they do not need to print as many in terms of volumes.

Colour laser printers have been around for some time but they were frightfully expensive a few years ago. A recent study found that last year nearly 1.85 million colour laser printers were sold, a substantial growth from the previous year. A large number of offices are going in for the colour page printers. This is however not recommended if you do not need to print fliers or brochures in large volumes consistently.

There are a few other advantages that come with a laser printer, for example:

1. Using a duplex unit: This would enable the user to print back to back. This is particularly useful for creating brochures and leaflets.
2. Add a paper drawer: This would reduce the number of user interventions and in turn reduces the printer errors
3. Assigning different paper trays for different drafts can be used to print different documents without messing about with the tray each time.
4. An Ethernet or a wireless network card can be added to the printer to attach it to a network. This functionality can be availed in the laser printer.

This is just to outline the benefits of using each kind of a printer. This is aimed at helping the user to weigh the pros and the cons before buying a printer.