3 Helpful Tips To Make Your Print Look Perfect!
Are you tired of your colored prints looking “not the best?” Looking to print a clear photo of your loved ones? Whatever the reason may be, giving this a read will surely help you! I will provide you three helpful tips that may get you one step closer to achieving that perfect photo.
PAPER TYPE: Setting the correct options on your printer
Incorrect paper type may lead to poor print quality. It could print too much ink onto your paper or too little to be visible. Some may smear even at the slightest touch!
Did you set your settings according to the type of paper that you used? This is a significant step that one should not ignore. Let me explain why choosing the right paper type is necessary — The Paper Type option in your settings tells the printer how much ink the sheet requires. Each type of paper varies in thickness, size, and texture. Some sheets might be too thin, where as some may be too thick. Hence, each paper type requires a specific amount of ink.
I once used photo papers with a glossy finish, but I didn’t choose the correct settings on the printer. I wound up wasting around 20 sheets of photo paper because its color was faded and easily smeared. Now that I have realized my mistake, my photos turned out super vibrant!
CMYK and RGB: Knowing their difference
We have all wondered why prints don’t always look the same as we see them on screen. It’s because, for printing, we use CMYK. However, for screen displays, we use RGB. What do these mean, and for what should I use these for, exactly?
CMYK (Cyan, Magenta, Yellow, Black): Used by printers, these four ink colors produce various colors on white surfaces like paper.
RGB (Red, Green, Blue): Computer screens, cellphones, laptops, TV, and other devices all use RGB. The three colors of light are combined to produce colors of varying shades and hues.
In short, CMYK is for ink, while RGB is for light.
RGB colors are identified as Additive, while CMYK colors refer to as Subtractive. Simply put, CMYK is for white canvases like paper, while RGB is for black canvases like screens. The more you add RGB colors, it will gradually turn into white. The more you add CMYK colors, it will gradually turn into black.
You have to tell the difference between them because using the incorrect color model will affect your print. Before you print your image, make sure the color model your image is using is CMYK.
Creating a CMYK document is a simple process:
- Open Adobe Photoshop
- Create a new file. Open the New Document Window.
- In color mode, select CMYK.
If you want to convert RGB to CMYK:
- Open the image in Adobe Photoshop.
- Navigate to Image. Press Mode. Select CMYK.
Now that you know why the colors of your print look different compared to the colors on screen and the steps on how to fix that, you can now print any images that you want without worrying about how the colors will turn out! Say goodbye to the weird colors!
RESOLUTION:
Having high-resolution images is an essential step to printing the perfect photo, or a giant photo, whatever your heart desires! Nobody wants to print a blurry image of your loved ones!
Let’s talk about pixel dimensions. Pixel dimensions measure the height and width of an image in pixels. Moreover, the resolution is the fineness of the image. You may ask, how do you get a finer photo? Pixels per inch (ppi) determines the resolution of the picture. It makes the image look sharp and fine. The more pixels per inch, the better!
How do we make sure your printer is on par with the resolution shown on your monitor? Printer Resolution is measured using dpi or ink dots per inch. Ink dots per inch is the total amount of microscopic dots that the printer will produce. Just like ppi, the more dpi, the better!
Most inkjet printers have a resolution of roughly 720 to 2880 dpi. An image resolution around 220 to 300 ppi should hold better results. Printer resolution is different from image resolution, but the way you configure them determines the final output.
Thanks for reading! Leave a comment if you have any questions. Looking to save money on your printing projects? Check out www.compandsave.com for some great deals on printer ink and accessories! Remember to follow our blog for more interesting printing related tips and guides.
About the Author
Sheena Jacutin is the Customer Service Manager at Compandsave.com Inc. CompAndSave is a large eCommerce retailer of print and office supply products in the United States and Canada. With over 8 years of experience working in the printer ink industry, her articles can be quite helpful to those wanting to learn more about getting the best outcome from your printing projects. A proud wife and mother of two, Sheena understands the value of DIY and is here to shine light on the best tips and tricks when it comes to printing the best photos, creating stickers for scrap booking and much more!
