When it comes to ordering professional photographs online, many services are available. If you’re looking for the highest quality images, choose giclee printing services. To help you navigate the sea of services and options online, here are five giclee printing tips for professional photographers to follow.
5 Giclee Printing Tips for Professional Photographers
Choose a Giclee Printing Service
The first step to creating your own photo reproductions is choosing a printing service. Giclee printing offers various benefits for artists and photographers looking to sell their works, including long-lasting images and superior quality. Not all giclee printing is made the same. The number of inks a printer uses is important, but an equal knowledge of color management and media knowledge is valuable as well. Look for a service that offers a range of sizes and some other key factors that you’ll find below.
Edit Your Photos for Printing
Editing photographs for posting on social media and editing them for display requires distinct settings and choices. When we edit images to post on social media, we often consider what will be most eye-catching and cause our audience to stop scrolling. However, when you edit a photo for print, think about finding balance in the image to make it appealing to look at long-term. Try to tweak levels such as contrast, brightness, and saturation to create a balanced image. Use larger color profiles such as AdobeRGB(1998) or Display P3 when exporting to print. When cropping, remember the more that you crop out of an image, the more you are reducing the available pixels for printing, which brings us to the next tip.
PRO TIP: TURN YOUR SCREEN BRIGHTNESS DOWN WHEN EDITING!
Select a Size for Your Photo Print
Always consider your desired printing size when editing and formatting your photographs. Images with low resolutions can look grainy or pixelated when you blow them up to a larger size for printing. To preserve the quality of your original photos, choose a print size that corresponds with the original resolution. The larger the megapixels the better. We need at least 150 pixels per inch to print a high-quality print. That means for a 24×36 print we need a 3600px by 5400px image. This can be easily achieved using modern digital cameras with 20+ megapixel sensors. Software like On1 Resize AI and Topaz Labs Gigapixel AI can push the limits of modern sensors. If you have a large enough resolution to get creative with sizing, consider whether you want to explore custom sizing with large-format prints. Not all services can offer large-format services, so consider this before choosing a company.
Understand the Print Material Options
Giclee services provide high-quality reproductions on a variety of materials. Consider whether you want to use standard glossy photo paper for your prints or upgrade to a new medium, such as canvas or a traditional option like the FineArt Baryta. Browse the selection of print mediums that your desired reproduction service offers to get a better idea of all the options you can choose for your photographs. With modern printers your photographs can be printed on both photo and fine art material with equal clarity and definition.
Choose the Right Finish Options
Finally, the last tip to know about ordering giclee photographs is to choose the right finishing options. Giclee printing services offer several materials and finish types, plus additional packaging and mounting options for whatever your project may need. For example, you could add texture to a piece through a canvas print or finish. You can also choose glossy or matte looks, depending on whether you want that authentic photograph appearance. Added touches like individual packaging and retail options make your prints ready to sell. Explore all your finish options before completing your order.
Remember these five giclee printing tips for professional photographers when you order reproductions of your work. If you’re looking for the highest quality photo prints, browse our services at The Stackhouse. We offer professional-quality photograph and artwork reproductions for sale, display, and more. Our experts can help walk you through these steps to select the best print for your needs.