When you’ve taken many great photographs, it can sometimes be difficult or inconvenient to drive to the nearest photo center to have them printed, which can also be quite costly! You might have fiddled with the idea of buying a color photo printer and printing your digital photos at home. This is a terrific way to save money and hassle! Take a look at a few things you’ll need before you can start printing your own pictures:
Color photo printer: The most expensive piece of equipment you will need to buy to start printing your own pictures is of course a color photo printer. We recommend that for everyday use, you purchase an inkjet printer, as the cartridges are much cheaper to replace than laser printers, and you can still get great results with them.
Inkjet photo paper: If you do opt for an inkjet printer, then you will need photo paper! If you decide to purchase a laser printer, you will have to find paper specifically designed to work with that type of printer. When it comes to the different types of photo paper, you’ll be spoiled for choice! You can get anything from high gloss to semi-gloss to matte finish. The type of paper you choose is vital to getting the best results for your purpose. High gloss paper has a very shiny look and reflects light well. However, this type of paper can make the photo hard to see if it is placed under strong lighting and it is more likely to show fingerprints and dust. Semi-gloss is a great all-around paper; colors look vibrant without reflecting too much light and fingerprints and dust aren’t very troublesome. Matte paper does not reflect light and had a tendency to look dull, but it’s the ideal paper for black and white prints. It also does not attract fingerprints or dust and is easy to see in all types of light.
Free photo editing software: Photo editing software is not a necessity, but it can be extremely handy. You can find several variations of free (shareware) software to download online. Photo editors are great if you need to crop and image or adjust the lighting. You can also use it to hide blemishes and correct red-eye. Some even come with effects that allow you to change the picture’s shape, add distortion, picture frames, color fading, etc.
Once you’ve acquired the printer (which should come with ink to get your started) and photo paper, follow the instructions to get it all set up and you’re ready to start printing your own photos!
