I have 20,099 photos on my phone. Which is a lot. According to the website photoaid.com I have more than the average. How many do you have?
The more important question is, how many of those photos do you look at often? I'm guessing you don't spend a lot of time looking at them. Most of us are busy scrolling social media or reading news perhaps, forgetting about the photos that represent moments of our lives. If you'd like to enjoy your photos regularly there are several options available to you. Here's my 3 tips to help you make the most of printing your photos.
Instant film printers. This is my go to option. It's quick, easy & produces great results, as long as you keep in mind that instant film won't match the quality achieved from traditional print options. I own both the original Instax Mini printer & an Instax Wide & love them both. I have hundreds of prints of my dogs (that also includes photos taken with my Instax camera, which might be a future subject to talk about) & have begun attaching them to a wall in my home. If you're looking for an easy, cheap & fun option then an Instax printer is the way to go. Polaroid also make a printer (& there's other brands available too) but I have no experience with those so can't offer any thoughts on them.
Consumer grade printers. It could be argued that printing at home has never been cheaper. Between a seemingly endless supply of online retailers selling big brand name consumer printers & bricks & mortar stores selling them - often for less than $100 - the at home print world really is your oyster.
When researching printers, look for ones with inbuilt bluetooth & wifi. Either option will allow you to print directly from your phone. Most will allow you to change the print settings; always pick the highest print setting available for the size you want to print at. You want to retain as much quality in your print as possible.
Alongside your printer you want to purchase the best quality paper you can afford. Confused about glossy, semi-gloss or matte options? Glossy paper has a high level of shine, meaning colours often pop, making them great for photos with lots of bright colour. Semi-gloss has less of the shiny coating applied to it, so a more subtle result is achieved making it ideal for less saturated colours. A matte paper has no shiny coating applied, making it the perfect paper for people who don't like shine, whilst retaining a good range of colour depth.
Photos printed from your phone look great at 6" x 4" size. Going larger is possible, it all depends on the settings used by your phone camera at the time & the expectations you have of the quality of your photos.
Online printing labs. If there is one thing that the internet has given us is an abundance of choice. Type online print labs into your search engine of choice & hundreds of options appear. There's everything from Big W to Officeworks to Vistaprint & more. The results from these labs are fairly similar, although I've had better results from labs dedicated to printing as opposed to Kmart & the like. I assume this is because online labs are dedicated to printing photos, giving them the staff & equipment to provide consistent quality results. They are competitively priced too. It's worth keeping an eye out for upcoming sales, which often provide great print savings or package multiple print size options into one larger saving.
There are also online print labs that are dedicated to professional photographers, but have a consumer print lab as well. Two that I recommend are BPro (who I use for my personal & client work) & Atkins. Their consumer prints offer a high quality result for a good price. The quality won't match those taken by a professional photographer, but will outshine consumer grade labs. Their prices will be higher than less quality options, but you get what you pay for. This is my recommendation if you want high quality prints that will last a lifetime.
I hope these tips help encourage you to print your photos. They deserve to be looked at often.
If you'd like to book a portrait session for your pet, get in touch & together we can create a lifetime of memories centered around your best friend.
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