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One of the most important factors in getting great prints from your digital photos is understanding digital image resolution. It may seem a bit complicated at first, but we've give some tips on the basics that will help make your photos look like a pro.
What is a pixel?
 Pixels are the basic building blocks of every digital image. Digital images are comprised of pixels lined up side-by-side, both vertically and horizontally. If the image is made up of many small pixels, it will look smooth and crisp. If it's made up of fewer large pixels, the image will be jagged and unclear, or pixilated (photo left). This translates directly to print quality—the more pixels in your photos, the better the prints will look. an image made up of too few pixels will look pixilated.
How are pixels measured? The number of pixels captured by your digital camera's electronic chip is measured in terms of resolution. High resolution images are made up of more pixels than low resolution images (and thus result in better prints). Cameras' maximum resolutions are usually clearly indicated on the packaging or even on the camera itself. If your camera has a resolution of 640 x 480 pixels or lower, it's considered a web camera and is best used for viewing images on a computer screen rather than making photographic prints. If your camera has a resolution listed in "megapixels" (millions of pixels per image), then it's suitable for getting prints. the higher/ greater the megapixels the better the quality the image will be.
How many pixels do I need to make a print? This depends on the size of the print. Fewer pixels are needed to make small prints than larger ones. To get high-quality prints in variety of sizes, Gallery808.com recommends your photos have at least the following minimum resolutions:
• Wallet-size prints - 320 x 240 pixels minimum
(actual image size: 2 x 3")
• 4 x 6" print - 640 x 480 pixels
• 5 x 7" print - 1024 x 768 pixels
• 8 x 10" print - 1536 x 1024 pixels
• 16 x 20" print - 1600 x 1200 pixels
• 20 x 30" print - 1600 x 1200 pixels
Before you print
Now that you understand the pixel thing, open the file in any photo editing program, photoshop or iphoto recommended. This is where you should touch up your photo, cropping, color levels, contrast, etc.... if you don't know anything about this stuff, you can skip to the next step.
Printing your photos
Choose any inkjet photo paper, canon or epson glossy quality paper is recommended. Now that you have the right paper, make sure you have the correct settings for your printer. You should be able to find these setting in the "page setup" options. Image orientation should be set to portrait or landscape according to the image orientation, then choose the correct paper size.
Printer/photo quality should be set to "photo quality prints " or whatever is recommended with the photo paper you are using. That's it, you should be good to go, press print and you should have awesome looking photos!
Remember, the best prints require proper lighting, sharp focus, and the use of the highest available resolution setting. good luck and have fun with your photos.
Gallery808.com
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