There are some simple truths in this world. One is puppies are cute. Most people agree with that. Another is that we humans love taking photos. We have an innate desire to capture and preserve special moments in ways that go beyond simple memories. Photos transport us to another time and place and help us hold on to the memories that our minds can forget. How often have you been flipping through your phone and said, “Oh, yeah, I forgot about that!” How much do humans love photos? The analysts at Keypoint Intelligence said that in 2020, we will take 1,436,300,000,000 photos. That’s not one million, or even one billion… that’s over 1.4 trillion photos.
If you want to move at least some of those photos from the cloud or your phone to the real world is to simply print them. It’s the fastest and easiest way to start reminiscing immediately. That way you can put your favorite family photos in frames… or fill up the front of the fridge.
Here are some tips for printing photos.
- Download and use the Mopria Print Service to help get the most out of the printing process. The vast majority of photos taken these days are with the camera(s) on your smartphone and other mobile devices. The Mopria Print Service harnesses mobility and enhances print functionalities by enabling you to orient, edit and crop your photos to perfection before sending the files directly to a printer from your Android device.
- Use photo paper. This is probably the biggest challenge of printing photos. Not because it is difficult, but because it can get very technical, very quickly. This article at B&H’s Explora explains that surface finish is key, but they can range from extremely textured matte to exceptionally smooth and brilliant gloss. From there, you can get specialized options, such as metallic and baryta. But really, there are just three basic types of paper: Glossy, Luster, or Matte. At the end of the day, if you are not sure which is right for you, or you simply want to try a selection of different papers, there are many sample packs that will provide a variety of different types for you to test.
- Heavier papers can work great. If you don’t want to get your hands on photo paper, be aware that sometimes if you are printing from an inkjet printer on standard copy paper, as the ink dries, it may wrinkle the thin paper. To fix that, you can print on a heavier weight paper such as card stock which will limit the wrinkle factor.
- Protect the prints. You want your photos to last. To help with this, you can use a protectant spray that safeguards the prints from various environmental factors such as UV light, moisture and dust that can dim and dull the image. There are several lacquer-type products that can do the trick including Hahnemuhle, Moab and Premier Art Print Shield, which are protective coatings for inkjet prints.
With these tips, you can start printing those birthday party memories—or more importantly, puppy pics. …because people all agree, puppies are cute.
