How to Get Prints of Your Digital Photos
You've been on vacation and filled up the memory card on your digital camera. You don't want to delete any of the pictures, and you have only one memory card. What do you do with all those pictures? Of course you want prints, but what is the best way? You can directly print out pictures with a PictBridge compatible camera and printer, download your photos online and use an online service, or you can take your memory card to a store.
Instructions
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Print out pictures directly by using a PictBridge compatible camera and printer. PictBridge is technology that allows your camera to bypass the computer and go directly to the printer. Check your camera and printer's manuals to see if you have this capability. If you do, display the picture you want to print on the camera monitor while in the playback mode. Turn the printer on and plug the USB cable into the connector of your camera and the printer's USB port. On your camera monitor, press the start button. Your picture is printed. This is the Easy Print option. Some cameras will have a Custom Print option as well. Just follow the steps on the monitor screen of your camera.
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Download your pictures onto your computer. Your camera should have a CD-ROM containing software, so you can download or transfer pictures from your camera. Once the software is loaded into the computer, connect the camera to the computer using the USB cable. Start up the software, follow the steps to transfer the pictures to the computer. The software program allows you to manage your pictures into an album or folder. You can now use an online service to transfer your pictures directly to the store where you can pick them up or have them mailed. Wal-Mart has a digital photo center that allows you to pick the pictures you want to have printed, choose how many and what size, and when you would like to pick them up. You must register at its site. Walgreen, Target, CVS, and Costco also offer this feature as well as many of the retail stores or pharmacies. Snapfish.com creates an online photo album that you can share with others. They also will print pictures and mail them to you. You can choose size, number, and even choose to print on coffee mugs or T-shirts.
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Take the memory card to a drugstore, retail store, or camera shop. There are kiosks available for you to insert your memory card, choose the pictures you want, and print the size you want. Lines are usually long, so pick a time of day that is less busy. You can also drop off the memory card for developing in the lab.
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Decide which option is the best. Printing pictures at home is convenient, but it can be expensive with the cost of ink and photo paper. The quality may not be as good. Taking your pictures to a Do-it-Yourself kiosk site can be time consuming. The fastest and easiest is an online service offered by Wal-Mart, Walgreen, Target, CVS and Costco, to name a few. Simply upload your photos to the store, choose from the options available, and pick up the prints in a few days. You can opt to have your prints in one hour for an additional fee. Most stores use Fuji or Kodak processing.
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Tips & Warnings
Because of today's technology, you can have your digital photos printed on just about anything from coffee mugs to T-shirts and even pillow cases.
Resources
- Photo Credit ClickArt by Broderbund
