How to Make Newspaper-Quality Photo Prints
With advancements in photography technologies, more people are able to take professional-looking photographs of events in their cities. This is happening at a time when newspapers are reducing their professional staffs, causing many publications to become more open to accepting photographs from residents of the cities they serve. However, if you want to create a photographic print with quality high enough for submission to a newspaper, you must follow a few simple steps.
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Things You'll Need
- Computer
- Photo editing software
- Scanner (optional)
- Photo printing service
Instructions
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Download the photos from your digital camera. If you have a print from film, use a scanner to scan it. Open the image in a photo editing program.
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Check the image's size and quality. In Adobe's Photoshop CS4, for example, click first on "Image" in the menu and then on "Image Size." While these steps describe the procedure in Photoshop, other photo editing software will have similar menus and features.
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Check the image's size under "Pixel Dimensions" in the window that opens. According to Kodak, an 8-by-10-inch print should have minimum dimensions of 1280 x 1024 pixels.
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Verify that the photo's resolution is 300 dpi/ppi. You will find this information under "Resolution" in the same window.
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Correct the color in your image. Some automated actions are available in Photoshop under the "Image" menu. Select "Adjustments" and then "Auto Tone," "Auto Contrast" or "Auto Color." More experienced photo editors might choose to use the manual adjustments.
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Save the image using "Save As" in the File menu. Give the photo a name that you can easily remember. In the information box that appears, be sure the "Photo Quality" slider is set at a value from 10 to 12.
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Choose a printing service for printing your photo. If you use an online service, upload your digital photo file. For a local service, transfer your photo to a CD or flash drive. Either way, have the service create an 8-by-10-inch print.
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Tips & Warnings
Check with your local newspaper to learn the method it prefers to receive photos. Many newspapers are now totally digital and may not accept photo prints.
Consider embedding your personal information into the photo file if you are sending a digital photo so that if your photo is separated from your information, the staff will know who to credit.
Remember that your photo will probably be printed in black and white. Be sure to test it out in black and white in your photo editing software to make sure it retains its impact.
References
Resources
- Photo Credit film-camera on camera-bag image by Andrii Oleksiienko from Fotolia.com
