Print Ready Photo Settings That Stop Cheap Prints

By Ray Baker

A 24 megapixel file is not automatically a print file. A 6000 by 4000 pixel image is 20 inches by 13.333 inches at 300 PPI, and asking it to fill 30 inches means the software has to invent pixels that were never captured [1]. That gap is why a photo can look gorgeous on your screen and come back from the lab looking soft, flat or slightly wrong. Getting your print ready photo settings right comes down to matching pixels, colour and output size. It takes minutes once you know what to check.

What are print ready photo settings?

Print ready photo settings are the resolution, colour space and file format choices you lock in at export so a lab or printer reproduces your image accurately. Resolution only means something when paired with output size, such as 8×10 inches at 300 ppi [2]. Everything else follows from that pairing.

Key takeaways

• Your print ready photo settings only work when resolution is paired with output size: 8×10 inches at 300 ppi is a real specification [2].
• Inkjet prints sit at 180 to 360 ppi, and continuous-tone printing at 240 to 400 ppi [2].
• sRGB is the safer default for consumer labs and most home printers [2][3].
• Soft proof with the lab’s ICC profile before you send the file, not after [4].
• Let the lab upsize rather than enlarging a compressed file yourself [1].

Why do screen files print badly?

A monitor and a printer are doing different jobs. The screen throws light at you. Paper reflects it back. That is why a file can look punchy on a laptop and dull in the hand, even when nothing about the edit changed. The print ready photo settings you choose at export decide which of those two worlds you are aiming for.

The technical part is simpler than it sounds. Screens are measured in pixels per inch and printers in dots per inch, and the two are not interchangeable [2]. Resolution is only relevant when it is paired with an output size, such as 8×10 inches at 300 ppi [2].

Where people get caught is the file itself. Images that have been through messaging apps and social platforms arrive small, and enlarging them forces interpolation routines to invent detail that was never there. Down sampling discards data permanently, and that data is not recoverable if the image is saved over [1]. In my experience, more ruined prints come from a resaved, downsized file than from any camera setting. If you are unsure which format to hand over, this comparison of RAW vs JPEG is worth ten minutes before your next shoot.

Quick reference: pixels and DPI

Keep these print ready photo settings handy while you export. The ASMP figures describe image resolution, while the Art-Tech figures describe printer output resolution for a given viewing distance.

How does viewing distance change DPI?

Viewing distance is the variable most photographers ignore when they set print ready photo settings. A 36×24 poster viewed from two to four feet is classed as medium resolution at 360-720 DPI, and a 72×24 banner viewed from four feet or more is low resolution at 150-360 DPI [5]. A 5×6 photo held in the hand at six inches to two feet needs high resolution, 720-1440 DPI [5].

There is a ceiling worth knowing. If your file is only 300 DPI, it does not hold enough information to benefit from a print resolution higher than 360 DPI, and pushing past that only adds print time and ink use [5]. Newspapers are the classic low-resolution case: they usually print with 85- to 100-line screens, requiring at most images at 170 to 200 ppi [2].

This is also where print orders belong in your business, not just your editing. A written file specification inside your photography client workflow means the next order does not restart the same conversation.

Which colour space should you send?

For consumer labs and home printers, sRGB is the safer default [2][3]. The ASMP guide notes that a wide-gamut space such as Adobe RGB (1998), ECI-RGB or ProPhoto RGB is generally better for JPEG and TIFF captures and for editing, while sRGB is convenient when the pictures will not need colour correction or tonal editing and are intended for web or sRGB lab prints [2]. The catch is one-way: you can convert a wide-gamut image down to sRGB, but a narrow-gamut image converted to a wide space will not recapture the colours of the wider gamut [2].

When a lab supplies an ICC profile for its paper and process, install it and soft proof. In Photoshop that means View > Proof Setup > Custom, choosing the profile under Device to Simulate, setting Rendering Intent to Relative Colorimetric, and checking Black Point Compensation and Simulate Paper Color [4]. Save the file as JPG or PNG with the ICC profile box ticked [4].

Monitor calibration is the other half. It should be done with a hardware device, because visual calibration is not adequate for professional image editing [2]. A common starting point is gamma 2.2 and 6500K for both Windows and Mac, with brightness set in relation to the room’s ambient lighting [2]. A repeatable photo editing workflow keeps those print ready photo settings consistent from job to job.

Offset work is a separate conversation. Offset printing requires image files saved in CMYK, and a good conversion needs knowledge of the specific press and paper type, so simple mode conversions in Photoshop are not recommended [2]. A white point of 5000-5500K is a common recommendation for offset printing [2]. Many commercial printers now run their own colour standards, which reduces how often photographers need to make that conversion at all [2].

5 easy tips for cleaner prints

Five changes to your print ready photo settings cover most of what goes wrong.

1. Check the output size at 300 ppi before exporting. Resolution only means something when it is paired with a print size [2].
2. Convert to sRGB for consumer labs and home printers. It is the safest colour space for most of those devices [2][3].
3. Soft proof with the lab’s ICC profile. It shows how colours will shift before you submit the file [4].
4. Let the lab upsize. Most labs have sophisticated interpolation software, and the accepted best practice is to let them do it rather than enlarging the file yourself [1].
5. Match the media type to the loaded paper. A wrong media setting causes washed-out or smeared results [3].

Why did your print come back wrong?

Most faults trace back to one setting in your print ready photo settings. Here are the usual suspects.

• Washed-out or smeared: the media type in the printer driver does not match the paper actually loaded [3].
• Muddy or conflicting colour: both the application and the printer are managing colour at once, which causes conflicts [3].
• Flat colour from a lab: the file was sent in a wide-gamut space without conversion, or the profile was not embedded [2][4].
• Soft or pixelated detail: the file was upsampled before delivery, or downsampled and saved over the original [1].
• Right on screen, wrong on paper: the monitor was not calibrated and profiled with a hardware device [2].

Print quality also feeds directly into branding for photographers, because clients judge the whole service by what lands in their hand.

Frequently asked questions

Is 300 DPI always the right setting?

No. Print ready photo settings are not one number. Resolution only matters when paired with output size [2]. Inkjet prints sit at 180 to 360 ppi and continuous-tone printing at 240 to 400 ppi [2], while a large banner viewed from four feet or more can use far less [5].

Should I send sRGB or Adobe RGB?

sRGB is the safer default for consumer labs and most home printers [2][3]. Send Adobe RGB or ProPhoto RGB when the lab asks for it and you have soft proofed the file against their profile [4].

Do I need to convert to CMYK?

Offset printing requires CMYK files, but a good conversion needs knowledge of the specific press and paper type, and simple mode conversions in Photoshop are not recommended [2]. Many commercial printers now manage that step themselves [2].

Can I print a big poster from a small file?

Sometimes, but not far. Most labs have sophisticated interpolation software, and the accepted best practice is to let your lab or printer upsize on your behalf rather than doing it before delivery [1].

What file format should I export?

Lumaprints suggests JPG or PNG with the ICC profile box ticked [4]. For consumer work, a high-quality JPEG in sRGB is the least risky option and keeps uploads manageable.

Why do my prints look darker than my screen?

Usually the monitor. Calibration and profiling should be done with a hardware device, because visual calibration is not adequate for professional image editing [2]. Soft proofing then shows how colours will shift [4].

Honest take

Most print problems I hear about are not camera problems. They are print ready photo settings problems. Someone spends an hour on the edit and thirty seconds on the export dialog, then blames the lab. Build one export preset per output type, name it clearly and reuse it. That single habit removes most of the guesswork, and it makes quoting print work to clients far less stressful.

References

1. Professional Photographers of America. Module 5E: Exporting Images for Display and Print (PPA Wiki). https://wiki.ppa.com/books/photography-certification-guide/page/module-5e-exporting-images-for-display-and-print
2. American Society of Media Photographers. Digital Photography Guide. 2019. https://www.asmp.org/wp-content/uploads/ASMP_Digital-Photo-Guide_FINAL_2019-11-30.pdf
3. HP. How to Print Photos at Home That Look Professional. https://www.hp.com/us-en/tech-takes/printing/how-to/how-to-print-photos-at-home-professionally.html
4. Lumaprints. Preparing Your Image File for Successful Print. https://www.lumaprints.com/blog/webinar-preparing-your-image-file-for-a-successful-print/
5. University of Oregon Art-Tech. Getting the most from Printing. https://art-tech.uoregon.edu/printers/themost/

Shoot well and follow up faster,
Ray Baker