Sizing for prints

[Trish323]

I have come a long way in the few short years I have been photographing. I still have a Long way to go, but my passion and interest continues to grow.

The one big area that has totally held me back is my ignorance in understanding how to crop and size to make specific print size for printing. I hesitate when asked to do paying jobs for this reason.

Is there anyone here who could possibly explain a workflow to me so I can move ahead. Don't know where to begin and if i have had anything print in the right size and look good,,,it has been sheer luck!

I have just finished reading and learning about EZ prints and how to set color...the size thing is the last piece of puzzle....Help!
Any info in this area is greatly appreciated.

[Andy]

Here's a starter on resolution (http://www.smugmug.com/help/print-quality)

[Trish323]

Here's a starter on resolution (http://www.smugmug.com/help/print-quality)
Thanks Andy..i missed that section:dunno My next area of interest is this:

When I crop...I always seem to mess up and if I try to order say a 5x7 ith ez it doesn't fit correctly withing there boundry area.

Also when saving at JPEG 10, what else should be set?

[schmoe]

When cropping for a specific print size you just crop it so that the ratio of two dimensions of the shot is the same as the print.

Example:
5x7 print has a ratio of 7/5=1.4, therfore when you crop your shot for printing, you want to crop so that ratio of the longer side to shorter side =1.4. In PSP when you use the crop tool it lists the current ratio that your selection is as you make your selection. Also you can specify the print size and it will make a selection with the proper ratio for you. Then just move or resize the selection as needed.

Joel