when i take an image with my 20D its as far as i know always 3504 X 2336 pixels ( (when using the file size Ive chosen ). If i want to print that file so everything fits on the page with no loss of quality or picture - do i just print or should I ( as recommended) resize to 1024X768 ( or 800x600) - and if true which is the better size resize to if im printing 8X10?

Ive very rarely ever printed ........
Im asking because - when i take an image and i try to print a 8X10 sometimes the image doesnt look right in the preview box - it looks as if it wont fit or theres that white border around it......

The problem is even worse if I start with a crop of an image.
Should I be resizing my images??
What resize should I use?

I'd like to print two sizes: 8x10 and 4x6

im such a noob....


troy

I think it's a good question. I hardly ever print anything, so I'm looking forward to the answers.

As far as I know, you have two measurements to consider when you're printing. One is the size of the print that you want. The other measurement is the quality of the print. You're asking about the size. But you're not mentioning the quality - how dense the image should be on the page. I think the measurement used is dots per inch (dpi). I think a high quality print job is about 300 dpi.

OK, that's all I think I know.

depends on the application you are using to print and the printer. More details please.

Originally Posted by windoze when i take an image with my 20D its as far as i know always 3504 X 2336 pixels (when using the file size Ive chosen ). <snip> Im asking because - when i take an image and i try to print a 8X10 sometimes the image doesnt look right in the preview box - it looks as if it wont fit or theres that white border around it......

What application are you printing from? Personally, I always take pictures at the highest resolution of the camera. I never down-sample a photo, and I never up-sample a photo.

One thing you need to learn about is "aspect ratios". Your 20D takes a 3:2 aspect ratio picture, just like 35mm film. But an 8x10 is a 4:5 ratio (reduce the fraction 8/10 and you get 4:5). Therefore one of several things must happen:

* white space is added to the print
* part of the print needs to be cropped off
* or, the print gets stretched to fit the new aspect ratio

Originally Posted by windoze when i take an image with my 20D its as far as i know always 3504 X 2336 pixels ( (when using the file size Ive chosen ). If i want to print that file so everything fits on the page with no loss of quality or picture - do i just print or should I ( as recommended) resize to 1024X768 ( or 800x600) - and if true which is the better size resize to if im printing 8X10? Ive very rarely ever printed ........ Im asking because - when i take an image and i try to print a 8X10 sometimes the image doesnt look right in the preview box - it looks as if it wont fit or theres that white border around it...... The problem is even worse if I start with a crop of an image. Should I be resizing my images?? What resize should I use? I'd like to print two sizes: 8x10 and 4x6 im such a noob.... troy

Troy,

None of this is difficult, but I would ask you what program you are using, and what printer?

Bill had some good info. Depending on a number of factors though, I have upsized and down sized with no problems.

I print everything from CS and manually size the photo for the desired output.

You will need to experiment with your printer a little, but I think you can get reasonable print from about 200 ppi. I typically print at about 260 ppi, but I am not sure I could tell the difference between 200 or 260. Comercial printing is different. My local pro lab can use up to 400 ppi. I had them print some 8 X 12 for me at 256 ppi, and they came out great.

Sam

I have a 20D and use the Fujifilm FDI system (at my local supermarket) to print my pictures.
Using the cropping tool in photoshop CS, I manually set the width and height in centimetres as below:

4x6" - 10.2cm x 15.2cm
5x7" - 12.7cm x 17.8cm
6x8" - 15.2cm x 20.3cm
8x12" - 20.3cm x 25.4cm

I resent having to do this as I would prefer to compose with the viewfinder. I am now forced to consider width. Is there another photo printing system that is more "canon 20d friendly" ??

This dummy just uploads his photos to a printing service and lets them deal with it. It is usually cheaper than all of that ink and paper at home, too.

The downside being that you have to wait a few days for your prints.

There are two ways to go about this:
1. Print at home/at local retailers (Target, WalMart, Costco, etc)
2. Print via an online service (smugmug, shutterfly, mpix, etc)

Pros for #1:
You get it right now
You have complete control (sometimes not such a good thing)

Cons for #1:
You pay for consumables (paper, ink)
Color managment issues (printer profiles, monitor profiles, paper types, softproofing, etc)

Pros for #2:
Pretty damn easy
Efficient
No need to purchase and store paper and ink
No need to worry about your printer breaking
Actually cheaper than printing at home once you factor in the cost of consumables

Cons for #2
You can't have it RIGHT NOW. Gotta wait for shipping.

With that said, getting the picture to the point of printing is similar for either method. You need to know your output size and desired resolution.

Photo quality is typically assumed to be 300 ppi (pixels per inch, NOT the same as dots per inch which only applies to actual printer output). A 4x6 would be 1200 x 1800 pixels (4x300 and 6x300). An 8x10 would be 2400 x 3000 pixels. A slight hangup here is the sizes are different aspect ratios, so you can't just resize an 8x10 smaller to get your 4x6 file.

The second to last thing I do after I work up a picture is crop it to a size I think I may be printing at (last is sharpening). In Photoshop, I have a bunch of crop sizes already specified (4x6, 6x4, 5x7, 7x5, 8x10, 10x8 all at 300 ppi). I just pick whichever is appropriate, do some USM, save it, and upload to smugmug.

When I'm ready to print, I just add it to the cart, pick the correct size I want it printed at (no cropping needed since I've already done that), and off we go. Now, if I had cropped the pic to say, 7x5, and want to print it at 6x4, not a problem. A small part of the top and bottom will be cropped away since they're different aspect ratios. If I want that same 7x5-sized image printed at 8x10, the crop will cut off the sides a bit. Smugmug will then resize the pic automatically to bring it back to 300 ppi before printing.

Basically, for online printing, crop it fairly large (as large as you think you may ever have it printed), and let the company do the up or downsizing since their software will do it much better.

For home printing, it's a different story. When I was doing more printing at home, I would crop from the processed original each different size and save them individually after sharpening. For my 8x10s I would have one version at 2400 x 3000 pixels. For the 5x7s, 1500 x 2100, and so on. I would then print whatever size using either PS or the Canon software or Qimage.

For best printing results:
1. Use Photoshop's crop tool with the desired size and resolution numbers specified
2. At home, make an individual file cropped for each resolution
3. Online, make the pic as large as possible so it will handle various aspect ratios. Consider leaving it uncropped.

Just my $0.03