Make Digital Pictures Print on 3x5 or 4x6 Photo Paper

So you’ve purchased a top-of-the-line digital camera, good photo editing software and a dynamite color printer. This article will teach you to make digital pictures print on 3x5 or 4x6 photo paper so that you can preserve your memories forever. At the end of the article, you'll also see tips that will make your 3x5 of 4x6 photos look as good as possible when you print them.

Steps

Print 3x5 or 4x6 Photos Directly From Your Camera or Mobile Device

  1. Choose an appropriate printer.
    • To bypass your computer, you'll need to make sure that you purchase a printer that can directly connect with your camera or your smartphone.
    • Some printers can print directly from your memory card. Other printers require you to connect your digital camera or smartphone via USB. Some cameras even offer wireless connection to a printer.
  2. Insert your memory card or your USB cable into the printer. If you're using a USB cable, connect the opposite end to your camera or smartphone.
  3. Load the appropriate ink and paper into your printer.
  4. Touch "Photo" on the printer's touchscreen home screen. Then, touch "View & Print" to select your photo source.
  5. Use the arrows to scroll through your images until you find the image that you want to print.
  6. Touch "Edit" to edit your photo, if desired.
  7. Tap "Print" and choose the number of copies that you want. View the preview of the photo. If you like it, print it.

Print Multiple Copies on an 8.5x11 Page Using Windows Live Photo Gallery

  1. Download Windows Live Photo Gallery if you don't already have the program on your computer.
  2. Choose inks and paper and load them into your printer. For the best results, choose both the inks and the photo paper recommended by your printer manufacturer.
  3. Open the photo in Windows Live Photo Gallery and click "Print." Select your preferred printer.
  4. Click on the Paper Layout drop-down menu.
    • Select 8.5 x 11 or "Letter" for your paper size.
    • Choose the Paper Layout from the right panel. You can fit 2 4x6 prints or 4 3x5 photos on one piece of letter-sized photo paper.
  5. Enter the number of copies that you want in the "Copies of Each Photo" field.
  6. Click "Print."

Printing Photos From iPhoto on a Mac

  1. Place the inks and photo paper recommended by your printer manufacturer into your printer.
  2. Open iPhoto and open the photo that you want to print.
  3. Edit the photo as needed. When the photo looks right, choose "Print" from the File menu.
  4. Click on "Print Size" in the Printer window to choose a size for your photo. You can choose both 3x5 and 4x6 in addition to other sizes.
  5. Choose your layout on the left side of the Print menu. You can choose a standard border or you can add matting.
  6. Click "Print" to print your photo.

Prepare Photos for Printing

  1. Set your digital camera to the appropriate resolution when you take your photos. Generally, set your digital camera to a resolution of 1600x1200, or 2 MP, for the highest quality prints 3x5 or 4x6 prints.
  2. Open your photo editing software on your computer. Upload your photos from your camera onto your computer.
  3. Save the original photo and save a separate copy for editing. When you do this, you ensure that you can always start over if you make editing mistakes.
  4. Remember aspect ratio. If you crop your photos using the wrong aspect ratio, even high resolution images can become distorted.
    • A horizontal 4x6 photo has an aspect ratio of 3:2, which means that the ratio of its length to its width is 3:2. A horizontal 3x5 photo has an aspect ration of 5:3 (5" long and 3" wide)
    • The aspect ratio is reversed if your picture is vertical. For instance, a vertical 3x5 print has an aspect ratio of 3:5, and a vertical 4x6 has an aspect ratio of 2:3.
    • When you crop your photo, make sure that the new photo length and width has the appropriate aspect ration for a 4x6 or a 3x5. Specify the aspect ratio in your cropping tool within your photo editing software or within your online editing tools.
  5. Choose a dots-per-inch (DPI) setting in your editing software. A DPI setting of 300 generally produces the best photos.

Tips

  • To make printing even easier, purchase a compact photo printer. These portable printers allow you to print photos directly from your camera anyplace, anytime.

Warnings

  • Always take the time to preview your photo before you print it. You don't want to waste expensive paper or ink on a miscalculation.

Things You'll Need

  • Digital camera or smartphone
  • Computer with photo editing software
  • Memory card or USB cable
  • Photo printer
  • Photo paper
  • High-quality ink
  • Windows Live Photo Gallery
  • iPhoto

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Sources and Citations

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