Seeing a finished image displayed online is always a nice feeling but actually holding a physical print gives a completely different type of satisfaction. It’s not until the image is printed and hung on a wall that the entire process is finished. However, making a good print isn’t as straightforward as one would think and most of us have experienced that the printed image doesn’t look nearly as good as it does on the computer.

There are many reasons why they don’t look as good printed but most come back to the fact that you’ve failed to prepare the image for printing. Unfortunately, it’s not enough to just send the processed file to the print lab (or your own printer). You need to do some more work beforehand.

Don’t worry, though! It doesn’t take a lot of effort to get the printed image to look just as good as the digital version. There are only a few simple steps we need to follow:

#1 Calibrate the monitor

When did you last calibrate your monitor? Have you ever done it before? If not, do you know what it means?

Having a correctly calibrated monitor is the most important factor when you want to prepare images for printing. Without a calibrated monitor you won’t know what the image actually looks like.

Calibrating the monitor means balancing and correcting its colors, typically done by using a spectrometer and calibration software. This is something everyone should do even if they don’t plan on printing an image. If the colors of your monitor are off, it means that all your images look different on other devices.

Datacolor Spyder X Elite
Photo courtesy of Datacolor

Regularly calibrating the monitor ensures that the colors youโ€™re seeing on the screen are balanced properly and closely match the colors in the print.

Over the years, Iโ€™ve used a few different tools and consistently had excellent results with Datacolorโ€™s Spyder series. Iโ€™m currently using the SpyderX Pro; itโ€™s fast, reliable, and extremely easy to use. Over the years, Iโ€™ve used a few different tools and consistently had excellent results with Datacolorโ€™s Spyder series. For even better results, combine the use of a calibrator with a professional photography monitor like the BenQ SW321C, which displays 99% AdobeRGB and is built for color-critical work.

Reader Tip: You can view the SpyderX Pro on Amazon here. Itโ€™s an easy investment that will dramatically improve your color accuracy when editing for print.

If you donโ€™t have a calibrator, consider asking your print lab to show your image on one of their calibrated monitors before printing. You might be surprised how much the colors can vary if you havenโ€™t calibrated your own.

I recommend calibrating your monitor at least once a month. However, the older your monitor is, the more often you may have to calibrate it.

#2 Save your print file in sRGB or Adobe RGB

I know it might sound tempting to save your print files in ProPhoto as itโ€™s a much larger color space but the fact is that most monitors and printers canโ€™t display that wide range of colors.

Printing an image saved in a larger color space than the printer can handle often leads to dull, inaccurate results because the printer is out of gamut (meaning it can’t interpret the full color range you’re sending it).

Most print labs will request files in sRGB, while some high-end printers may support Adobe RGB. Always check with your print lab before exporting. For your own setup, Adobe RGB is typically a good working color space during editing โ€” especially if you’re using a wide-gamut monitor like the BenQ SW321C.

If you’re editing in Adobe Lightroom or Photoshop, you can easily switch color spaces during export or soft proofing. Need these tools? The Adobe Photography Plan includes both and is perfect for print preparation.

Recommended Reading: What Are Color Spaces in Photography?

#3 Save images as 8-bit

You may have heard of the terms 8-bit and 16-bit but you probably donโ€™t know their meaning or how they affect your photo.

Simply put, a bit is the number of tones available to each color; an 8-bit image holds 16,000,000 colors compared to a 16-bit image that holds 28,000,000,000 colors.

So why should you save it as 8-bit if there are so many more colors in 16-bit? Wouldnโ€™t you want all that extra information? Well yes, I suggest editing your images as a 16-bit file but when saving them for printing, you should opt for 8-bit.

The truth is that there is no difference in the print quality whether you save as 8-bit or 16-bit. Most printers arenโ€™t quite able to print 16-bit files and automatically switch them to 8-bit; meaning saving images as 8-bit files makes them slightly smaller and quicker to transfer to a printer.

#4 Choose the correct dpi

DPI (dots per inch) is a key factor when talking about print resolution. It refers to how many dots are printed per inch. The more dots, the more detail. This also means that lower-resolution files contain less information and produce less detailed prints.

For best results, I recommend saving your images at 300 dpi when printing. You can get away with a lower dpi for small prints, but youโ€™ll quickly see the difference in sharpness and clarity when it comes to larger wall prints.

Adjusting dpi in Photoshop when preparing images for printing

72 dpi is standard for monitors, but far too low for printing. A smartphone image might look great on screen, but will likely appear pixelated or blurry when printed at a large size.

If you’re printing at home, make sure your printer supports true 300 dpi output and that you’re using high-quality photo paper. Two excellent options Iโ€™ve had good results with are the Canon PIXMA PRO-200 and Epson SureColor P900; both deliver exceptional quality for landscape photographers.

Reader Tip: A great printer deserves great paper. I recommend Epson photo paper for reliable, gallery-quality prints at home.

If you’re using a print lab, theyโ€™ll likely take care of this for you โ€” but itโ€™s still good to double-check their recommended dpi and file size requirements before uploading your image.

#5 Resize your images

Resizing the image isnโ€™t always essential, but I avoid sending full-size files to a print lab unless necessary. In many cases, resizing helps optimize the file for the specific print dimensions and ensures better results, especially if you’re printing large formats.

If youโ€™re printing something like a 16ร—24″ image, you can easily resize your photo in Adobe Photoshop by going to Image -> Image Size and entering the desired dimensions. This step also gives you control over the file size and sharpening before export.

Resizing becomes more complex for larger prints. Enlargement introduces its own set of challenges, particularly when it comes to maintaining detail and avoiding artifacts. If you’re serious about mastering this process, I highly recommend Mark Metternichโ€™s video course, Mastering Fine Art Printing and Color Management, which goes into great depth on enlargement techniques and professional color workflows.

Reader Tip: For basic resizing, Photoshop is more than capable. But if you’re planning to print your images large or want to refine your entire print workflow, Markโ€™s course is one of the best investments you can make.

#6 Crop the images

When using a full-frame camera or an ASP-C sensor (cropped sensor) you have an aspect ratio of 3:2. This is a perfect ratio for a 4×6 or 8×12 print but the aspect ratio changes when printing other standard sizes such as 5×7 (7:5) or 8×10 (5:4).

Keep in mind when youโ€™re cropping images for print that you may lose some of it due to the aspect ratio. You should always crop the image to the correct aspect ratio before sending it to the printer since a lot of print labs automatically crop without taking the image and composition into consideration. Ergo, it might not turn out the way you would like it.

You can use this diagram to better understand aspect ratios:

#7 Sharpen the image

The final step in preparing your image for print is sharpening. This should be done after cropping and resizing the file to its final print size.

If you’re a Photoshop user and already use Raya Pro, you might already know that you should resize and sharpen an image to make it optimal for the web. When preparing an image for printing, you also need to sharpen the image, but the methods will be slightly different.

An image that will be printed needs to be sharpened more than an image that is prepared for online display. In fact, you need to sharpen it until it almost looks like it’s too much (be aware, the line between over-sharpened and under-sharpened is thin).

How much you need to sharpen an image before printing varies with each image. Typically, images with a lot of details need to be sharpened more than images consisting of mostly sky or soft surfaces such as still water (keep in mind that we don’t want to add unnecessary noise when sharpening).

The size of a print also affects how much sharpening it needs; smaller prints tend to require slightly more sharpening than larger prints. This is because smaller images are compressed more and contain less information (which sounds quite the opposite of what you may think).

Choice of the print medium is another factor that affects how much sharpening an image needs:

  • Canvas is the most forgiving material as it to some extent hides imperfections. This means that images that arenโ€™t razor-sharp might still print well.
  • Aluminum prints, on the other hand, are more crisp and detailed, therefore over sharpening (and noise) is more obvious.
  • Traditional paper prints on an inkjet printer are somewhere between the other two mediums. Here itโ€™s also important to consider the paper type (i.e. heavy cotton paper can be different from luster paper).

It might be helpful to consult your photo lab for advice on how a specific medium (or paper type) will handle your image.

Recommended Tools for Sharpening

For targeted sharpening with great results, I use two main tools depending on the image and workflow:

  • Topaz Photo AI โ€” Excellent for both sharpening and noise reduction. It uses AI to recover detail without creating halos or artifacts, and itโ€™s especially useful for larger prints or images with minor motion blur.
  • Nik Collection โ€” Includes Sharpener Pro 3, which offers precise control over output sharpening based on print size and medium. Use discount code PAR_182592373_YBQ079D8WR98 to get 15% off via DxO.

Reader Tip: Depending on the image, I often sharpen prints using either Topaz Photo AI orย Nik Collection’s Sharpener Pro. They both offer powerful results, just make sure to sharpen after resizing the image.

If you prefer a manual approach, you can also use the Unsharp Mask in Photoshop and apply sharpening selectively using masks. This gives you more control, especially when dealing with noise or large areas of sky.

#8 Soft proofing

Soft proofing is a simple yet powerful technique for previewing what your printed image will look likeย beforeย you send itย to the lab or printer. It simulates how your image will appear when printed, accounting for specific printer profiles and color spaces.

Both Adobe Lightroom and Photoshop offer soft proofing tools that let you select a printer profile, color space, and paper type. Once applied, you can adjust your image to better match how it will appear in print.

This process helps you fine-tune saturation, contrast, and even brightness to ensure your print looks as good as (or better than) what you see on your screen.

If you’re using a wide-gamut monitor like the BenQ SW321C, you’ll be able to see a much more accurate soft proof compared to standard displays, especially when working in Adobe RGB

Prepare images for printing

Soft proofing is not about making drastic edits; itโ€™s about subtle refinements that bring your image closer to print perfection.

Hard proofing (printing test versions) is still an option, but it’s time-consuming and costly. For most photographers, soft proofing is more than sufficient and far more efficient.

Reader Tip: You can soft proof your images directly in Lightroom or Photoshop using printer-specific ICC profiles. If you’re serious about printing, it’s an essential step to build into your workflow.

Conclusion

There are not many things more rewarding as a photographer than seeing your work printed, framed, and hung on a wall, be it your own or someone else’s. Creating the perfect print takes some practice and by forgetting a few key elements the print might look nothing like what the digital file does.

Luckily, following the steps above will help you prepare for printing and get a finished product that you’re proud to hang on the wall.

If you choose to outsource your printing (which is quite likely unless you’ve purchased a professional printer), it’s important to mention that every print lab operates differently. It might take a few attempts before you find the lab that best satisfies your needs.

Do you have any routines you follow when printing images? Let us know in a comment below!


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2 COMMENTS

    • Hi Nyx!
      Thank you for the comment! I am happy that you found it useful. Have you printed some of your work before? ๐Ÿ™‚

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