Photo Printing (and editing)

[Pininfarina_]

I'm looking to make some prints for a gift and trying decide on which medium to use. I will be arranging the photos in a 3 x 3 grid on the wall with each photo around the 12" wide range.
It's between canvas prints (stretched over a frame) or normal(?) prints framed behind glass; I am open to suggestions however. Price is a factor and I'm guessing at this size, maximum quality isn't a huge priority.
That being said, I'll take it into account if canvas is vastly inferior in terms of quality to that glossy stuff.

As for editing, is there anything that needs to be done to a photo before printing? I normally correct the basics in post (color, exposure, contrast, cropping etc) but don't know much beyond that.

Including framing which option would be the cheapest? (is framing behind glass even necessary?)

The area I'm placing the arrangement in is quite dim, do any of you have experience in lighting prints?

Would one large print be a better gift than multiple smaller ones? (keeping in mind that this person has never printed their work)

Finally, what should I look for from the printers? What are some things I should expect from a quality print lab before dropping my hard earned dollar?

 

[he-he]

Some questions I can answer, although UK printers might be different from Canadian.

I'm looking to make some prints for a gift and trying decide on which medium to use. I will be arranging the photos in a 3 x 3 grid on the wall with each photo around the 12" wide range.
It's between canvas prints (stretched over a frame) or normal(?) prints framed behind glass; I am open to suggestions however. Price is a factor and I'm guessing at this size, maximum quality isn't a huge priority.
That being said, I'll take it into account if canvas is vastly inferior in terms of quality to that glossy stuff.

Personally I prefer canvasses, but that is just my taste. In my experience, canvasses look more professional, and don't suffer from reflections (although if the area is dimly lit that might not be a problem). Some prints look better on canvas than print or vice versa, so that might sway your decision when you pick the images.

As for editing, is there anything that needs to be done to a photo before printing? I normally correct the basics in post (color, exposure, contrast, cropping etc) but don't know much beyond that.

A lot of print firms correct exposure etc as their monitors are calibrated to their print software. So I'd ask advice from whichever firm you decide to use, and if you do the corrections yourself, make sure they know adjustments have been made.

Including framing which option would be the cheapest? (is framing behind glass even necessary?)

Canvasses don't need framing; prints almost certainly do to protect them. Perspex is cheaper than glass - and lighter to hang!

The area I'm placing the arrangement in is quite dim, do any of you have experience in lighting prints?

Not me, personally, but a photographer friend says it's a nightmare for framed prints due to reflections off the glass/perspex.

Would one large print be a better gift than multiple smaller ones? (keeping in mind that this person has never printed their work)

I've printed loads of my work, and while a large print can provide impact, a grouping of three is much nicer as a gift IMO. Simply because it gives them more flexibility in displaying it.

Finally, what should I look for from the printers? What are some things I should expect from a quality print lab before dropping my hard earned dollar?

Most printers wouldn't be in business if they didn't produce quality prints as their main output. (That is, to survive rather than as a sideline.) I'd go for knowledge of staff about the different mediums, what advice they can give you about which images you choose would work best on which medium, and so on. They should be able to say what MP/ppi/pixel dimensions are needed - if they advise you that the print isn't good enough quality for what you want, definitely go with them!

From a photographer, I think this is a lovely gift. If someone printed some of my photos for me I'd be made up

 

[eizbaer]

just ordered a print of 4 of my photos on a massive 140x100 poster (so i end up with 4 pictures of 50x70), which i will have to cut into smaller ones myself. chose 260g photo paper and everything else as you'd expect a poster to look (had a friend do this before) and ended up paying 22? for it. this will be a gift as well, so i'll get some frames from ikea. they have a nice frame with a glass front (so reflections are all glass anyway) and a very slim aluminium bezel for 13?. all in all, that is more than reasonable i think...

 

[Pininfarina_]

I've printed loads of my work, and while a large print can provide impact, a grouping of three is much nicer as a gift IMO. Simply because it gives them more flexibility in displaying it.

I underestimated the cost of canvas prints and yes, I think this will be a better idea. What size would you suggest then?

just ordered a print of 4 of my photos on a massive 140x100 poster (so i end up with 4 pictures of 50x70), which i will have to cut into smaller ones myself. chose 260g photo paper and everything else as you'd expect a poster to look (had a friend do this before) and ended up paying 22? for it. this will be a gift as well, so i'll get some frames from ikea. they have a nice frame with a glass front (so reflections are all glass anyway) and a very slim aluminium bezel for 13?. all in all, that is more than reasonable i think...

While canvas does seem really nice, I too noticed that printing normally and then getting frames is much cheaper. What hehe said about reflections is a concern because I do plan to light these prints. What do you mean by "reflections are all glass"?

 

[he-he]

I underestimated the cost of canvas prints and yes, I think this will be a better idea. What size would you suggest then?

So many variables - and a lot of them personal opinion. How large a wall area are they going on? I know we've mentioned grouping them - do you see them being displayed together? Are they all the same aspect ratio and orientation? I've got a few groupings of three - one set of 18"x12" all landscape, another set comprising a 30"x30" flanked by two 12"x8" landscape, and a tryptych of three sized 10"x15" portrait.

What quality are the photos? (Camera MP or image pixel dimentions.) Most prints (over here anyway) are printed at 300 dpi (or ppi), and you need a certain number of pixels in the image to get a good quality at a certain size. The "rules" say that (for example) to get a good quality A4 print (12"x8") you need ~2400x3600px. UTTER TOSH!! My first camera produced images half that size and I printed up to A3 (18"x12") no problem. What you don't want to do is try to print a large size from an image that has already been significantly cropped, that's when the quality disappears.

How much frame are you planning on? Most of my prints are canvasses so aren't framed; those that are are mostly in simple frames similar to the ones eizbaer described. One of my prints almost doubled in size once I had it framed though! (that was the plan, but I was still surprised how different it looked framed, and with hindsight would go for a larger picture in the same size of frame).

 

[Pininfarina_]

So many variables - and a lot of them personal opinion. How large a wall area are they going on? I know we've mentioned grouping them - do you see them being displayed together? Are they all the same aspect ratio and orientation? I've got a few groupings of three - one set of 18"x12" all landscape, another set comprising a 30"x30" flanked by two 12"x8" landscape, and a tryptych of three sized 10"x15" portrait.

What quality are the photos? (Camera MP or image pixel dimentions.) Most prints (over here anyway) are printed at 300 dpi (or ppi), and you need a certain number of pixels in the image to get a good quality at a certain size. The "rules" say that (for example) to get a good quality A4 print (12"x8") you need ~2400x3600px. UTTER TOSH!! My first camera produced images half that size and I printed up to A3 (18"x12") no problem. What you don't want to do is try to print a large size from an image that has already been significantly cropped, that's when the quality disappears.

How much frame are you planning on? Most of my prints are canvasses so aren't framed; those that are are mostly in simple frames similar to the ones eizbaer described. One of my prints almost doubled in size once I had it framed though! (that was the plan, but I was still surprised how different it looked framed, and with hindsight would go for a larger picture in the same size of frame).

They will be going on the fireplace, most likely filling up the section of wall above the mantle from edge to edge (it's quite wide). They will be displayed together and they are all landscape with same aspect ratios. (Would 3 landscape prints in a row look funny? Though the rest of the interior really isn't that artsy. A bit tacky actually.)

They were taken by a D800 and one other (I think) taken with a 300S so the 12" range is plenty I think. If I take the framing route, it will be minimalistic like eizbaer's (except thin, black, and wood, standard ikea look).
However, how difficult is it to fill a frame from edge to edge? Will I have to pick my frame first and then print according to that size?

As well, what are some of the cheaper options for canvas prints? I do love the aesthetic, no reflections for lighting is a huge plus, and saves me the trouble of having to get frames.

 

[eizbaer]

What do you mean by "reflections are all glass"?

once the poster-style print is stuck to the back-side of the glass, all reflections caused will be from the glass and not from the print/poster anymore doesn't help of course, still reflections...