023 - July 9, 2010 - When Bigger is Better? Printing your photos- - -
Do you have a big open wall space that needs filling? Or even a smaller wall space that needs some decoration? Or do you have a large painting-on-velvet of Elvis that someone brought home and needs replacing. You have lots of choices. Cover it with a floor-to-ceiling drape. Or give the kids some magic markers and point them at the wall; then cover it with a drape. Place a big piece of furniture, maybe some shelves to display lots of stuff on it. Hang a large picture on the wall.
Speaking of pictures, how about one of your photos? You can probably do the project for what you would pay for a big drape – at least if it’s a good looking drape. How do you plan a project like this? It’s not hard, but does take planning. To avoid comments on your photo display like “Where’d you find that!?” plan the display from at least two different angles; what photos do you have that you’d like to display and how big should you make the display. You may already have some photos in mind, so let’s work backwards – planning the size and shape of the display.
Your finished display will fill several functions. It will be a focal point for a viewer; on one hand, it should draw attention to the photo, but on the other hand, not dominate the room so the viewer can’t look away. It needs to sufficiently fill the wall, but still leave space around it. Too much space? Imagine standing 8 feet from a 12’ by 16’ wall and looking at an 8”x10” photo hanging in the middle of the wall. Unless you’ve created a display of several 8x10 photos, one 8x10 will seem to get lost. Likewise, too large a photo will either take on the appearance and function of wallpaper, or look like a sofa that’s too big for the room. If you don’t trust your imagination for selecting the right size, cut a large piece of cardboard or newspaper and tape it to the wall (use tape that won’t strip paint when you remove it). Fold in the edges until you get to a size that you think will look good. Color in a border on the paper of about 2 ½ inches to represent the frame for a better idea of the finished display; and even add some color inside the frame area that represents the colors in your photo (you don’t need to be an artist for this). Still not sure of size? Leave the mock-up there for a day to observe your reaction each time you walk into the room.
Your next task is to find a frame that’s about the same size as your mock-up. You can go with a custom frame, but expect it to be expensive. Or, you can go with commercially built frames that are available in many hobby or art supply stores or in large department stores. Commercially built frames will come in a number of different sizes, but usually are in pre-set dimensions. In picking your frame style, I recommend keeping in mind that you’re displaying a photo – not a frame; the frame needs to enhance – not dominate the display. Hold your frame up to the wall to confirm that you still like the size for that wall. If glass didn’t come with your frame, you can find custom cut glass (or plastic) at many hardware stores; cut the glass 1/8” smaller that the size of the frame – it should not fit tight.
Back to the photo. What size print should you get --- and where? A large format printer that you may be able to afford at home will print up to 13”x19”. Need something bigger? Don’t want to invest in another printer? Check out the print section of office supply stores; many can make high quality prints up to 4 feet wide by 100 feet long. Need better quality? Check out photo printing services on the internet; look for services that will print on e-surface or metallic paper (commonly, either Kodak or Fuji brand paper). You will need the print bonded to either foam-core or matte board so it stays flat in the frame (this is important, don’t cut corners here); I recommend bonding the print to a board size that fits the frame. The board will provide a border of about 2 to 3 inches around the print to allow room for the matte.
Plan on matting the photo – for two reasons. The matte holds the photo away from the glass so it doesn’t stick over time; and, the matte enhances the appearance of the photo in the frame (pay attention to color; the matte color enhances and provides transition from the frame to the photo). Many art supply stores have commercially cut mattes available; if you need a special size, many framing services will custom cut the matte for the frame and photo size. Using a plain piece of cardboard inside the frame can help you imagine how wide a matte to use; usually 2” to 3” wide matte is sufficient. The mounted print can be fastened to the back of the matte board with double-face tape.
Back to the photo size. The photo print needs to be a little larger that the hole in the matte. Prepare the print file to provide 250 pixels of info for each inch that you need to print; a 20”x30” print will need 5000 pixels by 7500 pixels for a high quality print. Save it as a JPG file and compress it slightly (no more than 10%) to transfer it to your print service.
Stack the assembled matte and photo inside your frame to see how it looks before fastening it all together. The finished display will be fairly heavy so hang it securely and enjoy your new application of digital photography.
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