What to do with the digital image?

Photo printing Photos become
instead of just saving them and displaying them on the screen.
to view. There are many options for output, including the advantages of digitally available photos
includes the immediate and simple use with computers, modern
electronic devices and telecommunications equipment. Mainly through
digital photography also opens up many new and exciting opportunities.
interesting forms of presentation. Photos can be taken directly from the camera
be shown on a TV set or computer as a slide show, they
can be transferred to data storage media for the same purpose, stored on the web
publish or on mobile devices (cell phone, PDA, multimedia player)
represent.
Despite this wealth of electronic possibilities, photos on
Paper is still extremely popular. Perhaps it is a pure
Habit that stems from "old" analog photography days. The fact is
However, the fact that paper as a medium for digital photos is the new
presentation forms is superior in many respects. On paper
a photo can be viewed anywhere and at any time by anyone. It
does not require a technical device that can be started and operated with
energy, nor is the viewer required to have any expertise in the
Operation required.

Putting image data on paper
In principle, there are two ways of putting digital photos on paper. Either they are printed in
a photo lab using a laser or electron beam onto conventional paper,
light-sensitive photographic paper, which is subsequently exposed in a
chemical process is developed and fixed, or the photos are
printed using a digital printing process. The route via the laboratory
is particularly worthwhile if you want to put a lot of photos on paper, because you can
This saves money and, above all, time that would otherwise be spent on constantly feeding the
printer with print jobs, paper and inks.
Consumers can either take their digital photos to a local
photo retailers or send them via the Internet directly to one of the
low-priced online mail-order laboratories. The prices for a 10 ¥ 15 cm
large picture are between 20 and 60 centimes. An overview of
Laboratories and prices can be found on the Internet at www.bessere-bilder.ch. Also
Professionals use these laboratories or their professional variants (such as
www.pro.colormailer.ch). If special work, particularly large or
high-quality enlargements are required, the specialized laboratory is the
right place to go.
The advantage of printing photos with your own printer is that the
paper images are available almost immediately. Special photo printers
today offer a quality that corresponds to that of photos from the laboratory.
Most of these are high-resolution inkjet printers,
six or up to nine fine colors instead of the usual four.
use nuanced colors for the most authentic prints possible. One
delivers comparable quality despite low print resolution and also
the dye-sublimation process, which today is mainly used for smaller
printers is implemented. The cost of a 10 ¥ 15 cm
paper image when purchasing inexpensive photo kits (printing ink and
paper) 45 centimes per image (consumables only), are otherwise
rather between 60 and 90 centimes.
However, inkjet printing is not only used for quick printouts.
of a paper image, but also for high-quality paper prints
(fine art prints), which can be shown in exhibitions, for example, and
be sold. For this
inks with color pigments are
which are particularly resistant to light. For the field of art photography, we also use gray
inks are offered for some Epson printer models. These enable
the reproduction
of analog and digital black-and-white photographs as finely nuanced
Grayscale prints without the usual color cast. In the consumer sector
otherwise only offers HP gray cartridges to match some of their
photo printer models. The printing of photos is also offered by many copy stores, photo retailers and
specialist laboratories as an additional service. Target groups are
Consumers and companies that need paper images quickly, don't have time
or do not have a suitable printer. For the poster for the
decoration or for museum, trade fair and exhibition posters and
similar in print run 1 or in very small print runs, these
service providers, provided that they have so-called
large-format printers to print these large formats.
to be able to produce.

Paper pictures here and nowMany
of the current photo printers can also be used PC-independently.
operate. Integrated drives for the most common image memory cards
allow you to print photos from a memory card, while the
PictBridge standards - an open standard for direct printing without the need for
PC - any cameras and printers via cable (USB) or wirelessly
(BlueTooth, WLAN) are connected to each other and photos can be
can be printed directly from the digital camera. Especially
This is practical for small portable devices that store photos in the
postcard format (usually 10 ¥ 15 cm). They can be
take along to parties or other occasions and also for the
professional event photography. Create with a rechargeable battery
such mobile printers personal postcards on vacation trips or
"Digital instant pictures" for the photographer during an outdoor shoot. A
Fashion photographer can use the
the optimal image composition with the stylist, the model and the
and a client present.

Photo books instead of albums
So there are many ways to convert paper images from digital photos.
received. Instead of passing them around as a loose stack of paper,
you could stick them into a photo album in the classic way. But here too
offers digital printing technology with the printed and subsequently
bound photo book is a contemporary alternative.
With a free of charge from the
Program downloaded from the website of a photo book service provider
anyone can use the computer to first view entire pages and then these
into a photo book. The programs offer depending on
selected book format, there are several templates or templates for
Page layouts with 1, 2, 3, 4 or more photos. After for one page
a layout template has been selected, digital photos can be
dragged from the hard disk into the placeholders of the page template
are used. Picture by picture, the pages are filled and, if necessary
Captions or short texts typed in. Changes in the
Page layout and sequence are possible at any time.
Individual photos can also be removed and replaced with others.
are created. Finally, the layout and image data are then imported directly from
the program via the Internet into the correspondingly equipped
photo book printing company or an online laboratory - the data can be
can also be burned onto a CD-ROM and sent by post.
The photo books are printed using a digital printing system that makes these individualized prints possible in the first place.
The books are then bound according to your wishes and budget
(thread stitching, perfect binding, spiral binding or wire stitching) and to
sent to the customer. The customer then receives a copy within three to a maximum of
a photo book with your own photos, which, with a noble
Linen cover as hardcover or printed half cardboard (softcover)
equipped like an illustrated book from a bookstore.
While the photo book is a trendy alternative for the end consumer
for the traditional photo album and for the upcoming Christmas party
an attractive gift idea, it can also be used in other ways.
can be used. Photographers, models and other creative people use
Photo books as a demo folder, in small editions it is suitable as a hand catalog
to an exhibition - and after an event it is a good idea to
to send participants a copy as a souvenir of the event.

Markus Zitt