Printing sizes and border size for landscape images

Seajay

Seajay

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1,465
Name
Cathy
Edit My Images
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Hi all :)
Not been on for ages and back with a question. I don't print my images but have a few now I would like to have done.
Can I ask the best way to get my finished image to fit for example A3 and 16x12 for example.
Looking to print these images that I can frame with standard frames. I have watched a few YouTube videos but they seem to be more for printing at home.

I know this will be a simple task for those who print but it puts me off trying as I can never get the sizes right.
Images are from Sony A9 with3:2 ratio should I be changing the ratio?
Cathy
 
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Unless I misunderstand your question, if you use Lightroom you can export them at whatever size and resolution you need. Use the crop tool and specify the aspect ratio that you need. (eg 16 x 12. ) then go to export, use 16 (inches) as the long side measurement and put in 300 dpi for the resolution. Click export. Hope I'm not teaching granny to suck eggs........
 
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Seajay said:
Looking to print these images that I can frame with standard frames.
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Since you instanced frames, that implies a mount for each print. Normally, the aperture in the mount will mask the print slightly. There are two approaches to mounts - off the shelf or bespoke. If you're to buy in standard mounts, they tend to be in limited formats, and the available aperture sizes could determine your image sizes.

So resize (with or without any necessary crop) your images in PS or what have you, normally at 300ppi, to be slightly larger than the mount apertures.

I prefer a border around the image to give more material to handle and tape to the mount. So from the chosen image size produced as above, select the next standard paper size up, and add a border to suit - using 'canvas size' in PS. Lord knows what it's called in Affinity, they seem to like their own novelty terminology, but there'll be an equivalent.

Essentially, you're working back from what's available - you're choosing (1) a frame size, then (2) a mount aperture size (there might be little choice), then (3) an actual image size, followed by (4) a paper size ...

In PS, it's 'image size' (there might be a crop involved to get the proportions right) followed by 'canvas size'.

The posher the paper, the more advisable it is to soft-proof and adjust the image accordingly ...
 
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This all get's to deep for me. If I wanted a photo that was 16x12 I'd simply print it out on my printer. Not having a printer I'd simply have a lab print me a 16x12 photo and get what I'd get. Bet it would be 16x12! My 13" printer would do that easy. those A3 and other stuff you use in Europe blow me away. Seem's that A3 could mean several different sizes done on some certain size paper! If I wanted an 8x10 I could print it on any size paper I wanted from 8x10 to larger. Did an 8x16 print yesterday on a 13x19 sheet of paper also two 6x18's on one sheet of 13x19. Looked it up a few times on what A3 is and to tell the truth I can't remember!
 
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The problem with printing is that cameras don’t always take images in a 4:3 ratio, so if you size the iamb to the length , the height will be wrong And vice versa. The way to help with this is to mount them , or crop the image to the size you want. Mounting images keeps the paper away from the glass so the prints dong get damaged wif the get stuck to the glass
 
No, A3 is always A3 = 420mm x 297 mm. A4 is half that (297 x 210) and A5 half that again (210 x 148). A2 is twice A3 = 594 x 420mm, and A1 is double that again. These are paper sizes coming from the printing trade. I suppose it is a bit confusing and it is probably only relatively recently that photographic paper has become available in A sizes.

Want to know about C sizes? They are envelope sizes to accommodate the equivalent A size paper, flat or folded. And there's B sizes as well, but I haven't got the hang of those myself.:)
 
steve_lyt said:
The problem with printing is that cameras don’t always take images in a 4:3 ratio, so if you size the iamb to the length , the height will be wrong And vice versa. The way to help with this is to mount them , or crop the image to the size you want. Mounting images keeps the paper away from the glass so the prints dong get damaged wif the get stuck to the glass
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Mount them? You mean on a matt board? Couldn't agree more but don't have any right now. I do have a very old dear to me photo of me and one of my long gone dog's that the photo stuck to the glass and pretty much ruined it. I keep it messed up anyway. Very dear to me photo.
 
Don Fischer said:
Mount them? You mean on a matt board? Couldn't agree more but don't have any right now. I do have a very old dear to me photo of me and one of my long gone dog's that the photo stuck to the glass and pretty much ruined it. I keep it messed up anyway. Very dear to me photo.
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if you were near me I would be happy to scan it and try and repair it for you for free, I have a a3 and a2 document scanner
 
Thank you everyone I have read all your advice and will get back into photoshop and try again . I will be preparing images to go to a professional print shop as I don’t do it at home .
 
Speaking of mounting on a matt board, lady that taught me how to do it did not tape the picture all the way around. Insetad she hung them. tape across the top of the opening followint it and then another piece going across it onto the picture. She said done that way if you want to re-do the picture down the road, taking off the tape won't ruin the photo. Easy to do and does work for me. I use a linin tape just for photogtaphs. Tape is called filmoplast SH made by Neschen. Made in Germany.
 
Don Fischer said:
Speaking of mounting on a matt board, lady that taught me how to do it did not tape the picture all the way around. Insetad she hung them. tape across the top of the opening followint it and then another piece going across it onto the picture. She said done that way if you want to re-do the picture down the road, taking off the tape won't ruin the photo. Easy to do and does work for me. I use a linin tape just for photogtaphs. Tape is called filmoplast SH made by Neschen. Made in Germany.
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I was taught this way too. The other benefit is that the paper won't wrinkle up if it gets damp (y)
 
Bristolian said:
I was taught this way too. The other benefit is that the paper won't wrinkle up if it gets damp (y)
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That is actually the primary reason for doing it that way. It's how drawings and other works on paper are mounted. Photography followed suit. :)
 
Don Fischer said:
Speaking of mounting on a matt board, lady that taught me how to do it did not tape the picture all the way around. Insetad she hung them. tape across the top of the opening followint it and then another piece going across it onto the picture. She said done that way if you want to re-do the picture down the road, taking off the tape won't ruin the photo. Easy to do and does work for me. I use a linin tape just for photogtaphs. Tape is called filmoplast SH made by Neschen. Made in Germany.
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I'm trying to imagine this do you have an image please
 
taxboy said:
Fair enough - I think I understand does the tape effectively make a T shape ?
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Yes, it's called a T-hinge... top of the T on the matt board, and stem of the T on the back of the artwork. Most just use the Piano-hinge method (tape across the top; half on the paper, half on the matt board). I always just used partial Piano-hinges (two or three smaller hinges along the top edge).

How much hinge/many hinges you need depends on the size/wight of the artwork. The main thing is to not tape all the way around (causes wrinkles); and to not go too far behind the artwork (staying on the border near the edge).
 
Seajay said:
Looking to print these images that I can frame with standard frames....
I know this will be a simple task for those who print but it puts me off trying as I can never get the sizes right.
Click to expand...
Source your frames/mats first; then size your print to fit the mat opening. Don't try to print to exact size + paper border, instead compose (crop) a little loose to provide extra image which will go behind the matboard; the matboard provides the final crop/composition.
 
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