The Perfect Card
Photography
We want your images to print beautifully, but photos printed using four-color process printing can look very different than they do on your monitor. Use these tips and techniques to ensure your printed photos are the sharpest and brightest they can be.
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The 4by6.com Sample Kit contains examples of these "perfect card" techniques to help you get beautiful results.
Setting Brightness & Contrast
Photos typically look brighter on screen than in print. Some images may
need brightness and contrast adjustment to get a matching print.
Which images need adjustment?
Darker images should be adjusted, particularly when the
dark areas of a photo contain details. Lighter images may
not need adjustment.
Consider adjusting this image
This image may not need adjustment
How do I adjust my images?
Try one of these methods:*
Increase the Brightness of your image, then increase Contrast just until the darkest area appears black.
Adjust Levels or Curves to increase the lightness of the mid-tone range.
How much adjustment is enough?
If detail is lost in the lightest areas, you may have gone too far.
Watch out for the details in her dress
You've gone too far! The white areas of her dress are blown out.
Setting the Right Image Resolution
Low-resolution images (i.e. 72 DPI, or dots per inch, images used for the web) can look smooth and clear on a monitor, but will look pixelated when printed.
Image files should be set to a minimum resolution of 300 DPI, or dots per inch, so that they don't appear jagged and pixelated in print.
How do I make my images high resolution?
Use the Adobe Photoshop Image Size control in the Image menu. Increasing resolution will eliminate pixelation, but creates a blurry result due to the resampling process. It is always preferable to start with a high-resolution image.
Image size tool in Photoshop
Low resolution images can appear blurry when increased to 300 DPI
Don't have Photoshop
Pixel dimensions in the image file properties or description
from your desktop will tell you the resolution of an image. If
your image is low-resolution, Design Support will be happy
to adjust your file for you.Design Support will be happy
to adjust your file for you.
Image resolution can be found on your desktop.
Use this table to determine the minimum pixel
dimensions for smooth printing.
Getting the Best Color
Computer monitors use light to display your photo, making some color
appear richer and brighter than it looks in print. Some images may need to
be enhanced to appear the same in print as they do on your monitor.
Which images should be enhanced?
Photographs that are expected to feature bright, vibrant
colors may need to be enhanced.
Consider enhancing this image for a bright print.
Colors in this image are already vibrant so
enhancement may not be needed.
How do I enhance my images?
Use Hue and Saturation controls to enhance the look of your final prints.
Hue and Saturation tools in Adobe Photoshop
Setting Correct Color Modes
Always convert your images to CMYK color mode before printing. CMYK
printing cannot always match colors in RGB. After conversion, an image
color may shift. Refer to the Setting Brightness & Contrast or Getting the
Best Color sections for post-conversion tips.
What is the difference between RGB and CMYK color?
RGB is additive color constructed from Red, Green and Blue lightwaves. CMYK is subtractive color made up of Cyan, Magenta, Yellow and blacK inks.
RGB
CMYK
How do I make sure my images are in CMYK color mode?
We recommend the Adobe Photoshop Mode control in the Image menu.
Use the Image menu to adjust color mode
