It’s so exciting to finally get your professional family photos – you’ll be beaming with pride and want to show these beautiful images off as soon as possible in your home. But figuring out where to print your photos can be tricky because your decision may impact the quality of the finished pictures.

To make sure you’re covering all your bases and will have the best possible outcome, here are four important things to consider when it comes time to print your family photos.

Protect the Digital Files

You likely won’t have a home photo printer that’s high-quality enough to print something worthy of hanging up in your home. Until you figure out where you will have the photos printed, you need to protect those digital images.

The moment you receive photos from your photographer, make a backup of the files. This backup will ensure you have digital copies you can share with friends or families on social media. You’ll also have continued access to your pictures, which can be handy if you want to set up a screen saver on your computer that features your most treasured loved ones.

Unfortunately, technology can sometimes fail, which is why it’s highly recommended you print your favorite shots as soon as you can.

Where to Print Your Photos

Before you can print your photos, you must decide where you will have them printed. You can take the files to a digital lab, such as those you find in JCPenny and Walmart, or you can use an online photo processing service such as Shutterfly.

Most photo labs are very helpful and will ensure you get high-quality prints you can proudly display in your home. If you are more familiar with photo printing, the online route will work just fine. You’ll attach your photos and send them in for printing without having to step foot into a photo lab.

You also have the option of asking your professional photographer to take care of the prints for you. Your photographer will already have a relationship with a high-quality printing service, so they’ll be able to steer you in the right direction and assist you with all your printing needs.

Choosing a Finish

When you’re printing your photos, you’ll be asked to choose between a matte, glossy, or pearl finish, and they each have benefits and drawbacks. Glossy is the option most labs will use because it makes the colors pop more. Unfortunately, glossy prints also show other imperfections, such as fingerprints, which can be annoying. If you choose glossy prints, you should avoid touching the front of the photos and put the pictures in their frames as soon as you receive them.

Matte, one of your other choices, will prevent marks from showing up, but the colors often look duller, which is why it’s a better choice for fine art prints. One advantage of matte prints is that light doesn’t create as big a glare as it does with glossy prints. A pearl finish, by comparison, is the perfect in-between option.

If you have any doubts about what kind of finish would work best for your photos, discuss this with your photographer before ordering any prints. Even if you aren’t arranging photo printing through your photographer, they’ll be happy to share their knowledge with you.

Selecting a Size

If you’re displaying your family photos in your home, you’ll want them to be big enough to show all the details you’d miss in smaller pictures. In most instances, photographers take shots in such a way that you can print them in larger sizes, ensuring the prints showcase the expressions of the people in the photos. When it comes to printing, 4″ x 6″ and 8″ x 12″ are two of the most popular sizes, but which size you order depends on what you plan to do with the prints. You may want to decide where you will be hanging or storing the prints before you decide on a size.

If you feel you would prefer some guidance from a professional, speak to your photographer about printing options prior to your shoot. Many photographers already include printing in some of their packages, so if you want to skip the hassle of printing your photos yourself, look for these packages. They may be a little more expensive than printing your pictures at a photo lab, but you can be sure the quality will be top-notch.

Cherish Those Memories

Once you have your printed photos at home and ready to frame, put them somewhere you’ll be able to see them often. It might brighten your day to see the smiling faces of your loved ones and recall all the wonderful memories you’ve made together throughout the years – and think about all the adventures still to come.

Transform your precious family memories into timeless keepsakes with Suvi Tory, a renowned photographer in the field of printing. Contact Suvi Tory today to discuss how to bring your family photos to life!