How to prepare image to print - please help!!!

[Anonymous]

I have a G5. The setting I use always gives the following info when I download images into photoshop:
Pixel Dimensions: Width: 2592 Height: 1944
Document Size: Width: 14.4 in Height: 10.8 in
Resolution: 180 pixels/inch

I always edit my photos with levels, etc. What do I do with the resolution, etc.? I tried making some at 8'x10' with a resolution of 200. When I took the images (burned onto a cd) to a print machine in a store, I asked for 4X6 prints - and the tops and bottoms were cut off. How do I properly prepare images to be printed - especially if I want various size choices (4X6, 5x7, 8x10, etc.) - do I have to especially size an image for every size choice?

Is there a book or website that gives clear explanations of this topic? I've looked through various books I already own and nothing seems to clearly address my questions.

Any help greatly appreciated!! Donna J

[John_T]

The G5, like most cameras, produces an image that has a height/width ratio of 4:3, whereas most papers have a h/w ration of 3:2, a carry over from 35mm film prints. Obviously you will have to crop in height or width for borderless or equal border printing, or compose your original shot for cropping to accomodate these size differences. It has nothing to do with resolutions, dpi or other aspects, rather square peg/round hole.

Search this site for cropping to print or some variation on the theme and you will come up with what other people do. Or just sit tight and maybe someone else will kick in here.

[chris.bailey]

I have a G5. The setting I use always gives the following info when I download images into photoshop:
Pixel Dimensions: Width: 2592 Height: 1944
Document Size: Width: 14.4 in Height: 10.8 in
Resolution: 180 pixels/inch

I always edit my photos with levels, etc. What do I do with the resolution, etc.? I tried making some at 8'x10' with a resolution of 200. When I took the images (burned onto a cd) to a print machine in a store, I asked for 4X6 prints - and the tops and bottoms were cut off. How do I properly prepare images to be printed - especially if I want various size choices (4X6, 5x7, 8x10, etc.) - do I have to especially size an image for every size choice?

Is there a book or website that gives clear explanations of this topic? I've looked through various books I already own and nothing seems to clearly address my questions.

Any help greatly appreciated!! Donna J

I tend to crop most of mine to A4 which just happens to then reduce to 7 x 5 without crop which I like to produce much more than 6 x 4. There is not much to crop off a full 10D image to get it to A4. If I want to print at 8 x 10 I know I have to crop again but I do it from the A4. I dont re-sample and just let PS sort out the resolution for itself, I could not even tell you what my A4 default pictures resolutions are, a lot will depend on how much of the original frame I have cropped the A4 from.

[John_T]

I should mention here the reason for the format differences.

4:3 is a TV/video standard and digital camera image sensors are a development on the line from video cameras.

3:2 is a postcard format over the ages to which film prints became oriented.

Printing paper is derived from the film side.

Maybe one day there will be 4:3 paper, but don't hold your breath...