Printing from website?

[Burrellimages]

I have recently added several photos from a local sports team with the intent of selling prints. I had one of the players dads say, "i thought you would have the photos locked from saving or printing....i have a good photo printer and just print my own photos of my kid."

That completely defeats my purpose of posting the photos! Is there anything i can do to keep people from printing them at home? I put the file name and my website on each photo, but can i kell the quality, watermark them, or lock out the ability to print? http://burrellimages.com/Sports.htm is the page im refering to.

I just expect parents to be honest and buy photos, but maybe im wrong!

[waynedsargent]

yep you are wrong if they can get it free they will. There is no way to prevent it totally if its on the net they can get it somehow. you have it right though decrease the quality (which will speed up page loads) and water mark them. Not sure of your web host but even right click save prevention isn't enough.

[SouthernJumper]

I had this happen a LOT with horse moms printing off my pics. I started putting PROOF across the middle of the pic. If they want to print it out like that, go for it. :)

[Burrellimages]

just curious as to how that loks as an over all look to the website having "PROOF" etc accross the photos.

[waynedsargent]

Well it looks like hell usually, but....... it looks better than an empty bank account. Try and find something less than annoying like your logo. FWIW they will even probably still do it with the watermark but you will get advertising from the logo.

[Burrellimages]

Ive sold a few photo from this years events, but not many. My wife figured thats why, because people are printing them. I saved one off the website and printed it on photo paper and it looked ok, just had the text on the photo.

[waynedsargent]

Maybe switch to photoreflect or smugmug for your event stuff? even they are not bullet proof as far as getting the images but far better protection than what you have there. I mean you can even save the images direct.

[sapearl]

Hi Brandon - sorry to hear about the ripoffs to your gallery. Yes, unfortunately if people can print it they will.

I do have a suggestion though. Your "thumbnails" are a pretty good size and I realize you do that to make them look good. Instead of making them 538x797 at 135K+ for example - which does make a pretty decent 4x5 print (I just did one) - size it around 200x300 pixels at a quality level that will render a file around 40-50K. That should reduce the "print attractiveness." - Stu

[blackshadow]

I've gone to smugmug and like the way you can set your watermark and have right click protection enabled and you can set your own prices for the prints. It's easy to customise and to upload event shots and if you need to add passwords to your galleries.

If you do go down that path and you want a $5 discount please feel free to put my referral code sNEQjVK0ghMFv in when you sign up - 14 day free trials are available I suggest you try it out.

The other option would be to see if you can integrate some kind of lightbox so that whenever someone clicks on the thumb they get a pop up preview instead of opening a new html page with the jpg image there.

[Burrellimages]

i like having all my work on MY site and not everywhere else online. It keeps it uniform. I guess i should mention, i use Frontpage 2003 for my website.

[blackshadow]

i like having all my work on MY site and not everywhere else online. It keeps it uniform. I guess i should mention, i use Frontpage 2003 for my website.

Do you host your own website or use a commercial host?

I honestly can't see any difference between using a service like smugmug or a commercial host, especially when you can use your own domain name.

[Burrellimages]

I build my site with Frontpage and it is hosted through a commercial host i guess you would call it that. www.burrellimages.com

[GBRandy]

If you are serious about sales and image protection. Get over to Exposure Manager.

Mine is here..... http://www.rstess.exposuremanager.com/

They handle all the goo of processing the credit cards, printing the image, and sending it out.

I get a check about once a month. is it free? No. Is it worth it? For me it is worth every nickle.

[FlyingPhotog]

Keep the resolution as low as possible and watermark the hell out of them...

If you have to, add the words "This Photo Stolen From..."

[sapearl]

Brandon, is there some reason you run the files that large and at that size? That makes it extremely easy for people to print beautiful wallet size photos, and some a little bigger.

[Burrellimages]

I just do them 800x533. It's just a good viewable size. I want my photos to be large enough to view. I cant stand going to sites where i have to squint to see the photos.

[sapearl]

I completely understand, and do the same for my urban landscape gallery.

But a lot of your files are 150K+ .....and at 800 x 533 that's a good combination for an easy stolen print. I know you want your material to look good, but unless you stamp PROOF across it or go to some sort of secure site, people will just keep taking advantage.

I just do them 800x533. It's just a good viewable size. I want my photos to be large enough to view. I cant stand going to sites where i have to squint to see the photos.