Photoshop Elements 12: The Missing Manual

Chapter 16. Printing Photos

Now that you’ve gone to so much trouble to make your photos look terrific, you no doubt want to share your masterpieces with other people. This chapter and the next two look at the many different options Elements gives you for sharing photos with the world at large.

This chapter covers the traditional method: printing photos. You can print them at home on an inkjet printer, take them to a kiosk at a local store, or order prints online. Elements makes it especially simple to use Shutterfly, Adobe’s online printing partner. You also get an easy connection to a few other popular online photo-printing services (A Few More Ways to Share). The best thing about ordering photos online is that you’re not limited to just ordinary prints: You can create hardcover books, calendars, embarrassing t-shirts—you name it.

It’s worth noting that while the basics of printing are the same whether you’re using a Windows computer or a Mac, some things are a bit different between the two platforms. This chapter notes the differences as they come up.

Getting Ready to Print

Whether you’re printing at home or sending photos to a printing service, you need to make sure your image files are set up to create good-looking prints.

The first thing to check is the resolution, which controls the number of pixels per inch (ppi) in the image. If the photo doesn’t have enough pixels, then the print will look grainy and pixelated. Most photo aficionados consider 300 ppi ideal; a quality print needs ...