Editing for printing?

[Vectis Birder]

My photos tend to stay on my hard drive these days, but I have decided that I want to print the best ones (commercially such as at Boots, etc). Obviously what you see onscreen is not necessarily what you get on a print.

What is the best way of processing pictures for printing - do I sharpen and how much by? What colour mode is best?

Any input will be gratefully received.

Many thanks

'VB'

Btw, I am using Elements 4
Also my latest pictures start life as RAWs. I do have some JPEGs that need tweeking, too.

[andy153]

Hi VB - can I suggest you copy a dozen random files without changes onto a CD then take it to various commercial outlets - Jessops, Tesco, Kodak Easyshare online etc and see what they make of them. You may be surprised. If you need big enlargements (A3) then you would need a good processing lab and they should be set up to handle whats thrown at them but they can be pricey.

[Petewit]

Most commercial printers use the sRGB colour space so that is the best space to convert your files to if not already done so. Adobe RGB colours tend to come out a bit muted if printed with sRGB.
As for sharpening you can only sharpen as much as looks good on your own screen.
If you want big prints, A4 and bigger resize them for 300dpi.

Pete

add
http://www.photobox.co.uk/
to the commercial printers; they give you a suggested limit for enlargement of each pic,
but don't be afraid to start optimising the pics for both screen and print - a lot to learn, but sooner started, sooner proficient enough to take control and modern printer are really good value

[walwyn]

I eventually got my editing software to display the images the same way as they'll appear in a browser, and maybe by luck they also appear in on the monitor the same as they print on my Epson.

Printing labs differ considerable, as Petewit says you need to check them out with test samples. However, be aware that sometimes you are dependant on the person that does the order, for film processing I've alwats used Colab in Coventry. The high street places are mostly crap, and extend the chemical use until it is well exhausted. A number of years ago one such place in Coventry the guy in charge of the printing and development was actually colour blind.

Jessop's used to be a good second choice from Colab, but the last couple of rolls I had developed were poorly done.

[gordon g]

Not all high street places are crap. I would suggest going to somewhere local and talking to the technicians who will be doing the printing. I use my local chemists, and through regular contact am on first name terms with their technicians. I now know how to optimise for their printer, which colour profile to use etc. The techs were very helpful, and seemed pleased to have someone take an interest.

[Vectis Birder]

Great, thanks for all your responses!