Most of us are walking around with personal libraries of treasured prints on our smartphones that would make for ideal gifts. The only thing you need to figure out to get your photos from pixels to print is how to do just that, without the output becoming a pixeled mess.
Many websites online are equipped with the technology that lets you upload your prints directly from your phone, choose a frame to complement it and a mount to surround it. But some aren’t as good at limiting your print size options to ensure that the printed image you get doesn’t look like a jigsaw puzzle stuck together with hundreds of tiny squares visible.
Generally, images taken by a smartphone camera can print at small sizes without you needing to edit the images with software.
Determining the Ideal Size of Print for a Gift
For photos stored on your smartphone, chances are, it’s taken with a low megapixel camera, or at least something that isn’t as high quality as a DSLR camera. That doesn’t mean the images aren’t printable at a decent quality though. You only need to be able to print at 300 dpi (dots per inch) and keep your photo print size on the smaller side. Besides, when you’re gifting a photo, it’s usually more appreciated when it’s a smaller size because large prints (think poster size) can be more of a burden than a gift if the size limits the spaces it can be displayed. Larger sized prints will either need dedicated wall space or some floor space where they can lean against the wall or cabinet.
Smaller frames can be placed on side tables, windowsills, in display cabinets, coffee tables, TV units, shelves or the mantelpiece. There are far more displayable places for smaller sized frames, making a print of up to 7” x 5” or 8” x 6” ideal for framed gift options.
Upping the Size to Accommodate for Picture Mounts
Picture mounts are there for protection letting the printed photo last longer without suffering from deterioration such as yellowing or creasing. However, the mounts can also be a great way to compliment a framed print by choosing a complementary colour for emphasis. If you look at your wedding photos, or if you’ve never been married, think of the wedding photos you’ve seen of those you know or look up wedding photos online. You’ll notice a border always surrounds the framed prints by professionals, usually white or off-white. This is the picture mount, and if you want to use one in your frame, it’s a good idea to level up the frame size. As an example, if your print is 6” x 4”, you’ll want your frame to be at least 7” x 5” as that gives you a one-inch border right around your photo.
Selecting the Style of Frame
For personalised frames as a gift option, there can be some with embedded text, such as Mum frames, baby name frames, alphabet frames or even pet frames with paw prints embedded into the wood. These can be good gift options, however, for gift recipients, sometimes plain frames are better as 1) it may go better with the interior décor and 2) plain frames can be cheaper and since frames are a matter of personal taste, sometimes it’s better to have a quality print with all the components of a professionally framed picture already done, letting the gift recipient reframe the print into something that suits their taste.
The main components of a professional frame job are the backing board, mount, and of course, the print quality. If you take care of those, even the simplest of picture frames can be effective for the presentation aspect, and since it is a smaller print, it’s easier for your friend or relative to replace the frame itself with something that suits their taste.
Why not try uploading your photos to have printed and framed via our website at www.picturegalleryuk.com/print-and-frame and see how easy it is to create the perfect framed digital photo.