How to Take Better Photos for Printing

Use Good Light

Light matters more than the camera. Take photos near a window or outdoors in the morning or late afternoon. Avoid harsh midday sun, which makes deep shadows on faces, and dim rooms, where a phone photo turns soft and grainy.

Hold Steady and Tap to Focus

A blurry photo cannot be fixed. Hold your phone with both hands, or rest it on something, and tap the screen on the subject so the phone focuses there. Wait a moment for the focus to settle before you take the photo.

Leave Room Around the Subject

Prints come in different shapes, and some crop a strip from the edge. Do not put the face right at the edge of the frame. Leave a little space around people so a crop does not cut anything off.

Take Some Wide and Some Close

Take wide photos that show the place, and close photos of faces and details. The mix makes a book or collage more interesting later. Turn the phone sideways for landscapes and scenery, and hold it upright for people and tall things.

Do Not Rely on Digital Zoom

Pinching to zoom past your phone's real lens options is digital zoom. It enlarges the image and loses detail, which shows up in a print. It is better to step closer. Or take the photo wide and crop it later, since a crop of a sharp photo keeps more detail than a digital zoom.

Keep the Original Files

Photos sent on WhatsApp and other chat apps are shrunk to send faster. Keep the original in your camera roll, and use it when you print. Ask friends to send originals of the photos they took.

Then see how to print photos from your phone.

Check the Photo Before You Print

Zoom into the photo on your phone and look at the eyes. If they are sharp, the photo will print well. Our resolution guide shows how many pixels each print size needs.