Digital photography has made us lazy about printing. We shoot thousands of images that never leave our hard drives. But printed photos have permanence and impact that screens can’t match. Here’s what you need to know about getting your work printed properly in Australia.

Print Quality Levels

Drugstore prints from pharmacies and big-box retailers serve a purpose—cheap, quick prints for sharing or casual display. Quality varies from acceptable to poor. I use these only when I need something fast and disposable, not for anything I care about preserving or displaying properly.

Online print labs like Photobox, SnapFish, and Big W Photo offer better quality than drugstore prints at still-reasonable prices. They’re fine for family snapshots, holiday photos, and situations where archival quality doesn’t matter. Turnaround is typically a few days with mail delivery.

Professional labs provide significantly higher quality. Colours are more accurate, paper choices are broader, and prints last longer. The cost difference is substantial—expect to pay three to five times more than consumer labs—but the quality justifies it for work you care about.

Professional Lab Options

Melbourne Digital Lab handles high-quality prints with excellent colour accuracy and professional service. They work with photographers regularly and understand technical requirements. I’ve used them for exhibition prints and been consistently satisfied.

Quality Digital in Sydney offers similar professional service. Their fine art paper options are extensive, and staff know how to work with photographers’ files properly. Turnaround is reasonable even for custom work.

Momento Pro (formerly Kayell) provides nationwide service with good quality and competitive pricing for professional-level prints. They’re not quite at the level of specialist fine art labs but significantly better than consumer services.

Many cities have local professional labs serving photographers in their region. Ask other photographers in your area for recommendations. Supporting local labs builds relationships that benefit you long-term.

File Preparation

Resolution matters for printing. You need approximately 300 pixels per inch at final print size for quality results. A 30x20cm (12x8 inch) print needs roughly 3600x2400 pixels. Smaller files can be upsampled but quality suffers.

Colour space should be Adobe RGB or ProPhoto RGB for professional printing. sRGB works for consumer labs but limits the colour range available for professional printing. Convert to the lab’s preferred profile before submitting files.

Sharpening for print differs from sharpening for screen display. Prints need more aggressive sharpening because viewing distance is greater and paper absorbs ink differently than screens emit light. I apply output sharpening specifically for print size and paper type.

Soft proofing in Lightroom or Photoshop shows you how your image will look when printed with a specific lab’s profile. This preview reveals colours that can’t be reproduced and lets you adjust before ordering expensive prints.

Paper Choices

Glossy paper produces maximum colour saturation and sharpness. It’s ideal for vibrant, detailed images. The downside is reflections—viewing angle affects what you see, and bright lights cause distracting glare.

Lustre/semi-gloss sits between glossy and matte, offering most of glossy’s colour saturation with less reflective glare. This is my default choice for most prints—it works well for varied subjects and display conditions.

Matte paper provides no reflections and a sophisticated look for certain subjects. Portrait photographers often prefer matte for its subtle, elegant feel. The trade-off is reduced colour saturation and less apparent sharpness.

Fine art papers—cotton rag, watercolour texture, and similar surfaces—suit artistic work you want to present as art rather than photographs. They’re expensive and require careful file preparation, but the results have a gallery-quality feel.

Print Sizes and Ratios

Camera aspect ratios don’t match standard print sizes. Most cameras shoot 3:2 ratio (e.g., 6000x4000 pixels). Standard print sizes like 8x10 or 11x14 are different ratios. This means cropping is inevitable.

Decide how you want to handle cropping. You can crop in post-processing before sending files, maintaining control over composition. Or you can let the lab auto-crop, which is risky—they might cut off important elements.

I compose slightly loose in camera, anticipating I’ll crop to various print ratios in post-processing. This gives me flexibility for different output sizes without compromising composition.

Large prints require checking resolution carefully. A 90x60cm print needs substantial resolution to maintain quality. If your file is marginal, consider sizing down to the next smaller standard size rather than stretching resolution too far.

Framing and Display

UV-protective glass or acrylic prevents fading but isn’t essential for all situations. If prints will be displayed in direct sunlight, UV protection matters. For normal indoor display, standard glass works fine.

Mat borders separate the image from the frame and provide visual breathing room. They’re not mandatory but generally improve presentation, especially for smaller prints.

Professional framing is expensive. For work you’re selling or displaying publicly, professional framing is worth the investment. For home display, quality ready-made frames from art supply stores work fine and cost a fraction of custom framing.

Print Longevity

Archival quality matters if you want prints to last decades without fading. Professional labs using pigment inks on quality paper can produce prints lasting 100+ years under proper conditions.

Consumer prints fade faster—sometimes within 5-10 years under harsh conditions. If longevity matters, use professional labs and archival papers.

Display conditions affect print life more than most people realize. Direct sunlight causes rapid fading. High humidity can damage prints. Proper display with UV glass in climate-controlled rooms maximizes print longevity.

Cost Management

Order test prints before committing to large or expensive prints. An 8x10 test costs relatively little and lets you verify colour, cropping, and paper choice before ordering a $200 large format print.

Group orders reduce per-print costs when possible. If you’re ordering multiple prints, do them together rather than separate orders. Shipping becomes more economical, and some labs offer quantity discounts.

Sales and promotions are regular at many labs. Sign up for mailing lists and order during discount periods. I’ve saved 30-40% by timing orders around promotions.

Album and Book Options

Photo books have become the modern photo album. Services like Momento, Photobox, and Blurb let you design custom books with your images. Quality varies by provider—order sample books to evaluate before committing to expensive projects.

Traditional photo albums with individual prints still have appeal. There’s something tactile about physical prints in a conventional album that digital books don’t replicate.

I create books for major events—travel, family milestones, significant projects—rather than trying to book everything. Selectivity makes each book more meaningful.

When to Print

Print your best work, not everything. Choose images that matter to you, that you want to see daily, or that deserve preservation beyond digital files sitting on hard drives.

I print a selection from each major project—a dozen prints from significant trips, a few key images from important photo sessions. These become both portfolio pieces and personal keepsakes.

Exhibition and portfolio prints deserve professional lab quality. If you’re showing work publicly or to potential clients, invest in excellent prints. They represent you professionally.

The Value of Physical Prints

Screens are ephemeral. Hard drives fail. Cloud services change terms. Physical prints are tangible, permanent (if done properly), and independent of technology.

I’ve seen people lose entire photo libraries to technical failures. The prints they made survived. There’s security in physical objects that digital files can’t provide.

More importantly, prints have emotional impact that screens lack. A framed photograph on a wall gets seen daily, appreciated regularly, and becomes part of your physical environment. Digital files in folders get forgotten despite being “backed up safely.”

Print your work. Not everything, but the images that matter. Display them, share them, and appreciate having tangible results from your photography efforts. Digital is convenient, but print is permanent.