WHCC and Printing Help

[NewGirl13]

So, I'm going with WHCC for my prints, I've already done test prints, etc and they turned out great.

I have an order for a 20x24 print and I'm unsure since this is my first big print how exactly I should go about sizing it.

When I do nothing at all to the image and open it up in ROES and choose the dimensions I want for it, there is a white border on the top and bottom of the picture. The picture looks good, I'm just concerned it's not actually going to be 20x24 because of the border.

Should I crop it or resize it and then try? It just seems when I crop it I cut out a large portion of my picture and I don't want that.

I just want this picture to turn out perfectly for my client and don't want to mess up and have to have it reprinted.

Advice please?

[lputman]

Are you uploading a 20x24 formatted file?

I typically do all my sizing and upload each of those sizes for printing.

[NewGirl13]

The picture I uploaded into ROES was not size formatted at all. All I did when I got it over there was to select the size of print I wanted and then selected crop to fit.

[lputman]

You should upload the file as the dimensions you want printed. This way, you have total control of where it is going to be cropped since you would do it yourself. If you don't want to crop, you might have to stretch the photo to fit the dimensions you want printed.

[dcclark]

You don't need to send a file formatted at exactly 20x24 inches (most publishing houses ignore any "dimensions" included in the file anyhow). But you do need to upload an image which is in the same ratio as a 20x24 inch photo -- that is, the ratio of the longest side to the shortest side (in pixels) should be 24:20, which is the same as 6:5 (edited to be correct -- I made a mistake originally). Most image editors will let you crop using a ratio like this.

[lputman]

You are so right David and thank you for putting into words what I had in my head!

[LeeR]

I think the ratio you are looking for would be 6:5 not 6:4. That being said, I know a lot of photgraphers like to create an actual size image for final sharpening purposes.

[dcclark]

Originally Posted by LeeR

I think the ratio you are looking for would be 6:5 not 6:4. That being said, I know a lot of photgraphers like to create an actual size image for final sharpening purposes.

D'oh, you're right -- I meant 6:5.

I'm not sure what an "actual size image" means, because images have no inherent size beyond their pixel dimensions -- until they're printed. You can set them to display at "print size" onscreen, but that's the best you can get. Don't forget to factor viewing distance in to your sharpening plans, too.

[NewGirl13]

Thanks guys! I really appreciate the help!