We made the move to a Mac last October and we love it so far. There’s just one big problem: we cannot produce high-quality prints from within iPhoto. We have an Epson Stylus RX620 printer, and have the latest drivers installed on the Mac. Do I need a new printer that is more compatible with the Mac? Or is there some other way that I can get the highest quality prints from iPhoto?
Assuming that you have the correct drivers installed for your printer, and that there is nothing wrong with the printer, the quality of your prints depends on the quality of your photo files. And by “quality,” we’re talking about resolution, which is how many pixels the photos contain. Low-resolution photos look fine on your screen, but when they’re printed out, the pixels are enlarged to fill up the paper, and the photo ends up a blurry mess unless you print it very small.
Your photos need to meet minimum resolution requirements to produce high-quality printouts.
To check the resolution of the photos, right-click a picture in iPhoto and click the Info button at the bottom of the window (or press Command-I). At the top of this view, you’ll be able to see the resolution beside the file size. To get a good printout, you should follow these minimum resolutions: For an 8x10, you need at least 1600x1200 pixels. For a 5x7, 1152x864. For a 4x6, look for 1024x768. If the picture is 640x480 or lower, you’re limited to a wallet-sized print.
If your photos don’t have a high enough resolution, you should consider the source of the photos. If you scanned them, there may be an issue with the scanning resolution. If you took the pictures with a camera, check the menus to be sure the camera is saving your images at the highest available resolution. If you’re trying to print photos you were emailed or saved from the internet, it’s likely they were compressed to achieve a smaller file size. But to get a nice-looking print, you want as many pixels as possible—so the photo files will be much bigger.
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jblocher
March 28, 2012 at 6:02pm
The other major factor affecting print quality is using the best paper and using the Epson driver effectively. It's important to match the driver to the paper type. If you use non-Epson paper it may take a few tries until you find the best driver settings. I find the Office Depot standard glossy photo paper gives acceptable results, but I use Ilford pearl finish paper for high-quality portraits.
I also find it helpful to calibrate my monitor. I use a Spyder 3, but the calibration routine built into the Monitor panel of the System preferences will get very close. In my office environment, I also need to dim my monitor slightly so that the print will match.
