Since digital photos have rapidly risen to rival film based photography, many retail outlets have seen the writing on the wall to offer digital prints from various types of media including the camera cards and CD storage.  Unfortunately, some of the lower quality printers used in these prints stations are not very good at printing the high resolution pictures clearly.  Before you spend a lot of money taking your pictures in for prints, make sure the facility you use produces clear and high quality prints of your photos.  This is not necessarily determined by how much you are charged for prints, because you can be stuck with some very expensive substandard prints.  If you have a good printer at home, you might get better and less expensive prints from your own printer at home rather than using a quick print retail outlet.  Buyer beware.

Digital Prints

Make sure your retail store produces high quality images before spending lots of money.

When comparing the differences between displaying a digitally matted photo with a conventionally framed photo, conventional matting takes away some of the outer edge of the photo to make up for the space occupied by the matting itself.  With digital matting, the entire photo is visible, reduced in size to accommodate the digital matting.  The end result is a perfectly matted picture that can be seen completely without being compromised by the matte.  That is something to think about the next time you consider paying good money for a conventional matting and framing of your favorite photo.  Since digital matting from me is so much less expensive than conventional techniques, you have a win win situation choosing to trust your images with us.  The following is another perfectly matted photo.

Digital Matting

There is no loss of picture edges with digital matting.

In addition to the right color balance in photos and photo matting, an aspect for making good conventional prints of the picture relates to choosing the right matte size.  The reason for this is that digital photo frame display of the picture uses the entire image with no need to worry about leaving a border or edge to fit a frame.  When a digital photo is printed out, there must be a wide enough outer matte to account for fitting the picture into a conventional picture frame, which leaves some of the outer edge of the image unseen for the perfect fit.  If you are thinking about framing a digitally matted photo, be sure to indicate that you want to also print and frame the image in a conventional frame.  The following example is an image that when printed and displayed in a conventional frame, may not provide enough space on the outer matte edges to frame it properly, so it will not “look right” when you try to frame the picture conventionally.

Digital Prints

Outer matte is too narrow for good conventional framing.

On your next visit to a museum or art shop, take along your digital camera to get some shots of your favorite art.  The following image was adapted from a photo taken in an art shop in Eureka Springs, AR on a recent visit.  I matted the photo and adjusted it to fit into the scale of the image.  Though the photo does not exactly do the original work of art justice, it was a cheaper way to have a copy of something that caught my eye.

Digital photo prints

Sometimes a photo of an art work makes a good print.

If you want me to create a unique or custom design from your photos or specifications, just send an email to jdir@bhotechnologists.com and tell me what you have in mind.  Please do not attach photos to your email.  I will tell you everything you need to know about how to start getting the most from your digital picture frame content.  If you want to use any of the work posted on this site, just pay $3 per image at how to buy matting services and then send me an email to let me know what you use or want to download.

Thanks for visiting, and come back often.  If you like what you see, tell your friends.  If you don’t, then keep coming back until you find something you do like.  Your comments are welcome, especially if they are good ones.

As part of this sequence, I have provided two photos produced along with digital photo matting that make nice prints using a conventional printer on matte photo paper, at a high quality print setting.  Some of the digital photos work well in this kind of media, but it should be remembered that all the images produced on this site generally work best when displayed electronically rather than in print form.  The reason for this lies in the differences between resolution and color matching of printer based images versus the display characteristics of a digital picture frame, computer screen, or high definition television image.  Though many quality printers produce excellent photo printing results, the effects of various types of paper used to print the photos will also impact comparative results.  To illustrate this, I took the following image and printed it on matte paper using a late model Canon printer at high quality.  Compared to the image below, the printed result came out with the matting and image looking much less vivid than the electronic version of the image.  There are software programs and various kinds of printers that can help to bridge the gap in noticeable differences between print and screen versions of photos with a little experimentation and adjusting of print parameters.  Since we are not in the print business here, our focus is centered on providing quality digital images.

Digital Photo Matting

This image displays much better electronically than with average print.

The next picture in the series makes an excellent digital photo matting for digital picture frames, but turned out to be a nice digital photo print for a conventional picture frame as well.  When these images are printed and framed in a regular picture frame, the richness of the matted photo is brought out well in an 8 X 10 format.  If you have not yet decided to buy a digital picture frame, or if you have not been too impressed with the digital format you have, this kind of print might be something to consider.

Digital Prints

San Antonio scene - one of my favorite towns.

Although my main focus is on creating digital matting and images which are for use with high quality digital picture frames, I also reach out to those who insist on hanging conventional pictures in conventional frames.  My digital photo matting works well for prints as well as electronic images, and can be used to create nice wall hangings around the house.  The following image is one of my own photos that I have framed and hung on my wall at home as an 8 X 10 print.  If you are not into the digital revolution, you can still buy my quality images to display as prints in your own home.  I framed this image using a high quality print from my home printer and a $3 picture frame, so for a total of $6, you can have people asking you where you got such a beautiful picture to grace your home.  Enjoy.

Digital Prints

Digital prints make nice conventional framed pictures.

My next award design commemorates the American Volkssport Association’s walk in Eureka Springs, Arkansas, sponsored by the Ozark Hill Hikers club.  This walk starts at the famed Crescent Hotel and takes walkers past the wonderful shops in downtown Eureka Springs.  Starting at the hotel saves driving and parking in the congested downtown district, but takes you through the steep hilly streets.  Plenty of time should be allotted for this interesting walk, which is not for the faint of heart.  The club does not offer an award for the walk, so I made the one that follows to remember it by.  For more official information about the AVA and the benefits of walking, visit http://www.ava.org/ .  If you are a member of a club and would like me to design an award for your event, drop me an email.  Awards make great incentives for the walks, and my award designs are great for saving space.

Volkswalk Awards

Volksmarches are a great way to plan something to do on vacations.

The next walk sponsored by the American Volkssport Association, and the Dogwood Trailblazers I visited took place in Branson Missouri along lake Taneycomo, historic Branson, and the new Branson Landing area.  The event was a credit only walk, so my own offering for a volkssport award design is a nice reminder to have for those who visit this event.  There was a fog on the lake when we walked past the landing, so my photo captured some fog in the shot.  If you are a member of a walking club, and would like me to design a digital award for your event, just drop me an email.  For more information about the AVA, visit http://www.ava.org/ and experience their walks for yourself.

Event Awards

When a local club does not offer awards, I can keep the ball rolling.

Because of the benefits and efforts of the American Volkssport Association, I have decided to add my own efforts in promoting the organization’s sponsored events, by offering some commemorative volkssport award designs related to various walks I visit throughout the year.  A recent trip to Springfield, Missouri took us to a walk in Sequiota Park, sponsored by the Dogwood Trailblazers club.  After going on this walk, one of the most interesting sights turned out to be in the park itself, right at the starting point.  The little lake and cave in the park made a nice photo opportunity, so I used one of my pictures to create the award.  By creating my own walking awards, I have been able to save some wall space currently taken up by physical awards from 1000 kilometers worth of previous walking events.  If you are a member of a walking club, and would like me to design a digital award for your event, just drop me an email.  For more information about the AVA, visit http://www.ava.org/ and experience their walks for yourself.

Commemorative Awards

Virtual awards save space and make nice memories of walking events.