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Moments to Memories: Why You Should Print Your Photos From Your Phone
Imagine you’re holding a treasured photo of a family occasion. Maybe a wedding? Your favourite holiday? Now, imagine you can only view that photo through a screen. It’s not the same, is it?
The emotional connection we attach to printed photos makes them more important than ever in the digital age. What modern technology allows us to do is print our photos from the convenience of our own home through the process of mobile printing, reaffirming the emotional value of keeping tangible reminders of the past.
- The Rise of Mobile Photo Printing
- What is Mobile Printing?
- The Convenience of Mobile Printing
- Benefits of Tangible Photos
- Practical Tips for Mobile Printing
The Rise of Mobile Photo Printing
In order to fully appreciate the convenience of smartphone printing, we should take a quick look at the history of photography. Introduced in the 19th century, film photography used light-sensitive film to capture images. Film photography dominated in the 20th century and then digital photography emerged in the late 20th century, using digital sensors that converts light into electronic signals. As a result, the use of film had declined by the early 2000s. Smartphone cameras revolutionised photography in the 2010s. By integrating high-quality digital cameras into mobile phones, photography was made accessible to everyone, making it a part of daily life.
One major issue with digital photos is them being forgotten in cloud storage/social media galleries. How often do you think about the photos you’ve uploaded to an album on your social media page(s)? While we’re likely to take more pictures, how many of them do we actively look at and cherish? That’s where mobile photo printing comes in…
What is Mobile Printing?
Mobile printing is the process of printing wirelessly from a smart device, such as a smartphone. You can either print your smartphone photos using a dedicated portable printer (via compatible apps) or using a desktop inkjet or laser printer that supports mobile printing.
Types of Mobile Printers
Zink Printers: Use Zero Ink technology, which embeds the colours within the paper, meaning that there’s no need for ink cartridges. Popular, compactly sized printers include the Polaroid ZIP and HP Sprocket, which offer vibrant, smudge-proof prints.
Inkjet Printers: Use traditional ink cartridges to spray ink onto the paper. Models like the Canon PIXMA TR150 provide high-resolution prints and versatile printing options, such as borderless and photo printing.
When mobile printing with an inkjet printer, there are multiple different finishes of photo paper available, including glossy, semigloss and matte.
Thermal Printers: Use heat rather than ink to transfer images onto special paper, often used for black-and-white prints. The Fujifilm Instax Mini Link is a popular model known for its quick printing speed and fun, retro-style instant photos.
How to Mobile Print Photos
- Choose your photo: Open your smartphone’s photo gallery/camera roll and find the photo you want to print.
- Open the printing app: Launch the mobile printing app associated with your portable printer (e.g., HP Sprocket, Fujifilm Instax Mini Link).
- Connect to printer: Make sure your smartphone is connected to the printer via a Bluetooth or Wi-Fi connection.
- Edit (optional): If you want to, you can use the app’s editing features to crop, add filters, borders or text to the photo if the app supports it.
- Print settings: Adjust the print settings if you need to. Settings you may want to adjust include paper size and print quality.
- Print: Tap the print button within the app to send the photo to the printer.
- Retrieve the photo: Wait for the printer to finish printing, then retrieve your photo!
The Convenience of Mobile Printing
The main selling point of mobile printing your photos is the convenience of this process. Capable of fitting into a busy lifestyle seamlessly, there’s no need to power up your laptop or PC – simply print your favourite photos from your phone. The compact nature of portable printers also means you can take the printer out with you and capture and print spur of the moment, authentic pictures. This is great news for those looking for a convenient photo printing solution for weddings, other events or even holidays. Mobile printing is also suitable for more urgent photo printing tasks, like if you needed to print your own passport photo.
Customisation
Photo printing apps offer a range of customisation options, such as filters, borders and editing tools. Here’s some mobile photo printing apps and the editing features they offer:
HP Sprocket
- Filters
- Stickers
- Frames
- Text and fonts
- Crop and resize
- Adjust brightness, contrast and saturation
Kodak Smile
- Filters
- Frames
- Stickers
- Text and fonts
- Adjust brightness, contrast and saturation
- Red-eye correction
Fujifilm Instax Mini Link
- Filters
- Frames
- Stickers
- Collage templates
- Split print (multiple prints from one image)
- Adjust brightness, contrast and saturation
Polaroid Mint
- Filters
- Frames
- Text and fonts
- Stickers
- Crop and rotate
- Brightness and contrast adjustment
Benefits of Tangible Photos
Now we know how easy the process of mobile photo printing is, let’s explore the benefits of holding a physical photo.
Nostalgia: Whether it’s a reminder of the clothing, or how a location has changed, photos can bring you back to a moment in time. Or if you weren’t there, they offer a visual insight into a time gone by. Printed, tangible photos allow you to be more present in the moment, as opposed to scrolling through a series of photos on your phone.
Emotional bonding: Passing photos around and discussing memories is undoubtedly not the same on a screen. Printing your own photos can strengthen relationships by providing a tangible reminder of shared experiences.
Sense of permanence: A tangible photograph is a lasting, physical keepsake that can be revisited over time.
Enhanced memory recall: Remember specific events and details associated with the photo.
Gift-giving: Strengthens emotional bonds when given as a thoughtful gift. The personal touch of giving printed photos as a gift is especially meaningful for special occasions like birthdays, anniversaries and holidays.
Decorative value: Photos can personalise your living space with meaningful décor.
Here’s some ideas for using printed photos to decorate and display around your home:
Photo frames: Display photos in stylish frames on your walls, shelves or tabletops. Use your photo frames and/or mounts to complement the colour scheme of your home. For more information about colour theory, check out our guide to RGB and CMYK or our printable colour wheel chart.
Photo collages: Create a collage of multiple photos on a large frame or canvas to form a visual story of an event in your life.
Scrapbooking: Add photos and other mementos to a scrapbook to act as a reminder of a special event or period in your life.
Photo wall art: Arrange a series of photos in a grid or creative pattern directly on the wall, creating a personal piece of art.
String lights display: Clip your photos to string lights for a whimsical and illuminated photo display. Use polaroids for a vintage touch.
Photo albums: Keep a collection of photos (sorted by theme or chronologically) in decorative albums to browse through when you want to reminisce.
Shadow boxes: Print photos to display alongside small keepsakes and memorabilia in a shadow box for a three-dimensional display.
Practical Tips for Mobile Printing
Now you know why mobile photo printing is so useful, here’s some tips to help you get the most out of your prints and make the process even easier.
How to Choose Photos to Mobile Print
Choose photos with high resolution to ensure sharp, clear prints. You should aim for at least 300 DPI (dots per inch) for the best quality photos. Opt for photos with good lighting, avoiding harsh shadows or overexposure. Natural light often gives you the best results.
This seems obvious, but you should make sure the main subject of the photo is in sharp focus. Blurry or out-of-focus images won’t print well and will ultimately waste paper and ink, as you’ll inevitably need to print another photo with a clearer focus.
Choose photos with a clear, simple composition. Avoid overly cluttered images that may look busy when printed. Ensure the photo has a balanced composition. The subject should be well-positioned within the frame (e.g., following the rule of thirds).
Pick photos with bright, vivid colours to make your prints pop and look more vibrant. Images with good contrast and plenty of detail will translate well in print.
Finally, the most important thing to consider is the emotional impact of your photos. You should choose photos that evoke emotion or capture meaningful moments, enhancing the personal value of your prints.
Printer Maintenance
Keep your mobile printer in optimal working condition by following our advice:
- Regular cleaning: Gently clean the printer’s exterior and interior using a soft, lint-free cloth to remove dust and debris. Make sure to avoid using harsh chemicals.
- Proper storage: To prevent damage, store the printer in a cool, dry place away from direct sunlight and extreme temperatures. Keep paper in its original packaging until you plan to use it to prevent exposure to humidity and dust.
- Follow the manufacturer’s instructions for loading paper to avoid jams and misfeeds.
- Check levels regularly through the printer app or status indicator, replacing cartridges when they run low.
- Avoid overuse: Give your printer breaks between extensive printing sessions to prevent overheating and wear.
- Battery care: If your printer is battery-operated, charge it regularly but avoid overcharging. Follow the manufacturer’s guidelines for battery maintenance.
What are the Standard Photo Print Sizes?
Three common photo print sizes include:
- 4 x 6 inches (10 x 15cm) for standard snapshots
- 5 x 7 inches (13 x 18cm) for slightly larger prints often used for framing
- 8 x 10 inches (20 x 25cm) for more substantial display purposes and professional portraits
To Sum Up…
Here we’ve gone over the history of photo printing and the important role mobile photo printing plays in this. We’ve also outlined the benefits of mobile printing, as well as given you helpful tips to get the most out of the process and the best photo prints possible.
The enduring value of printed memories in the digital age is something that cannot be understated. Mobile printing has made this process easier than ever, so why not try it for yourself and experience the joy tangible photos can provide?