Prints Charming

Gone are the days when the only way you could look back at old family snap shots was by leafing through a photo album. Digital photography has transformed the way we use photographs. New technology has made it easy, and often inexpensive to convert your favourite photographs into everything from artwork to key rings, and you can create something memorable to keep forever or buy as a gift for someone special.

Artwork

There are plenty of different options you can choose to transform your photographs into works of art. Before you begin, shop around on the net to find the best deals and the style of artwork that will match your decor – a great big canvas as a centre piece for a bedroom, for instance, or a whole wall taken up by series of different sized frames of family photographs can have a powerful impact.

Before you begin:

• Edit your photographs. You don't want to waste money on out-of-focus images. Eliminate problems like red-eye yourself, to keep down the cost of any retouching that has to be done.
• Email images at the highest resolution you can (at least 300 dpi).
• Try and choose a company that will email a digital version of your order before committing it to print so that you can check every detail i.e. to make sure they've cropped an image correctly.

Styles:

Canvas

Poster Prints

A more affordable way to create images, which will work well in a child's bedroom. Look out for special offers where you can order three for the price of two.

Sepia Tone

If you want to give a photograph an old-fashioned look why not try a sepia print. This often works well for an image of a baby or young child and gives the picture a certain timeless quality.

Pop Art

If you fancy yourself as a modern-day Marilyn Monroe or Elizabeth Taylor why not have multiple copies of your favourite headshot transformed into the style of an Andy Warhol work of art! These can be great fun and really make an impact.

Split Images

Splitting an image into three or four frames has also become very popular. A poster-sized photo can be cut into sections and displayed in inexpensive frames. Look for images with a single figure to create a strong focal point.

Gifts

There's a huge range of design-your-own gifts you can buy now. All you have to do is select a gift, download an image, and then it will be transferred on to the gift. Choose from clothing, such as t-shirts and baseball hats, to mouse mats and mugs to customised bags, cushions and key rings. You can even create a dog tag with a favourite image of your pooch!