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By now, it’s no secret that iPhone cameras take awesome pictures. What’s less obvious is how you can get your beautiful shots from the phone and out into the real world using a printer. Actually, it’s easier than you think and can be done in a couple of simple steps. Read on as we’ll show you how.
Before getting into the nitty-gritty of these ways, let’s walk you through setting your photo’s aspect ratio.
Setting the Photo’s Aspect Ratio
Before you print a photo, you’ll need to make sure it has a 4×6 aspect ratio. So let’s see how to do that.
Launch your iPhone’s photo application.
Locate the photo you’ll be working with.
Select the photo and click the “Edit” option located at the top right corner.
Choose the “Aspect” option in the crop window. You’ll see a number of options like Square, 3×2, and so on. Choose the 4×6 option.
Your picture will appear to fade into the background with a frame overlaid on it. Drag the frame around to choose which parts of the picture you want to show up as the final 4×6 image. Any part of your picture that’s inside the frame represents the part of the picture that won’t be cropped out.
Ensure that the size of the frame remains the same so as not to mess with the picture’s aspect ratio.
Once you’re happy with what sections of the picture appear within the frame, click the crop option located at the top right corner.
You’ll see a preview of the image after it’s been cropped. If you’re happy with how it looks, press the “Save” button at the top right corner to save the picture.
Viola! Your 4×6 picture is ready for printing!
How Can I Print 4×6 Photos From My iPhone?
Now, it’s time to get the photo printed. Here are three of the most common ways you can make that happen with your iPhone:
Using Your Own Printer
If you’ve got a printer at your home or office, you can easily get the photo printed out by transferring it from your iPhone to your computer (Mac). You can do this by attaching a USB cord between the two devices or wirelessly through Airprint.
Printing With Mac
Connect your iPhone to your Mac using a USB cord and transfer the photo to your computer. Then, follow the steps below:
Open the photo on your computer using the default photo-viewing software.
In the menu, click on “File,” then “Print.” Alternatively, simply press “Command” and “P” together. Either option will open the print menu.
With the print menu open, make sure you’ve selected the right printer and paper size.
Once the settings check out, press “Print.”
Note that you’ll have to make sure your printer is able to print high-quality images.
Printing With Airprint
To use this option, your printer will need to be Airprint-enabled. You can do this by contacting your printer’s manufacturer or looking it up online. If it’s enabled, follow the steps below:
Launch the app on your iPhone that you’ll be printing the photo from.
Tap the share icon and find the “Print” option. If there’s no option like that, look through the photo app’s guide to see if it supports Airprint.
Tap the option for “Select Printer” and choose your Airprint-enabled printer.
Choose the number of copies you’d like to print.
Tap the “Print” button at the top right corner of the screen.
Print From a Local Shop
You may not have the option to print via a computer at home or work. In that case, you’ll have to get the photo printed at your local print shop.
Printer shops usually have machines that are capable of printing high-quality photos. You can simply send your photo out for printing (via email) before heading over to collect it.
The most common photo file extensions that printers receive are the JPG and PDF extensions. It’s recommended that you send the file in a PDF format as JPGs are a lossy (quality-wise) file format.
Also, if you use photo-editing software like Photoshop, you can ask your printer shop whether it receives the PSD file formats. These files tend to be large, so transferring the photo via email might not be possible.
Online Services
If you don’t have a printer at home and the nearest printer is in the next town over, you still have the option of printing out the photo through an online photo-printing service. Apps such as Kicksend, FreePrints, and PostalPix offer this kind of service for a one-time payment or subscription fee. Once ordered, the photo will be delivered to your door in a couple of days.
What Determines the Photo’s Quality?
The resolution of your iPhone’s camera determines how big you can print your photo and how clear the final image will be. Therefore, checking your phone’s megapixel count will give you an idea of the quality you can expect.
Megapixel count refers to the number of dots on your phone’s sensor that are capable of capturing light. Phones with higher megapixel counts are capable of printing large, good-quality images.
For context, 8-megapixel cameras are able to print 10.88 x 8.16 photos, which is much larger than 4×6. Therefore, with an 8 megapixel iPhone camera or higher, you can expect your 4×6 photo prints to come out looking crisp.
Final Thoughts
Printing a 4×6 photo from an iPhone is pretty easy to do and as simple as a couple of steps. Once you’ve adjusted the photo to the correct aspect ratio, you can save the image on your phone with these new settings before printing it out at home or with the help of local shops or a dedicated online service.
