With basic imaging software, you can shrink and manipulate photos to any size for framing or other uses. Small photos can be easily made on your home printer. Having a high resolution file at 2.5-by-2.5 inches (or larger) is necessary for acceptable print quality. Photo-specific paper can be found at computer supply stores and will greatly increase the color vibrancy and contrast of your printed image.
Step 1
Open the photo in your computer's imaging software. Make any adjustments as necessary or desired to the color and contrast of the image.
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Step 2
Access the file's resolution by navigating to the image options. Resolution refers to the dots per inch of the file. Enter a value of 300dpi in the box for resolution for the highest quality printing results.
Step 3
Change the size of your image to 2.5 inches by 2.5 inches by typing in these values into the Image Options dialog box. If your image is not already a square, two choices remain. The first is to crop the image to a square. Your box selection tool may allow you to keep the square to a set size to help in this process. The other option is to force one dimension of the image to be elongated or shrunk to 2.5 inches by unclicking the option to maintain proportions and then typing in this size. Depending on the original dimensions of the image, however, this may result in a disturbingly disproportioned image. The first option is recommended.
Step 4
Click "Print" from the "File" menu, and continue to "Print Options" to open a dialog box of choices. These options vary depending on the printer's manufacturer, but the highest quality photo-printing option should be selected.
Step 5
Select the type of paper you are using in this same dialog box. The paper you purchase may come with an informational sheet to guide you amongst the choices that are listed. If this is not available, choose the option that corresponds to whether your paper is glossy or matte and refers to photo-quality paper. Click "Print" within this dialog box to finish.
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