Okay...let's get down to brass tacks then. I have tons of pictures of my grandbeauties that I want to eventually print out and put into a book to give each girl when they turn 16. I started printing them out and the quality is "okay." I did not use photo paper, just regular paper.

Do you mind sharing the name of the printer you have? I can google the "bells and whistles" and if you don't mind, would you also share the software you use to edit the photos? I might want to invest in some of this. I LOVE doing books for people, birthday cards, and coupon books, etc...I use PrintMaster right now, but I'm sure there's something better.

JJ, Printmaster is actually pretty good - it's what I use for cards, posters, etc. For photographs I use Jasc Print Shop Pro. I think Corel bought it a while ago, but it's still available. My camera came with a program called Picture Project, but I don't know if you can get that. Adobe Photoshop is supposed to be good, but it's quite expensive. The Printshop Pro is excellent, and has more stuff than I know how to use.

The big printer we have is an Epson Stylus Photo R1800. We also have a Canon i450 that prints great. Before you buy another printer, I would recommend that you try printing with the photo paper and look at the difference. The glossy finish makes them look so much better. You could even use matte photo paper if you don't like the high gloss. There is a world of difference in printing pictures on regular paper or on photo paper. I sometimes buy the photo paper at Target, if they have a good deal (like 1/2 off!!) If you do buy a printer, make sure it can print the smaller sizes, like 3x5 or 4x6 - some printers will only print on 8x10.

Let me know if you have more questions.

I make costume jewelry - beaded necklaces, bracelets and earrings. I mostly use crystals, faux pearls and other glass beads (frosted, faceted, etc.) Then accent with sterling silver or goldtone beads. Some of my wedding jewelery designs are on display in a local wedding invitation store, but mostly I just do it for fun. I like to give my designs away and it gives me something to do in the winter when I can't garden.

This will probably make everyone laugh, but I make dog/kitty cat jewlery, too!

ktri

Thank you Yonuh. I'll check with target on the paper. I think I'll try some glossy AND some matte, just to see which one I like better. I have a HP printer and its a no frills kind of printer but a good one. I'm going to try printing some pics on that with the photo paper and see what kind of results it gives FIRST.

ktri---why laugh? I would think making jewelry for animal collars would be a GREAT business to be in. No joke! Trixie, my dog, has all kinds of leashes...one is even a leopard type leash. Hey, ain't nothing too good for my dog! I bet its great! I can just see a pretty cat walking around with a diamond-studded collar. WOW!

Ok, I'm trying something here, so keep you're fingers crossed! Here's a picture I took today:

Now I have to figure out how to make it smaller!! This is a cactus flower at the Desert Museum.

OMGosh...its like we can reach out and touch it! Fantastic job!

Thanks, JJ, I love nature photography! I'm going to upload some of my pictures to Photobucket as soon as I figure it out. That way, anyone who wants to can go look at them and I won't bore everyone with a bunch of pictures.

Well, I'll tell you what I do as far as size. I open the picture in "Paint." Then I go under the "Image" button at the top and select "stretch/skew." When that menu comes up, I usually put 80% in the horizontal and 80% in the vertical till I get the picture to the size I want. I don't know if you have PAINT or not, but I love it!

That's a beautiful picutre, yonuh. So real.

JJ, Using photo paper makes a big difference, but you also need to change the printer to the photo paper setting when you do this. I also mostly use Picture Project because it came with my camera. Printmaster is good. I have HP photosmart and a couple of other things but I can't think of what they are. WhenI do aol albums, I edit the photos in that sometimes too.