I’ve been doing this long enough to have made every mistake once. The worst? Delivering prints that looked nothing like what my clients approved. I’ve learned that print prep isn’t something to rush through—it’s where the real work happens.

Your Color Profile Is Non-Negotiable

Here’s the truth: your monitor lies. That beautiful image on your screen will print differently unless you’re working with a proper color profile for your specific printer and paper combination. I stopped guessing years ago.

Get profiles from your lab or printer. Install them on every workstation in your workflow. When you’re soft-proofing in Lightroom or Photoshop, use “Proof Setup” to simulate exactly how your image will render. In Photoshop, go to View > Proof Setup and select your printer profile. Don’t skip this step because you think it slows you down—it actually saves time by catching problems before plates roll.

Resolution and Sizing Aren’t Complicated

A lot of photographers overthink this. For professional prints, shoot for 300 DPI at your final output size. If a client wants a 16x20 print, that’s 4800x6000 pixels minimum. I deliver all files at 300 DPI to my lab and specify exact dimensions with no guesswork.

When you’re resizing in Photoshop, use Image > Image Size and set it to 300 DPI. Use bicubic sharpening as your interpolation method—it’s the industry standard for enlarging. Never scale up more than 20% beyond your native resolution. If the math doesn’t work, have a conversation with your client about realistic sizes.

File Format Choices Matter More Than You Think

I ship two versions of every file: a master TIFF for archive and a JPEG for the lab. TIFFs preserve all color data losslessly. JPEGs compress, but at 90-95% quality, the loss is negligible and files transfer faster. Never deliver a Photoshop PSD file to a lab—they can’t guarantee consistency across platforms.

Include color space in your file naming. I use: “ClientName_ImageTitle_RGB.tif” or “ClientName_ImageTitle_sRGB.jpg” depending on destination. This eliminates confusion about whether the file is in the right color space.

Sharpening Is the Last Step, Always

This is where I see photographers stumble. Sharpening should happen last, after you’ve sized and color-corrected everything. I use Unsharp Mask (Filter > Sharpen > Unsharp Mask) with these settings as a starting point: Amount 100-150%, Radius 1.0-1.5 pixels, Threshold 0-2. Adjust based on the image—fine detail needs less aggressive sharpening than a landscape.

For print, you’ll need more sharpening than on-screen images. Print lacks the glow of a monitor, so detail reads flatter. I typically sharpen more aggressively for prints than I would for web.

Document Everything in Your System

Create a print prep checklist and use it every single time. Mine includes: color profile applied, dimensions verified at 300 DPI, final sharpening applied, file format confirmed, metadata stripped (or retained if required). I use a template in my project management system that flags each step. Takes two minutes and has saved me from dozens of disasters.

When something goes wrong—and it will—you want to know exactly what happened. I name my working files with version numbers: “Image_v01_editing.psd”, “Image_v02_colorCorrect.psd”, “Image_v03_final_print.tif”. If a reprint is needed, I know exactly which file to pull.

The Bottom Line

Print prep separates professionals from hobbyists. Your clients are paying for flawless execution. Every image that leaves your studio should represent your commitment to quality. Standardize your process, document it, and never skip the proofing step. That’s how you build a business clients actually trust.