Print Prep

Workflow & Business

Why Your Prints Look Nothing Like Your Screen (And How to Fix It Before You Ruin a Client Order)

I once handed a client a 24x36 canvas of her family portrait and watched her face fall. The image on her wall looked like it had been shot through a brown paper bag. The deep blues in the background had gone muddy. The skin tones were orange in a way that no living human being has ever actually been orange. She was gracious about it. I was mortified. That print had to be redone at my expense, and the lesson cost me about $180 and a week of anxiety.

June 26, 2026

Photography Business

Print Prep for Professionals: Getting Your Images Client-Ready

I’ve been printing client images for nearly two decades, and I can tell you exactly when someone skipped print prep: when the client calls asking why their portrait looks nothing like what they saw on screen. That conversation is painful, expensive, and entirely preventable. Print prep isn’t glamorous work. It won’t show up in your portfolio. But it’s the difference between looking like an amateur operation and running a professional business.

February 20, 2026