Please Do Not Print Unless In An Emergency

By Author: Jack Church
Total Articles: 158
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Ok the title might be a bit of an exaggeration but the idea behind it is viable and simple. In the modern era of digital cameras and in a new century where the environment is an important consideration and where keeping everything we do as green as possible is everybodys goal printing photos is something that should be avoided if possible.

In the past film cameras left users no choice but to develop the film and print the photos on photo printing paper. Using a film camera there was no way to view and enjoy the photos unless they were printed. Printing photos using film negatives is a dirty process. It involves the usage of many chemicals which are not friendly to the environment and of course the user of special paper which is too very friendly to the environment.

With the emergence of the digital camera era the was in which users can use and view photos has dramatically changed. Instant satisfaction is available using the camera post view screen. Almost all digital cameras are equipped with a small size color LCD screen on which photos and videos can be displayed. Immediately after taking the photo the photographer ...
... can view the results. The digital camera screen is most useful for when taking photos in order to make sure that the quality and composition of the photo is as the photographer intended. The digital camera LCD screen is usually too small and its quality not good enough for when just wanting to browse old albums or shows photos to friends at home.

Fortunately enough digital photos are simple electronic digital files and as such can be easily moved from one device to another as there is nothing physical or tangible that needs to be moved. Digital photos can easily be moved from a digital camera to a personal computer. Personal computers today have plenty of storage space and processing power and also usually sport high resolution high quality big flat screens. Thus using a personal computer for viewing photos is a good solution.

But personal computers have one drawback. They are usually not placed in where you might want to be enjoying your photos or where you have your friends when visiting your home and wanting to view some photos together. To help solve this problem new special photo viewing devices where developed. Also known as digital photo frames these devices imitate the old paper photo frame. They are basically an LCD screen with some minimal storage and networking capabilities. Digital photo frame LCD sizes can vary from wallet size to huge LCD frames hung on a wall. Digital photo frames can thus help with wanting to view photos in the living room or maybe in your work office at your desk.

A new way to watch digital photos on the go has emerged with the proliferation of third generation new mobile phones. Such phones as for example the famous iPhone sport a relatively high resolution big LCD screen and have lots of storage and a very fast connection to the Internet. Using those capabilities they allow fast browsing and fun browsing of digital photo albums on the go anywhere. A few mobile devices also provide some external connection capabilities for example being able to connect a device to a large flat TV screen thus when used at home they can provide a richer and better viewing experience.

So why print? Sometimes paper prints are needed. Some people just like to feel the paper in their hands while others want to carry a small photo of a loved one in their wallet that they can always look at without risking running out of batteries or having to turn on a device. While there are good reasons to print photos many consumers sometimes print photos just because they are used to doing so from the old film camera days. Printing digital photos out of habit just to store that paper on a shelf never to be used again is a shame and damages our environment for no good reason. Jack Church writes at photo prints