How to turn your high-res gallery into prints worth framing
Every session includes a print licence and high-resolution digital files delivered within 24 hours, ready to take to any print lab in the world. This guide covers what print sizes work for Paris photos, what resolution you need, where to print in Paris before you fly home, and how to order prints once you are back.
Whether you want a small keepsake on your desk or a large framed print for your wall, the steps are the same: start with the right file, match the size to your frame, and choose a lab that handles the output properly. Nothing in your gallery needs to stay on a hard drive.
Every image in your gallery is delivered as a full-resolution digital file, edited for colour, light, and tone. These files are sized for large-format print, not just screen sharing. You have lifetime access to the gallery and can download at any time.
The print licence is included in every session, from Essential to Prestige. That means you are free to print at any lab, in any size, as many times as you want. There are no restrictions on personal printing use. You do not need to request permission or return for a separate licence document.
TipDownload all files before you leave Paris. Airport Wi-Fi is slow, and you will want them on hand.
| Package | Price | Duration | Photos | Locations |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Essential | €300 | 1 hour | 30 photos | 1 location |
| Signature | €500 | 2 hours | 50 photos | 2 locations |
| Prestige | €800 | 3 hours | 60 photos | 3 locations |
300 DPI at your chosen print size is the standard for sharp, close-viewed results. At that setting, a file needs roughly 1,200 x 1,800 pixels for a 10 x 15 cm print, and 2,400 x 3,600 pixels for a 20 x 30 cm print. The high-resolution files in your gallery exceed these requirements at every standard size up to large-format wall prints.
If you are unsure whether a file is large enough for a specific size, open it in any photo viewer and check the pixel dimensions. Divide the width in pixels by 300 to get the maximum print width in inches, then multiply by 2.54 for centimetres. If the result is larger than your target size, the file will print cleanly. It almost certainly will be.
TipDo not upscale a file to reach a larger size. Print from the original download, at its native resolution.
The most common sizes map simply to use. 10 x 15 cm is the everyday keepsake format, small enough for a wallet card holder or a shelf frame, and inexpensive at any lab. 13 x 18 cm and 20 x 25 cm are the gift and mid-range display sizes, the ones that work in standard frames available in most home stores. 20 x 30 cm is the most popular wall-print size for couples and families: large enough to read from across a room, proportionate to a standard apartment wall.
For a statement print, 30 x 45 cm or 40 x 60 cm fills a wall properly without requiring custom framing in most cases. Nation Photo, a professional Paris lab, prints from 6 x 8 cm up to 60 x 90 cm from digital files. French labs list sizes in centimetres, not inches, so work in metric when you place an order. The proportions of your images are 3:2, which matches 10 x 15, 20 x 30, and 30 x 45 exactly, without any cropping required.
TipParis photo sessions are shot in 3:2 ratio. Sizes 10×15, 20×30, and 30×45 print with no cropping. Sizes like 20×25 will crop a small strip from the long edge.
Picto is France's oldest and most established professional photo laboratory, founded in 1950 and still operating from two Paris locations. Picto Bastille is at 53bis rue de la Roquette, 11th arrondissement, open Monday to Friday from 9am to 7pm. Picto Grand Paris operates in Gennevilliers. The lab states it offers "online access to its quality services" through Picto Online, with collection at either Paris location. Picto works with museums, galleries, and individual photographers, and handles everything from standard prints to large-format exhibition work.
For in-store same-day printing, Nation Photo operates two Parisian stores and prints digital files in formats from 10 x 15 cm to 60 x 90 cm. Small-format prints up to 15 x 23 cm come out in minutes from their in-store machines. Fnac locations across Paris also offer print kiosks where you can connect a phone or USB drive and print standard sizes including 10 x 15 cm, 15 x 20 cm, and 20 x 30 cm on the spot. Bring your files on a USB drive or access your gallery link directly from the kiosk.
TipCall ahead on Saturdays. Some larger chain print shops close on weekends. Smaller independent labs are often open.
Your gallery link works from anywhere in the world, and the files download at full resolution at any time. Once you are home, you can upload directly to any online print lab in your country. The files are standard JPEG format and are accepted by every major print service without conversion or adjustment.
"I edit every image myself with print in mind," Finzi says. "The colour profiles and contrast are set for output, not just for Instagram. When clients take those files to a good lab, the prints come out exactly as the images look on screen." If you want the safest result, request a colour-managed print from a lab that uses ICC profiles. Most professional labs do this by default. Consumer kiosks do not always, so results from in-store machines can vary slightly in tone.
TipOrder one test print at 20 x 30 cm before committing to large-format. Check colour and sharpness in hand before printing a full set.
Standard frame sizes available off the shelf in most countries correspond directly to the most common print sizes. A 20 x 30 cm print fits a standard frame of the same size without a mat, or sits cleanly in a 30 x 40 cm frame with a mat border. If you use a mat, select a frame that is larger than the print so the mat sits between the print and the frame edge, which gives the print room to breathe visually.
For larger prints at 30 x 45 cm or 40 x 60 cm, ready-made frames are less common and the sizing varies by country. Floating frames, which mount the print without a mat and leave the edges visible, work well at these sizes and are often available as a custom order from any framing shop. For a single hero image from a Paris session, a simple white or black box frame in the 20 x 30 cm to 30 x 45 cm range is the most reliable choice: it fits standard sizes, keeps the focus on the image, and works in most rooms.
TipFor a wall with multiple prints, print at the same size and use matching frames. Mixed sizes work only if they share a common top or bottom alignment.
Glossy paper produces the highest colour saturation and sharpest apparent detail. It works well for prints kept in albums or portfolios, but reflects overhead lighting when hung on a wall, which can obscure part of the image depending on the room. Matte paper absorbs light rather than reflecting it, so it works better on walls and in rooms with direct lighting. Colour is slightly softer than glossy, but detail holds well at the sizes used for most framed prints.
Satin, sometimes listed as lustre or pearl, sits between the two. It has most of the colour richness of glossy without the strong reflectivity. This is the finish that most professional labs, including Picto, offer as their default for portrait and couple prints. For Paris photos that will be framed and displayed, satin or matte is the practical choice. Glossy is better for prints you plan to keep flat in an album.
TipAsk the lab for a satin finish if you are not sure. It is the most forgiving choice across different room conditions.
Quick answers to the questions visitors ask before they book.
“We have fifty Eiffel Tower photos. Finzi's are the only ones we actually printed. Everything about them feels different.”
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