Printing photos: Basic workflow

The Print module lets you specify the page layout and print options for printing photos and contact sheets on your printer. The left panels contain a list of templates and a preview of their page layouts. The area in the center of the Print module displays the photos in a template. The right panels contain controls for specifying how the photos appear in the template layout; modifying the template; adding text and other items to the printed page; and selecting printing settings for color management, resolution, and sharpening.

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The Print module

A.
Template Browser

B.
Panels for specifying layout and output options

C.
Show Previous Page and Show Next page buttons

D.
Page number

To print photos from Lightroom, follow these basic steps:

1. Select the photos you want to print.

In the Library module, select a folder, collection, or keyword to display photos you want to print. Use the Quick Collection to assemble photos from multiple folders from the Grid view, or with different keywords in the Filmstrip. In the Print module, you can also select photos from the Filmstrip. See Selecting photos in the Grid view and the Filmstrip.

You can filter the photos in the Filmstrip of the Print module by clicking the Use pop-up menu in the toolbar and choosing All Photos, Selected Photos, or Flagged Photos.

2. Choose the page size.

In the Print module, click the Page Setup button and choose a page size:

  • (Windows) In the Paper area of the Print Setup dialog box, choose a page size from the Size menu.

  • (Mac OS) In the Page Setup dialog box, choose a printer from the Format For menu, and then choose a page size from the Paper Size menu.

Leave the Scale set to 100% and do all your image size adjustments in Lightroom.

Note: If necessary, specify the page orientation before clicking OK.

3. Choose a template.

The templates included with Lightroom scale the photos to accommodate the paper size you choose. Three Picture Package templates allow you to place one photo on a page in multiple sizes, automatically optimizing the space on the page. Picture Package templates are ideal for such uses as school or wedding photo prints. See Choose a Grid template and Choose a Picture Package template.

4. (Optional) Customize the template.

For a grid layout, such as a 4-x-5 contact sheet, modify the template using the controls in the Image Settings and Layout panels. For example, zoom to fill the photos in the cell, add a stroke border, and adjust margins and cell size. You can also drag the guides in the work area to resize cells. See Specify how photos fill an image cell and Modify page margins and cell size.

For picture package templates, customize the layout by dragging cells freely in the work area and by specifying options in the Image Settings panel. Use the Rulers, Grid & Guides panel to adjust the display of the work area, and use the Cells panel to add new cells or pages to the layout. See Laying out photos in a picture package.

5. (Optional) Add text and other extras.

In the Overlays panel, specify whether to print your identity plate, photo information, or page numbers. See Printing overlay text and graphics.

6. Specify the print settings.

In the Print Job panel, do any of the following:

  • Specify a print resolution or leave the setting at its default (240 ppi). See Set printing resolution.

  • Specify how color management is handled for your photos. Choose from the Profile and Rendering Intent pop-up menus. See Set print color management.

  • Select whether to use Draft Mode Printing. See Print in draft mode.

  • Select whether to sharpen the photos for printing. If you select Print Sharpening, use the pop-up menu to choose how much sharpening to apply. See Sharpen a photo for print.

7. (Optional) Save the print layout and options as a template or with an output creation.

If you plan to reuse your print settings, including layout and overlay options, save the settings as a custom print template. Or save the settings as an output creation to preserve a set of specific Print module options with a collection of photos. See Create custom print templates and Save print settings as an output creation.

8. Click the Print button and specify printer driver options.

Choose the printer and set the printer options before clicking OK (Windows) or Print (Mac OS). If Lightroom is managing the color, turn off any color management in the printer settings.

For a video about all the output modules, see www.adobe.com/go/lrvid2212_lrm.

For a video about the Print module, see www.adobe.com/go/lrvid2214_lrm.