Do you have a huge number of photos on your phone and have finally decided to print them? It is important to check that your photo is of sufficient quality for the print you want to make. Three parameters are important: 

• the definition : the number of pixels (points) your image has in height and width 

• the resolution : the number of pixels per unit area (centimetre or inch) 

• the size/dimension : the dimensions of the image to be printed on paper

“Resolution is the correlation between definition and size”.

How to determine the definition of an image? 

On Windows: Right click on your image, select “Properties” and then click on the “Details” tab. Windows will show you the image size and resolution. 

On Mac : Right-click on your image. Then click on “Read information”. You will find the image definition. 

Method to calculate the ideal size of your photo

Pixels per centimetre

Once you have found the right definition of your image, it’s time for you to calculate the ideal size of your photo for printing.

• For good quality, you should divide the number of pixels in height and width by 30. 

• For high definition, you need to divide the number of pixels in height and width by 60. 

This will give you the ideal size in centimetres for printing your image. 

Conversely, if you know the dimensions of the image to be printed on paper (A5 = 21cmx15cm, A3 = 42cmx30cm,…), you only need to multiply these dimensions by 30 to obtain the minimum definition your photo must have. 

• Good definition: 30 pixels per centimetre

• High definition (HD) : 60 pixels per centimetre

In image processing, it is very popular to use a measurement in inches. This is known as pixels per inch or DPI (Dot Per Inch). Remember that one inch equals 2.54 centimetres. The resolution in pixels per inch (DPI) of an HD resolution of 60 pixels per centimetre is 152 DPI. A resolution of 30 pixels per centimetre will then be 76 pixels per inch.

And concretely?

Let’s take an example: if you want to print a photo on an A4 page (30cm x 21cm), you will need an image with a minimum resolution of 900px x 630px (30×30=900 and 21×30=630). For an A5 format (21cm x 15cm), you will need a minimum resolution of 630px x 450px. 

As an example, recent smartphones (iPhone 12, Samsung S20,…) shoot in 12 Mpx which is equivalent to a definition of 4000px x 3000px. 

Beware! When you send a photo to someone via social networks (Whatsapp, Messenger, Instagram,…) the quality of the photo is reduced because the file is compressed (for a faster transfer). 

Last step : print your photos !

Once you have the right resolution for your photo, you need to choose the right platform to print it. There are several platforms on which you can make a single print: PhotoWeb, Cewe, Myposter…

There is one that allows you to co-create a family album: Tribu . This album consists of 14 pages on which you can place from 1 to 20 photos per page. 

Famileo was created in 2015 to allow families to collect photos and messages in a gazette. The EHPAD teams print and distribute this to residents. With more than 2,500 establishments, it is the best-known software in France. The service was then extended to everyone. The application works with a fixed automatic layout that places two photos per page, with a gazette format and light paper. Prices vary depending on frequency, ranging from €5.99 to €17.99 per month.

Tribu was created to reconnect generations through a customizable family album. Users can share their photos through the app and each member of the family can layout text for up to 20 photos per page. The album is printed on high quality paper (magazine type), ecological, and is sent by post. A digital version (PDF) is also sent by email to all family members.

FAMILEO IS THE CHEAPEST AND TRIBU IS THE MOST QUALITATIVE.

Famileo offers a unique product of 16 pages for a maximum of 30 photos for which you can choose the frequency from one gazette per week to one gazette per month.

Tribu offers 2 types of albums: Classic and Premium , with subscription plans of 1 month, 6 months or 1 year. The Classic album has 16 customizable pages and up to 280 photos, while the Premium has 22 pages, up to 400 photos per journal, thicker paper and a more durable cover.   

TEST ACHATS: A SURVEY CONDUCTED BY CONSUMERS

In 2021, the independent organization “Test Achats” even conducted a comparative survey on Tribu and Famileo. At the end of this, Tribu was elected “Best of the Test”:  “Tribu offers a lot of layout possibilities. Each album can contain many photos, on quality paper.”  (Test Achats, 2021).

WHAT CUSTOMERS WHO HAVE TESTED BOTH SAY

Neveo

Neveo is an application created and designed by three Belgian entrepreneurs. After wanting to share family news via a connected television, they decided to replace the television with a newspaper. Each month, families can send a journal with family photos and messages.

Using their app is relatively simple. You select the desired photos and import them to their application before the end of the month. You can add comments there if you wish. Regarding the layout, you don’t have to do anything, it is done automatically.

The choice of automating the layout simplifies the process of developing the journal but carries some obligations:

– 3 photos per page: Regardless of the choice of photo orientation, there are 3 photos on a page. If 3 photos are “vertical”, then the photos are very small

– Each photo must have text. As it is not always easy to put long texts on each photo, this often leaves a lot of blank space on the newspaper.

– The name of the person posting the photo appears in each photo.

At the end of the month, the newspaper is sent by post. The newspaper is printed on magazine-style paper. Regarding prices, you have the choice between a monthly or annual subscription, the price varies depending on the format of the newspaper. The monthly subscription costs €10.99 for a maximum of 30 photos per month. The annual offer amounts to €8.25 per month.

Famileo

Famileo is an application created in Saint-Malo in 2015 by two Bretons. Wanting to please their grandparents, they created partnerships with rest homes/Ehpads. They created a platform to collect family photos. It was the establishment which then printed the newspaper and delivered it to its residents.

Given the demand, they decided to open this service to everyone and therefore offer newspaper printing. This is how Famileo was born, with the slogan “The newspaper that makes grandparents happy”.

The way their app works is similar to Neveo. All you have to do is post the photos and messages that Famileo will collect.

As with Neveo, automatic layout makes the gesture easier but this has some consequences:

– On each page, only 2 photos are present. The orientation of the photo does not influence its size.

– As the photos are very large, the photos are not always of quality, this can spoil the journal a little.

– Each photo must have text and the name of the person posting the photo appears in each photo. This results in very empty (white) logs.

The gazette will then be sent to you by post. The type of paper is similar to a gazette and is much lighter. Concerning prices, there are subscriptions (of 30 photos maximum per gazette), where the price varies depending on the frequency: a subscription at €5.99 for one gazette per month; a subscription at €9.99 for a gazette every two weeks; a subscription at €17.99 for one gazette per week.

Tribu

Tribu, a human-sized company, was created by Arnaud de Cartier. Seeing his grandmother find herself alone, he wanted to create a newspaper that would allow all members of his family to easily give her news. Quickly joined in the adventure by Mathieu Chrétien, they seek to reconnect generations through a family journal!

Creating the journal at Tribu can be done on several platforms: you can share your photos via a computer and/or via the application on your phone. The advantage of Tribu is that you have the possibility to personalize your pages. You can choose to only put text or fill your page with up to 20 photos. All members of the family can create the layout and therefore participate in the happiness of their grandparents.

At the end of the month, the newspaper is sent by post and all members of the Tribe receive the digital version (pdf) by email. The newspaper is printed on quality paper (magazine type).

The little ecological bonus, Tribu plants a tree with each newspaper printed!

Tribu offers two types of newspapers. The standard newspaper and the premium newspaper. For each type of journal, there are three formulas: 1 month, 6 months and 1 year. The longer the subscription, the more advantageous it is. Thus, a one-year subscription to the standard newspaper costs €8.95 and the premium €18.95 per newspaper. 

The standard journal has 15 customizable pages, can hold up to 280 photos and is printed on high quality paper (170g coated). The premium journal has 20 customizable pages, up to 400 photos per journal, even thicker paper and a harder cover and spine (200gr). 

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