• Photographic prints are created using a variety of traditional and modern methods.letter and photo image by Hao Wang from Fotolia.com
  
  Photographic prints vary widely in paper textures, special coatings, presentation methods and devices used to create the print. Several photographic printing techniques have been in place for over 100 years and are still effective in this modern world of digital imagery. Other methods of printing have been existence for only a decade or two but have a firm grasp on the bulk of the photographic printing market.
  
  

Black and White Silver Halide Prints

• In the late 19th century, photographic prints on silver halide paper began to emerge in the artistic and portrait photography communities. According to Ilford Photo, a paper manufacturer, "silver gives better control of image tone and is predictable, reliable and stable." Prints are created by exposing a piece of silver-coated paper to light shown through a negative, which is placed in an enlarger to make the print. Though the process has evolved somewhat over the years, the original concept is still in practice today and many black and white fine art photographers still print and enlarge their own images from negative film.
  
  

Digital Prints

• With the advent of digital photography, creating digital photographic prints has become a mainstream method for enlarging photographs. The variety of printing options range from a thermal sub-dye printing process to archival pigmented inks used on large-scale printing machines. By applying a special coating that will absorb photographic inks, almost any paper surface that will fit in a digital printer can be used to transfer an image and create a print.
  
  

Machine Prints from C-41 Film

• Though traditional color prints from film are becoming somewhat obsolete, photo labs do still make prints using large machines which process and print from C-41 film or traditional color 35 mm film. Many of these labs will create prints in one hour or less when the roll is processed. These same machines will make a variety of reprints from negatives with sizes ranging up to 11 X 14 inches. Larger color enlargements are usually done by hand using a process similar to the black and white enlargement but different papers and colored filters are used to create the color image.
  
  

Canvas Prints

• Canvas prints made from digital images are becoming a highly sought-after print product for portrait photographers and their clients. After printing the image on canvas-textured paper, the photo lab technician will stretch the canvas and attach it to a wooden frame, wrapping the outside of the canvas around the frame. Many online printing labs will offer this option for everyday photographs and it is an excellent way to decorate your home or office.