Turn Old Family Pics Into Big Ol’ Engineer Prints

Turn Old Family Pics Into Big Ol’ Engineer Prints

Dads are great. So great, in fact, that they deserve a really big present this Father’s Day.

Are you thinking what we’re thinking? Let’s say it together now:

Engineer Prints!

These hugenormous prints are perfect gifts, especially if you make ’em out of old family pictures.

So we’re gonna 1) show you how to digitize old prints and 2) give you some fun ideas for making your Engineer Prints unique and wonderful, just like your fave guy.

FIRST THINGS FIRST:
DIGITIZE OLD PICS

Do you have tons of old family pics just begging to be looked at and appreciated?

We suggest blowing off the dust and digitizing ’em!

It’s easy to do (we have three methods right below) and once you’re done you’ll be one step closer to turning old memories into new Engineer Prints. Yay!

Idea 1: Take a pic of the pic

An easy way to digitize old prints is to take a pic of them with either your camera or phone.

Just don’t forget about that nasty lil’ thing called glare. You can avoid it by laying pics on a flat surface (take ’em out of the frame first) and photographing them from above.

And go somewhere with good lighting to avoid using flash!

Are phone photos good enough?

They sure are! Thanks to the lovely lo-fi look of engineer prints your pic just needs to be at least 1000 x 1000 pixels. Which means even if you have the original iPhone, you’re good to go because the pics on those phones are 1600 X 1200 px.

(But hey, if you want a more crisp pixel-perfect look, the higher the resolution the better. So if you’ve got a fancy cam go ahead and use it.)

Idea 2: Use an iPhone Scanner

Scanners aren’t as big and cumbersome as they used to be. Now they’re tiny and fit right in your pocket. That’s right, we’re talking about your phone!

There’s An App for That

If you have a lot of prints you wanna digitize, then photographing each and every one may feel way too time consuming.

Good thing there are apps like Pic Scanner, which scans up to four pictures at a time and crops/saves them as individual files for you! Yesss.

Ooh! Ooh! More Important Info

Whether you’re scanning or taking a photo of your family pics, make sure to save the file as a .jpeg or .png. And keep the dimensions at 3:4 or 4:5 (portrait or landscape) for the least amount of white border when we print ’em up huge.

Idea 3: Use a Computer Scanner

You may choose to use a computer scanner at home or at a nearby printing store. This way you can save the prints right to your computer or USB drive.

Ask the Internet

If you’re using an at-home scanner, check out how-to sites like this one for Windows and this one for Mac. It may prove even more helpful to search for the specific make and model of your scanner.

Bonus!

You already know the picture file needs to be at least 1000 x 1000 pixels and saved as a .jpg or .png. So last but not least, make sure the file for your snazzy engineer print is less than 25MB. Now you’re good to go, friends!

NEXT UP:
JAZZ UP YOUR ENGINEER PRINTS

Ahhh-right. You’re done digitizing all those old pics. Next step is to turn ’em into Engineer Prints!

One of the great thing about these prints (besides the fact that they’re big and really pretty) is that they’re on light weight paper so they’re perfect for crafts/customizing.

We’ve even come up with a few creative ideas that we think you and Dad are gonna love.

Idea 1: Sign it like a card

If you turn a group photo into an Engineer Print, have everyone in the fam sign their names next to their faces.

And when you hand the print over to your dad, have a pen ready so he can sign his name, too!

Turn It Into a Card

Fold your print once down the middle (only do this if you’re okay with having a lil’ crease afterwards) so that your dad can open it up like a big card.

Instead of just signing your names, have everyone write a little something sweet somewhere on the print.

Idea 2: Recreate Old Photos

Recreating old old family pics is an incredibly fun way to make new memories out of the old! (Lots of people are doing this and the results are always great!)

How?

Find an old photo of you and your family and take a new photo that’s an exact replica of it. Have everyone recreate their old outfit and pose the same way you all did back then.

Put the two pics together and have them printed as a fun “before and after” Engineer Print.

Another Idea

Recreate an old pic of your dad when he was your age. You may be surprised at the similarities between you!

Idea 3: Add flowers

Combine the classic gift of flowers with your gorgeous Engineer Print. Flowers not only give your print a pop of color but a fun 3D effect as well.

This is such a cute idea that we’ve even done it once before!

How?

Tape or glue flower petals over the white border of your print. Or find an old wedding photo of your parents where your mom is holding a bouquet of flowers. Place real ones over those in the print!

Also!

Spritz a floral-scented body spray onto your flowers. Now not only will they look pretty but they’ll smell good, too. Don’t wanna use real flowers? Faux ones work just as well!

Taking it further

• You can also give Dad an Engineer Print Gift Card. This way you can set a date for the gang to get together to take a brand spankin’ new family pic.
• Need more ways to make Dad happy this Father’s Day? We’ve got an entire list!
• Crafty gifts are fun to both make and receive. So check out our DIY Print Project Roundup and make Dad a creative present out of your very own photos.

Original article and pictures take static.photojojo.com site