Should you sharpen before printing?
This is entirely up to you. theprintspace does not apply any sharpening during printing, which gives you full control over how crisp the final print looks rather than risking the over-sharpening some labs add automatically.
How much to apply depends on the paper: each stock has its own surface and texture, so smooth gloss papers and textured fine-art papers respond differently. There's no single correct amount.
Suggested workflow
- Do all editing and resizing first; sharpen as the last step, after the file is at its final print dimensions and 300 PPI.
- Work in Photoshop (e.g. Smart Sharpen or Unsharp Mask) and view at 100% / print size to judge it.
- Watch for artefacts — halos along edges, exaggerated noise, or banding — which the screen can hide but the print will reveal.
- If you're working in 16-bit, sharpen there, then convert to 8-bit for output.
Avoid heavy sharpening in a RAW converter early on; subtle, output-stage sharpening tailored to the paper gives cleaner results.
When to order a test print
Because sharpening interacts with paper texture and any enlargement, the most reliable check is to order a small print on your chosen paper before committing to a large one — that lets you confirm sharpness, contrast and the effect of resizing together.