Is printing your photos the best way to judge your photography?

[Raven]

Photos can look brilliant on a glowing screen and completely different in print. Printing forces you to confront exposure, colour, composition and detail in a way that scrolling never does.

It also changes the emotional relationship with the image. A printed photo feels finished. A digital file often feels temporary, even if it is technically better displayed online.

Do you think photographers should print more of their work, even if they mostly share images digitally?

[Gareth5]

Printing is humbling. Images that looked amazing online sometimes fall apart on paper.

It shows weaknesses you can ignore on a phone screen

[Pixel Mark]

I think every photographer should print occasionally, even cheaply.

Holding the image makes you judge it differently. It becomes an object instead of content

[GlassyCandle]

Printed photos age better emotionally.

Nobody gathers around an old hard drive with the same feeling as looking through a box of prints

[Clever Wrench]

The downside is cost. Good paper, ink and test prints add up quickly if you are picky.

Printing can become another expensive rabbit hole

[Plateau65]

I started printing small collections and it made me edit harder.

When you know something may become physical, you become far more selective