From your file to your favorite thing.
A few small checks make a big difference to your finished print.
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Start with the original
Export from the app you created the artwork in, or use the original camera file. A screenshot or an image downloaded from social media often loses detail before it reaches us. Keep a separate copy of your master file.
- Choose a size. Each size shows its price.
- Confirm you own the image or have permission to print it.
- Upload your image. Every size is checked against its resolution.
- Each size shows a grade from the file’s pixel count: Sharpest, Prints well, or Too small for this size.
- The crop preview shows the area that prints.
- Add to cart. The cart opens with your size and price.
Photograph flat work evenly
Put the artwork near a window in soft, indirect light. Keep the camera parallel to the surface, fill the frame, and avoid your own shadow. Check for glare, especially on varnish and glossy paint. Crop out the desk and straighten the edges before exporting. How to photograph artwork covers the light and the angle in more detail.
Choose the file
Upload a JPEG, PNG, or WebP no larger than 10 MB. Flatten layers and check transparent areas against a light background. We assess pixel dimensions against the product size: changing a file’s DPI label alone doesn’t add any detail. The paper sizes pages give the pixel count each size wants.
How the upload grades your file
The check runs once for every size, before you choose anything. It works out how many of your pixels land on each inch of that print, then shows one of three grades:
| Pixels per inch | Grade shown | Can you order it? |
|---|---|---|
| 300 or more | Sharpest | Yes |
| 140 to 300 | Prints well | Yes |
| Under 140 | Too small for this size | No |
One file earns different grades on different products. A photo 2480 pixels across covers the short side of an A4 sheet at 300 dpi; spread across A2, which is twice as wide, it drops to about 150 and still prints well. If the size you wanted comes back too small, go looking for the original file first. Enlarging a small export in an editor adds pixels, not detail.
When the file is over 10 MB
Large PNG exports of photographs often pass the limit. Saving the same image as a high-quality JPEG usually brings it under 10 MB without changing its pixel dimensions, and the pixel dimensions are what the grade reads. Flat artwork with large areas of one color tends to stay small as a PNG, so keep PNG for that.
Let the crop have some room
A square illustration and a tall frame have different proportions. The preview shows what’s going to print. Keep signatures, faces and lettering away from the edges, and choose a different size or format if the crop removes something important. Choosing a format compares the objects.
Check color with realistic expectations
A screen emits light; paper reflects it. Extremely bright colors can appear more subdued in print. Inspect your file on a normally lit screen, and don’t judge it with the brightness turned all the way up.
