From your file to your favourite 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.
Photograph flat work evenly
Put the artwork near a window in soft, indirect light, keep the camera parallel to the surface, and fill the frame. Avoid your own shadow. Check for glare, especially on varnish and glossy paint. Crop out the desk. 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.
Let the crop have some room
A square illustration and a tall frame have different proportions. The preview shows the area that prints. Keep signatures, faces and lettering away from the edges, and choose a different size or format if the crop removes something important. For a photograph headed for a frame, printing and framing a photograph starts with whether your file can carry the size. Preparing a photo of the two of you? Personalised Valentine's gifts applies these checks to a gift.
Check colour with realistic expectations
A screen emits light; paper reflects it, so extremely bright colours 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.