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Optimising the print quality of your photos

Not sure whether or not your favourite photo will look great in print? Already submitted an order and we have asked you for an alternative photo for your personalised stationery or photo product? Take a look below for an explanation as to why we may have asked for another photo, and how you can choose a photo that is more suitable for printing. We have included the main criteria that will help guarantee a high-quality print, as well as information about our retouching service. If you would like further information about your specific photo then do not hesitate to get in touch with our friendly customer service team.

Essential criteria for printing your photos

Whilst your photos may look great on the screen of your mobile phone, this does not necessarily mean that they will look as good when printed. In order to optimise the quality of your images for printing, our graphic designers will retouch your photos on all of our stationery in line with the design and paper that you have chosen. Keep in mind that photo books and photo prints benefit from our retouching software to make sure that you receive a flawless photo product. Despite the fact that we retouch your photos, it is still important that you provide a photo in the correct format and resolution for us to guarantee a high-quality print. The following factors affect the print quality of photos and should, therefore, be taken into account when choosing your photo.

Resolution of at least 300 dpi: Find out more on our required photo quality page.
The orientation of your photo should match that of the design.
Sharpness & Contrast: Use images with a sharp contrast between the light and dark parts of your photo to ensure that the details will appear clearly in print.
Brightness: Take your photos in good natural light. Take a look at our baby photo advice for more information.

If your photo does not meet the above criteria then we may be in touch to ask for an alternative photo to make sure that we can guarantee a high-quality print. Please note that our graphic designers may also suggest putting your photo into black and white to reduce problems with the saturation and sharpness.

Why have our graphic designers asked for another photo?

Here are some common examples of why our graphic designers would suggest changing the photo on your personalised stationery. Of course, we understand that it can be tricky to get the perfect photo! If you are keen to stick with your original image then our designers will retouch it as best as possible. This just means that we will not be able to guarantee the usual high-quality of printing that we pride ourselves on!

Your photo is too dark

It is important to take your photos in good natural light to ensure that the details will stand out enough in print. Good natural light will also help ensure that your photo is not blurry. Use photos that were taken outside or by a window, ensuring that the sun is not shining directly on the person's face as this can result in overexposure. We will generally lighten photos as part of our retouching service as photos appear darker in print than they do on a screen.

Your photo is too red

This is especially common with baby photos, given that newborn babies often have relatively red skin. We will try to reduce the redness during our retouching service but this is not always possible. An easy way to solve this problem is to put your photos into black and white.

You have used photo filters

Often the addition of filters to your photo can compromise the quality of the image. If we are having difficulty retouching your image and suspect there is a filter, we may ask you to provide us with the original image. You can use our photo editing tools to add a black and white or sepia effect to your photos. It is also best to upload photos directly from your memory card rather than using the version stored on social media, as social media platforms reduce the weight of your image to ensure that they load quickly online.

You have chosen the wrong format of photo for the design that you have chosen

Our editing tool will automatically zoom in on your photo to have it fill the entire photo zone. This can result in your photo becoming pixelated if the format of your photo is not suitable for the shape and size of the photo field. Take a look at our required photo format page for more information. A red exclamation mark should usually appear on your photo when you upload it to your stationery, warning you that the photo is not of a high enough quality for printing.

How to upload a new photo

If we have asked for an alternative photo, you can provide us with your new photos by going to order details. You will be able to read what is wrong with the photos you have uploaded and get the option of either keeping them or replacing them. Once your new photo has been uploaded, you can message us letting us know the file name and our team of graphic designers will take care of the rest. Once we have worked on your photos we will make the new version of your personalised stationery available in your account for your review.