You can simply send us your files 'as-they-are' - we will convert, optimise and advise for free!
You don't have to follow the image prep guidlines on this page but they do provide full info on how top professionals streamline processes to consistently get the very best print quality. Worth reading!

 

Use the free 'WeTransfer' service below to send your big JPG and very big TIF files...
eMail is a very unreliable method for sending large print files without any image corruptions and often has a 5Mb limit. Use the free FTP (File Transfer Protocol) service 'We Transfer' to send very large or multiple files up to 2GB! Click on the image below to begin...

Click the box above to open the 'WeTransfer' web FTP page!

For Your Information: Making & sending perfect 'Print Ready' Image Files

You can simply send us your files 'as-they-are' - we will convert, optimise and advise for free!
You don't have to follow these image prep guidlines below but they do provide full info on how the top professionals streamline processes to consistently get small transfer files with the very best print quality. Well worth reading!

1. Make sure images are Adobe RGB, 150-400ppi print resolution at the required print size or slightly smaller if you want the print to include the width of additional display borders.

2. For prints make 'layouts' by adding unprinted borders from 5mm minimum to 30mm or more for display and framing and to provide space for writing image titles and signature etc.

3. For canvases send borderless images - we will add 'wrap' borders for stretch framing. Choose your preferred border style from our selection: Custom canvas wrap borders

4. Archive your master 'layout' file as uncompressed 'TIF' with borders, effects & text layers. If you standardise the layout you can use it as a 'template' for further prints.

5. Make a copy of your layout, flatten the layers and save as a JPG 'level 8' or higher quality. If unsure just send the uncompressed layered master layouts using the 'We Transfer' service.

6. Use the 'We Transfer' link above to send large uncompressed files or multiple files up to 2Gigabytes per session. eMail is limited to 5Mb and not recommended for images.

7. Send us your layout files plus an email with your order information, special requests and contact details including a daytime phone number in case we can't contact you by email.

8. We will eMail you within hours with a free image consultation, costings and payment information.

9. We can economically mail prints & canvases in tubes but packing shipping and insuring large framed canvases is very expensive ( We always print canvases with 'stretch wrapping' borders & guide lines for your local framer to stretch frame ).

More detailed technical info...

Check that you have print resolution images! Print resolution images typically range from 200dpi to 400ppi (Pixels Per Inch) at actual print size. Most people use 300ppi which became the defacto standard with the first laser printers. Web and screen images are only 72ppi so if we 'scale' them to 300ppi they will only be a quarter of the print size!. If we 'sample up' web images four times bigger they will still only print a quarter as detailed and sharp as a true 300pi print with all the details captured by a 300ppi camera or scanner as sampling up only adds mopre pixels not more details!.

Samplling up images in PhotoShop also magnifies all the image's low resolution problems like ''halos' caused by low resolution sharpening, image 'noise', colour 'banding' and edges with pixelated 'jaggies'. Yes we can do some retouching and sharpening 'fixes' after upsampling but apart from making a full 'painting' of the image the results will NEVER be as good as a true high resolution file.

 

You don't always need 300dpi to make prints! The old 300ppi benchmark should no longer exist as it came from the first high contrast black & white laser printers that only made 12" text and line prints that were to be viewed up close. Modern large format printers 'blend' and 'interpolate' six to fourteen colours to produce smooth toned, soft edged, 16+ million colour images that are often viewed from many feet away. The further away you view a print the lower the resolution needed.

As a rough guide Images up to A3 can be as low as 200dpi, A2; 150 - 200dpi and A1 - A0; 100 - 150dpi. You can also get away with lower resolution images much better with prints made on canvas due to the strong texture masking the lower detail. Low resolution files CAN be enlarged remarkably well with our 'Spline & Fractal' and 'Blow Up' software (see example) and we can do some 'fix up' retouching but you won't get detail that is not there to begin with! If in doubt eMail me personally for advice.

 

Fine art prints and canvases have borders! We will add the 'Image Wrap' borders of choice for canvas art - Examples but remember that you are likely to want to get your print masterpiece professionally framed. If you take an expensive fine art 8" x 10" print and 'cram' it into a $5.00, 8" x 10" frame you have an ugly $5.00 result!  Fine art images need 'breathing space' to 'locate' within the boundaries of a frame.

Archival prints also need to be mounted on acid free board and located away from the glass under an acid free mat overlay. We always recommend a white unprinted border space be left around an image and maybe a keyline so that the framer's mat can be located around the image without cropping the image or showing the paper edge. Add the borders YOU want on oversize paper or we will print INSIDE the requested paper size giving a slightly smaller image with a thin border. See info.

 

You should 'Archive as TIF' but you can 'Send as JPG'.

You should always archive your 'Master' files as uncompressed TIF with all the layers and channels etc. and back up. To save transfer time you can make a copy of the master file as a compressed JPG file...

We have been using JPG 'Intelligent' image compression to enable the eMailing of large print images since the 1992 Barcelona Olympics in liason with Kodak (whose systems we set-up). JPG software breaks the large image down into a 'checkerboard' of 64 pixel squares that are analyzed and compressed less or more according to the detail and content.

To convert to JPG make a copy of your master file, 'flatten' the image, convert to 8bit RGB, delete any channels from the file then select 'Save As' with format 'JPG' and tick the boxes 'As a Copy' and 'Embed Color Profile'.  Use the settings illustrated below...

 

PhotoShop JPG compression has 12 levels - 'level 12' is maximum image quality due to minimum compression. 'Level 1' is lowest image quality due to maximum compression. With JPG 'level 8' and above there is no visible difference against a print made from an uncompressed TIF file!  Use the settings illustrated below...

 

Now you can send us your perfect 'print ready' files...

Sending small files via eMail - Most internet service providers will allow 5Mb or more attachments. Check the size of your files after the JPG compression routines above. Most compressed files will be less than 1.5Mb so you can often put multiple files in a folder and 'ZIP' compress the contents. If you have a Mac you can click on a folder and select 'File' > 'Compress' from the menu bar. Be sure to use 'Get Info' to see if you have an attachment file under 5Mb and send as an attachment to a Digital Masters eMail.

IMPORTANT: When you drag/drop an image file into an eMail message look at the bottom right hand corner of the mail composition screen. There may be a drop down menu that is called "image Size" with automated image resizing choices, 'Actual Size, Large, Medium or Small'. ALWAYS select 'ACTUAL SIZE' to avoid any automated file size reduction and loss of image detail...

 

However...

...eMail is a very unreliable method for sending large files without any image corruptions and often has a 5Mb limit.   

Use the free 'WeTransfer' service below to send your big JPG and very big TIF files...
eMail is a very unreliable method for sending large print files without any image corruptions and often has a 5Mb limit. Use the free FTP (File Transfer Protocol) service 'We Transfer' to send very large or multiple files up to 2GB! Click on the image below to begin...

Click the box above to open the 'WeTransfer' web FTP page!