
FILE SETUP & TECH SPECS
Except for our “Uncorrected” service most clients won’t need to worry about most of this… just send us the best you have and we’ll handle the rest on our Custom or Advanced print services…
"UNCORRECTED" PRINTS
These prints must be 100% print ready and require no checking/sizing/tweaking.
RGB JPG only. Must be exactly sized to final print size in inches (not cm) at no more than 300ppi. (300ppi not required – our print engine will upscale nicely from lower resolutions). Sizing, cropping or conversion will incur setup charges.
IMAGE FILE FORMATS
For custom prints JPEG, TIF, PSD are recommended, but all Photoshop compatible formats including DNG, BMP, HEIC, etc are supported.
JPEG images should be saved at the maximum quality setting.
RAW CAMERA FILES
We can work from RAW formats like CR2, NEF, ARW, etc. using our “advanced” print service level. This does give us the greatest flexibility when editing, HOWEVER these formats do not transfer with any of your edits applied and may look entirely different when opened by us.
If you wish to maintain any of your own edits we recommend exporting to DNG instead. You may also export edits to XML and include the xml file with your upload (Lightroom only).
Please also include your edited version as a full-resolution TIF or JPEG for our reference.
VECTOR FILE FORMATS
We do not print directly from vector files, but we can convert from them if you are unable to do so yourself. Setup & proofing charges may apply, particularly for handling fonts.
PDF recommended, all fonts converted to outline, high res print preset.
EPS, SVG, AI are acceptable but may incur additional setup fees. Indesign files (INDD) must be supplied as a packaged zip folder containing all assets.
COLOR SPACE / PROFILES
We are fully color managed & can print from any RGB color space.
AdobeRGB or sRGB are recommended – other profiles or CMYK may be less consistent.
Soft proofing is not recommended as it does not accurately show the character of the surface – for color critical applications printed proofs are recommended.
RESOLUTION
Most of the time we do not recommend upscaling your images.
For advanced users 300ppi will provide the most consistent results, BUT 300ppi is not required. In most cases our print engine will upscale with superior results quite successfully from lower resolutions.
Our advanced AI upscaling service works best from the original pixel dimensions – please supply these images at their native resolutions without any scaling.
While our printers run at far higher dpi resolutions to create continuous tone output, this is not the same as ppi – there is no benefit to increasing image resolution beyond 300ppi for almost any use case.
BIT DEPTH
Most clients should submit orders in 8-bit (24 bit color).
16-bit color (48-bit) is supported for custom prints but is not neccessary for the majority of use cases.
32bit (HDR) images are not recommended – color shifts may occur during conversion, output may display/print inconsistently, and additional processing fees may apply.
BORDERED LAYOUTS
Only loose prints or foam core mounts can be trimmed with high precision. All other processes have a tolerance for placement/sizing/edge finishing that will risk losing or unbalancing narrow borders. If you cannot avoid using borders in your image please contact us before finalizing your layout to ensure we can meet your specifications.
BLEEDS
Simple prints do not require bleeds & should be sized exactly to their final dimensions
We will increase print size for allowances when required – your image may crop slightly as a result. 1/4″ bleeds are recommended for most mounted projects, oversize or complex processes may require more. Bleeds must be contiguous original image – borders or extraneous fill is not acceptable.
CANVAS EDGE ALLOWANCE
Due to canvas stretch exact placement/cropping is not guaranteed
Black Taped edge: +1/8″ on all sides up to 48″, +1/4″ on all sides for larger sizes.
3/4″ Gallery Wrap: +1.25″ on all sides
1.5″ Gallery Wrap: +2″ on all sides