Keep It Simple

Use good photos. If you send us a poor photo, it won't look any better on your products. We do not make corrections to your photos, except to remove any 'red eye' effects from flash photography. Keep in mind that the final product colors may vary slightly from the original colors you see on your computer screen. This is unavoidable due to the difference in how monitors display color.

We only accept digital photos at this time. Do not email them; they must be uploaded through our order form.

Taking Photos

If you plan to take new family photos, here are some things to consider.

Focus on Faces

Unless the activity or pose is very interesting, frame your picture either above the waist or at the shoulders. Portrait close ups are always a great choice.

Use Automatic Settings

The bottom line for a lot of people is: if you don't know what you're doing, let the camera make the decisions. But we've listed a few exceptions below.

Use Front Lighting

Make sure the light is shining on the person rather than behind the person. But not too bright or the person will end up squinting.

Use A High Resolution

Most cameras have a menu button and you can choose the image size. Many cameras default to 640x480 which is just right for email, but it won't look sharp printed on a t-shirt. Choose the highest size (resolution or dpi) on your camera.

Use Good Judgement

If the photo doesn't look great to you, it's not going to look great on a product. Don't use photos that are fuzzy, washed out or too dark. Print your photo to make sure it is sharp enough. If not, take another one.

Scanning Photos

If you have a favorite photo that isn't digitized, please scan it or have someone scan it for you. Unless you know what you'e doing, get someone to help you.

Scan at 200 DPI

This is a good resolution for our products. The scanned image should be around 5 inches (12.7 cm) wide so we can use it in a variety of products.

Select Only the Area You Want

When you scan a photo, it will initially display everything that is in the scan window. If the head and shoulders are only a small portion of the picture, drag a box around them so that you only scan that part. This is called cropping.

Output File

Scanned files should be saved preferably as .png or .jpg files. PNG files are smaller and will upload faster. Do not use .gif files as they have color limitations.