What Size Will My Photo Print?

"How big does my photo have to be"? "What size do you need my photo to be?" We get these questions a lot. What it boils down to is: "How many pixels does your photo need to be?" Size = Pixels.

TYPICAL PROBLEM: You upload your photo for your Save the Date but you get an error message saying your photo is too small--even though it looks plenty big on your computer screen! What does this mean? It means that your photo isn't at a high enough print resolution to print at the size you want.

Every digital photo is made up of pixels.

pixels-the tiny dots that make up your digital image
pixel dimension-width & height in pixels
image print resolution- how many pixels that will print per inch
MagnetStreet prints at 300 dots per inch {dpi}

Q. How many pixels does your photo need to be?
A. Multiply print dimensions x 300 {MagnetStreet prints at 300 dpi}

EXAMPLE: Say you want your photo printed on a Classic Magnet. The dimensions are 3.5" x 4".

NOW, multiply 3.5" by 300 to get 1050 pixels wide. Multiply 4'' by 300 to get 1200 pixels high. Your photo needs the pixel dimensions of 1050 x 1200 for quality print resolution.

Q. How do you know how many pixels your photo has?
A. Open your photo, right click to see the pixel dimensions.

LET'S TROUBLESHOOT
You're trying to upload your favorite photo to your Save the Date design--but you're getting the error message that your photo is too small.Your photo looks just fine on screen but did you know that your computer screen displays images more than 3 times larger than they really are?

Possible reasons:

1. Your photo doesn't have enough pixels for high quality print resolution.
2. You could be zooming in too much. If you're far away in the photo, it's just the photo. Stretching the photo beyond its limits won't help the print resolution. Besides, you won't be happy with the results because you'll end up with a blurry photo on your beautiful Save the Date.

What to do? The best option is to get the original photo. Make sure your camera is set to the highest resolution possible. Also, many programs reduce the quality of your image, especially programs like email that work with the internet. What not to do? Don't save it at a lower resolution. Remember: a digital screen displays images more than 3 times larger than they really are.

By looking at the size and resolution of your photo {pixel dimensions}, you can tell if your digital photo will print at a high enough quality. Get the original if you can, or get it directly from your professional photographer. Let them know you want it for your Save the Date and that you need a high resolution image.

photo-quality-email

Consider a different size.

At MagnetStreet, there are 11 different sizes of Save the Dates, often all in the same design. If your photo is too small for a Large Postcard, it just might work on a Classic Save the Date Magnet.

Consider a different design.

If you've got your heart set on this photo, simply look for a design that uses a smaller photo! We even have a large selection of multiple photo Save the Dates so that this photo can be one of a few. Our designs also allow the photo to be filling only a portion of the image box. In fact Damask Elegance Save the Date has a cute damask pattern that peeks out if your photo is smaller than the frame.

designs