Image Requirements & Preparation

Image Requirements for Custom Printed Products

The quality of your custom printed product depends significantly on the quality of your source image. Understanding image requirements helps you achieve optimal results, whether you're providing photographs, artwork, corporate logos, or complex designs. This comprehensive guide covers everything you need to know about preparing images for our printing process.

Our pre-press team evaluates every submitted image and provides detailed feedback before production. We want your project to succeed, so we'll work with you to optimize images or suggest alternatives if submitted files don't meet requirements. However, understanding these requirements upfront saves time and ensures the smoothest possible experience.

Resolution Requirements

Resolution—measured in dots per inch (DPI) or pixels per inch (PPI)—determines how sharp and detailed your printed image will appear. Higher resolution means more information to work with, enabling crisp reproduction of fine details. Lower resolution results in visible pixelation where individual dots become apparent.

For most applications, we recommend 150-300 DPI at final print size. This means if your finished shade measures 48 inches wide, your image should be at least 7,200 pixels wide (48" × 150 DPI) for acceptable quality, or 14,400 pixels wide (48" × 300 DPI) for optimal quality. Detailed graphics or products viewed from close distances benefit from the higher end of this range.

Viewing distance affects resolution requirements significantly. A window shade viewed from across a room can use lower resolution than a small acoustic panel at desk level. For wall murals viewed from 10 feet or more, even 100 DPI can produce excellent results. Our team considers your specific application when evaluating images.

File Formats and Best Practices

Different file formats serve different purposes, and choosing the right format can significantly impact your final product quality. Understanding the strengths and limitations of each format helps you make optimal choices.

TIFF (Tagged Image File Format)

TIFF files are the gold standard for professional printing. They support lossless compression, preserving every pixel of image data without degradation. TIFF files can include embedded color profiles, layers, and transparency. For photographic images or complex artwork, TIFF provides the highest quality starting point for our print process.

PSD (Photoshop Document)

Native Photoshop files offer maximum flexibility. We can work with layered files, adjusting elements as needed for optimal print results. If your design includes text, keeping text layers editable allows us to ensure crisp reproduction. PSD files are ideal when you want our team to make adjustments or when the design might need modifications.

JPEG (Joint Photographic Experts Group)

JPEG files use lossy compression, sacrificing some quality for smaller file sizes. For print applications, we recommend maximum quality settings (quality level 10-12 in Photoshop). Avoid repeatedly editing and saving JPEGs, as quality degrades with each save cycle. JPEGs are acceptable for many applications but represent a compromise between quality and convenience.

Vector Formats (AI, EPS, PDF)

Vector graphics—created in Adobe Illustrator, CorelDRAW, or similar programs—scale infinitely without quality loss. For logos, text, and graphic designs, vector formats are ideal. We can output vector artwork at any size with perfect sharpness. When submitting vector files, convert text to outlines or include fonts to ensure accurate reproduction.

PNG (Portable Network Graphics)

PNG files support lossless compression and transparency, making them useful for logos and graphics with transparent backgrounds. However, PNG files from web sources are often low resolution. Verify that PNG files meet resolution requirements before submission.

Working with Low-Resolution Images

Sometimes the only available image is lower resolution than ideal. Understanding your options helps you make informed decisions about how to proceed.

Artificial upscaling—increasing pixel dimensions in software—doesn't add real detail. While modern AI-based upscaling tools are better than traditional methods, they fundamentally create interpolated data rather than recovering information that doesn't exist. Results vary significantly based on image content and the amount of upscaling required.

We can evaluate low-resolution images and provide honest assessments of expected print quality. Sometimes the viewing distance makes lower resolution acceptable. Sometimes the image content (soft textures, abstract designs) is forgiving of reduced sharpness. And sometimes, unfortunately, the image simply won't produce acceptable results.

Alternatives for Low-Resolution Situations

When faced with low-resolution source material, consider these alternatives: seek the original high-resolution file from the photographer or designer; search stock photo libraries for similar images in higher resolution; commission new photography or artwork; adjust the design to use the low-resolution image at a smaller size within a larger composition.

For corporate logos, we strongly recommend obtaining vector format files. Logos are typically designed in vector format and can be output at any size. If only low-resolution raster versions exist, consider having the logo redrawn in vector format—a worthwhile investment that benefits all future printing needs.