PRINT GUIDE · BEFORE YOU ORDER
How to prepare a photo for a print lab
Most disappointing prints come from a handful of fixable problems: the wrong crop, too few pixels, a screen that was too bright, or a colour setting the lab didn't expect. Here's a checklist to run through before you upload.
1. Start from the best copy you have.
Use the original file from your camera or phone, not a copy that has been through a messaging app, social network or email. Those often shrink and recompress photos to save data. On a phone, share or export the photo at "actual size" or "original quality" where the app offers it. A copy that's a quarter of the original's pixel count can look fine on screen and soft on paper.
2. Crop to the print's shape yourself.
If your photo and the print are different shapes, the lab has to crop or add borders. Many labs crop from the centre automatically. If your subject is off-centre, or there's a head near the top edge, crop it yourself first so you choose what's lost.
Crop to the exact proportions of the print: 4:5 for 8 × 10, 5:7 for 5 × 7, 2:3 for 4 × 6. Most photo editors have these as preset crop ratios. Save the crop as a new file and keep the original. How much each print size crops a 3:2 or 4:3 photo.
3. Check the resolution after cropping.
Cropping removes pixels, so check the PPI of the cropped file at your print size. Divide its pixel width by the print width in inches. Around 300 PPI is a safe target for small prints viewed up close; 150 PPI and above is usually workable for large prints seen from a distance. If you're well below that, choose a smaller print. Pixels needed for each print size.
4. Save as a high-quality JPEG in sRGB.
Most consumer print labs accept JPEG, and many accept only JPEG. Save at the highest or near-highest quality setting, and avoid re-saving the same JPEG repeatedly while editing. Each save compresses it again.
Colour space matters more than people expect. Most consumer labs expect sRGB, the standard colour space for screens and the web, and phone photos are usually sRGB already. If you edit in a wider space such as Adobe RGB or Display P3, convert to sRGB on export unless your lab says it handles other profiles. A file in the wrong space can print dull or oddly saturated. Keep the colour profile embedded in the file, so the lab's software knows how to interpret the colours.
The DPI number in your file doesn't matter.
Leave it as it is. A file tagged 72 DPI and one tagged 300 DPI print identically at the same size, because the lab uses the pixel count. Changing the tag doesn't add detail.
5. Don't trust a bright screen.
Phones and laptops are often set much brighter than a print can look. A print reflects room light; a screen emits its own. Photos edited on a bright screen often print darker than expected, especially in the shadows. Before you judge your edits, turn the screen brightness down to a moderate level and look at the photo in normal room light. If your prints keep coming back dark, that's the usual cause.
Some labs offer an automatic correction option. It can help with snapshots, but turn it off if you've already edited the photo carefully, or it may undo your work.
6. Mind the edges.
Labs often trim a little from each edge so the print has no white sliver, and some ask for extra "bleed" around the image. Keep important details, like text, faces and signatures, a little way in from the border. If you want a white border on purpose, check whether the lab adds one as an option rather than building it into the file.
7. Remove what you don't want to share.
Photos sent to an online lab travel with their metadata, which can include the GPS location where they were taken and the device used. That's rarely a problem with a reputable lab, but if the photo was taken at home and you'd rather not send the location, remove it from the copy you upload. Removing metadata without recompressing the image leaves the print quality unchanged. What photo metadata contains.
A quick checklist
- Original file, not a messaging-app copy
- Cropped to the print's exact shape
- PPI checked on the cropped file
- High-quality JPEG, sRGB, profile embedded
- Brightness judged on a dimmed screen
- Key details away from the edges
- Location removed if you don't want to share it
Check the crop and PPI
Print Size Check shows your photo at a chosen print size with its PPI, and previews borders or cropping before you order. Everything happens in your browser.
Preview a printIndependent general guidance by Tidy, not affiliated with any print lab. Labs' requirements vary, so check yours. Checked 22 October 2026.