It can be difficult to know which photos will look best on your chosen photo card. We have some valuable tips on how to select the best photos to go on your card, and how to avoid common issues with photo selection.

1. Photo Shape vs. Frame Shape
It is very important to submit images suitable for the frames they are intended for. When a card has a vertical photo, such as the example below, the image submitted should be vertical for best results. If a horizontal image is submitted for a vertical spot, most of your photo will have to be cropped out to fit into the alloted space.

Additionally, our Photo Cards will often have square frames, circle frames, or special shaped frames where any image will incur cropping. It is very important to consider how your image will likley need to be cropped to fit into the intended frame.

It can be difficult to successfully fit a horizontal image into a vertical space, or vice versa. It is very important to imagine how your image will fit into the alloted space before ordering.

Other examples of frames to be considerate of: Elegant Photo Graduation Invitations | Rounded Edge Graduation Announcements

2. Overlayed Graphics, Text, Photos, Etc.
When a card has a graphic, text, or other photos overlayed onto a larger photo, the subject placement needs to be considered. Below is one example of how a simple text and opaque white bar overlay can become a disaster or a thing of beauty - simply by the image choice.

It is important to imaging how your images will be affected by overlays, graphics, and other smaller photos. The subject of the photo must be placed to allow for overlays.

Other examples of cards with overlays: Photo Wedding Invitations | Picture Graduation Cards  

3. Leave Headroom for Printer's Crop Zone
Our printer will take off up to 1/4 inch around all sides of the card during printing and cutting. When cards have an image that bleeds to the edge, headroom, sideroom, and footroom must be adequate to allow for the printer's crop zone. Becuase we don't know exactly where the printer will crop to (they may only cut off 1/16 of an inch on one side), we cannot pull photos down, over, or up to keep important parts within the safe zone. Our images must bleed to the edge, therefore, it is very important to find images with a good amount of headroom.

The above photo is NOT a good choice for a card with a full-bleed image. During printing, the top of his head will be cut off up to 1/4 inch, as indicated by the dotted lines. We would not be able to pull this photo down, as we don't know exactly where the printer will crop to. A photo with ample headroom is a better choice.

4. Low Resolution Images vs. High Resolution Images
One of the most common mistakes is submitting small, low resolution images for print. No printer can successfully create a clear print from a low resolution file. Images measuring less than 900KB are considered low resolution and are not recommended for printing in any form. Standard cameras, including most camera phones, will take pictures big enough to print clearly. If your image is less than 900KB, then it has been resized, and we recommend finding the original digital file, before it was sized down, before ordering. Always check the size of your image to make sure its resolution is high enough for printing. Never pull images off of websites or blogs - these images are rarely good enough to print.

Small images must be stretched to fit on our photo cards and will produce a grainy, pixelated look.

High Resolution images are required for a clear print.

5. Fold Locations
Often, our folded photo cards have images that span over the inside fold. You must consider how the fold placement will affect the subject of your photo. The tri-fold card is one of our most popular designs.

Always be considerate of how the fold placement will affect your image. Try to choose an image that will allow the fold to affect an unimportant part of your photo, such as the background.

Other examples of folds to be careful of: Contemporary Folded Graduation Photo Cards | Tri-Fold Graduation Invitations

If you have concerns or questions about your photo resolution, or about how your photos will look on your chosen photo card, simply contact us. We strive to help you create the best photo cards available with more unique designs and varied styles. Thank you for shopping with us!