What sort of printers do you use?

We have nine Epson Stylus Pro 9880's and 9890's, all Ultrachrome (pigment) editions. This printing technique offers the highest quaity and most fadeproof printing available. We print at 1440dpi to obtain beautifully clear images. We use genuine K4 pigment inks that are lightfast for up to 100 years.

Can you print borderless pints?

Sorry we can't. All our printers leave a very narrow 3mm border and there is no way to override this setting.

How long will it take to get my order?

Nearly all posters and unframed products are shipped the same or next working day. If your artwork and payment are received before 11AM it will be shipped the same day, depending on the quantity ordered. If you need a poster very urgently, please select "Next Working Day Delivery" in postage options. This is a next working day courier option and does not include Saturdays.

We try to get framed products dispatched same working day but most often they are sent next working day. We pride ourselves on the quality of these products and don't want to disappoint you. Every framed canvas is handmade by us with great care and attention to detail.

What resolution should my image file be?

A file size of 100dpi printing resolution is recommended for clear and sharp printing. Less than this will result in inferior quality printing and we don't want you to be disappointed with our work.

Examples (minimum size requirements):

An A3+ image is 18"x12" (inches) that's 1800 by 1200 pixels. (JPG file size 1-2Mb)
An A2+ image is 18"x24" (inches) that's 1800 by 2400 pixels. (JPG file size 1-3Mb)
An A1+ image is 24"x36" (inches) that's 2400 by 3600 pixels. (JPG file size 2-4Mb)
An A0+ image is 36"x48" (inches) that's 3600 by 4800 pixels. (JPG file size 3-6Mb)

These are approximate and minimum dimensions given as a guideline.

IMAGES DOWNLOADED FROM SITES LIKE FACEBOOK WILL NOT BE SUITABLE FOR PRINTING.

IMAGES TAKEN WITH CAMERA PHONES WILL NOT BE SUITABLE FOR PRINTING.

Do you have a design or photo editing service?

At this point we do not. You need to send your files in the format that you want them printed. E.g. if you want your photo in black and white or sepia, you need to send your files in that format. You will also need to get any restoration work done before sending us your images.

If you need a designer, we thoroughly recommend Leigh Cunningham at The Bridge Group. Telephone 024 7656 0440.

Framing it yourself?

Please remember to e-mail us with any special instructions or if you have purchased a frame or are intending to frame your photos, we will need to know the exact size you require including the size and depth of your frame, borders needed, etc. You must include required borders within the size of the print you are ordering.

Important Points

Making an original image larger in Photoshop will not improve the quality of the image. This is called upsizing and is not recommended.

JPG (RGB) and TIFF are the preferred formats for image files. We do not recommend GIF or PNG files due to colour accuracy and quality issues. We cannot use Microsoft application files (PowerPoint, Word, etc) they must be converted to PDF before we can use them. Please see "How do I create a PDF file?" below.

PDF (portable document files) are different and are preferred when the poster you need printing is text and/or graphics. With PDF you can create an A4 file in your favourite desktop publishing software (like MS Word, MS Publisher or Adobe Illustrator). The real advantage is that no matter what size image is required there will be no loss of quality in the printing of text and vector (graphic) images. We do not recommend MS PowerPoint for making files to print.

Designers should note that we require PDF files to be designed from scratch in RGB and not CMYK. We are photographic printers, not offset so need files to be RGB.

Do not convert CMYK files to RGB. Once you converted to CMYK mode, the data loss from the conversion has already occurred and switching back to RGB won't bring back those colors!

How do I create a PDF file?

Ideally you should use Adobe Acrobat but there are several free PDF creators available on the internet. Just do a Google search for “free pdf creator” or check out www.dopdf.com. They are provided with full instructions.

Please make sure to embed your fonts correctly, especially if you have used non-standard fonts. Alternatively e-mail us the fonts as well as the artwork. If you have not embedded your fonts correctly, they will not show up on our system and there is no way for us to know they are missing.

Please do not send us PDF files created in Photoshop. If you are using Photoshop, just flatten and save as a high quality RGB, JPG or TIF file. PDF files created in Photoshop are gargantuan and difficult to handle. Just remember, if you insert a low resolution image into a PDF file it will not improve the quality.

Please make sure that TIF files are flattened before sending to us.

What's the difference between an image and a graphic?

Basically, an image is a photograph and a graphic is a vector drawing.

Postage & packaging costs what am I paying for?

Most often less than cost.

Postage and packaging cost include the following:

a) A sturdy postal tube labelled as "FRAGILE" to protect your item in the post. These cost an average of £1.20 each.

b) First class delivery to ensure your item is delivered quickly. You posters will be sent same or next working day. No waiting around! Most people will receive their posters in 24-48 hours from ordering. (Some areas of Scotland and the Channel Islands always seem to take 2 days.)

c) If you pay for "Next Working Day Courier" this is also at cost price. We put no markup on postage and packaging. For this service we use Royal Mail Special Delivery or Interparcel, depending on the package size.

How do I send an image from my Hotmail account?

You must use the option of "send a file" rather than "send a picture". If you don't do this hotmail will resize your image to make it much smaller and unusable for printing.