You’ve chosen the perfect photos, decided what you want to print, and you’re ready to bring those memories off your screen and into your hands. Before you hit “upload,” there’s one small step that can make a big difference: preparing your files for print.
If terms like DPI, sRGB, and color profiles sound a little intimidating, don’t worry. You don’t need to be a professional photographer to get beautiful prints. In fact, most photos taken on your phone and camera are already close to print-ready.
Consider this your simple checklist for getting the best possible results from your Nations Photo Lab order.
1. Start With the Right File Type
First things first: make sure your photo is saved in a file format we can work with.
For the smoothest ordering experience, we recommend:
- .jpg
- .png
- Flattened .tiff files
TIFF files cannot contain layers and currently can only be uploaded through our desktop ROES ordering software. If you’re having trouble uploading an image, one of the easiest fixes is to save or convert it to a JPG.
What about iPhone photos?
If you take photos on an iPhone, you may notice that some images are saved as HEIC files rather than JPGs. HEIC files cannot be uploaded, so you’ll need to convert them to JPG before ordering.
You can also change your iPhone camera settings so future photos are saved in a compatible format. Check the format of your files by hitting the "i" for more information on your photo.
2. Check Your Image Resolution
Resolution plays a big role in how sharp and detailed your finished print will look — especially when you’re printing your photo at a larger size.
For Nations Photo Lab orders, files should have a resolution between 125 DPI minimum and 300 DPI maximum.
But there’s an important thing to remember: a photo that looks crisp on your phone screen may not necessarily have enough resolution for a 16x20" or 30x40" print.
That’s where our Pixel Chart can help. Enter your image’s pixel dimensions to see which print sizes are recommended, or upload your image and let the tool determine its dimensions and recommended print sizes for you.
Quick tip: When someone sends you a photo you plan to print, ask them to share the original file through a service such as Google Drive or Google Photos whenever possible. Texting or emailing photos can sometimes reduce their quality.
3. Make Sure Your Color Settings Are Print-Ready
Have you ever looked at a printed photo and wondered why the colors don’t look exactly like they did on your screen? Your file’s color settings can be part of the reason.
For the best results with Nations Photo Lab, prepare your files using:
Color profile: sRGB IEC61966-2.1
Color mode: RGB
Color depth: 8-bit
Nations Photo Lab supports the sRGB IEC61966-2.1 color space. Files submitted in other color spaces, such as Adobe RGB 1998 or ProPhoto RGB, may be converted to sRGB during the ordering process. Incorrectly assigned color spaces can sometimes result in colors appearing muted, dark, or even taking on an unwanted color cast.
If you’re an everyday photo-taker and have never changed these settings, there’s a good chance you won’t need to do anything at all. This is simply something to double-check if you edit your photos before printing.
4. Decide Whether You Need Color Correction
Even with a properly prepared file, the colors you see on a backlit phone or computer screen can look different when translated to photographic paper.
That’s why Nations Photo Lab offers Color Correction on many products for an additional fee. With Color Correction, a real member of our team reviews your images and makes adjustments designed to achieve accurate, beautiful color in the finished product.
For most customers who aren’t professionally editing and soft proofing their images, Color Correction can provide an extra layer of confidence before printing.
Professional photographers working with a calibrated monitor can take things a step further by using our ICC profiles to soft proof their images. Our ICC profiles are generated in-house and customized for the specific papers and printers they’re designed for. If you soft proof your files using our ICC profiles, you do not need to add Color Correction to your order. As always, if you don’t like how your color corrected photos turn out, we’ll reprint them because of our Picture Perfect Guarantee.
5. Give Your File One Final Check
Before uploading, run through this quick checklist:
✓ JPG, PNG, or flattened TIFF file
✓ 125–300 DPI
✓ 8-bit color depth
✓ sRGB IEC61966-2.1 color profile
✓ RGB color mode
✓ Filename is 25 characters or fewer
✓ No special characters in the filename, with the exception of hyphens (-) and underscores (_)
If you’re uploading photos to a gallery through the Nations Photo Lab website, individual files also need to be 40 MB or smaller. There is no file-size limit when uploading through our desktop ROES ordering system.
Ready, Set, Print!
Preparing your files might sound technical at first, but a few quick checks can go a long way toward making sure the photos you love on your screen become prints you love just as much.
And remember: you don’t have to become an expert in color profiles and pixels before ordering your favorite photos. These recommendations are here to help you get the best possible printing experience — whether you’re ordering a stack of 4x6" memories, creating a gallery wall, or turning one favorite image into a statement-making enlargement.
Once your files are ready, all that’s left to do is choose your size, pick your paper, and bring those memories to life. Happy printing!
