Cropping
guidelines

Overview

Optimised print service

Our skilled operators will optimise the colour balance and density of your digital images. This service is particularly recommended for those who require optimum print quality and do not have access to image manipulation facilities of their own.

As default, we optimise all images as standard, however, if you have adjusted your own images to your specific requirements then we can print EXACTLY as supplied, with no enhancement, colour correction, sharpening or any other alteration by our Digital Imaging department. We STRONGLY RECOMMEND that if you are new to our digital services, or are unfamiliar with digital concepts you just submit a small number of images initially, as test prints.

This service is primarily aimed at those with some experience and knowledge of digital imaging and their equipment.

To help you get the most out of our Standard print service, please read our guide to calibrating your monitor.

Acceptable media

We accept images from a variety of media - CD-ROM, DVD-R, DVD+R, Zip disk, Floppy disk, CompactFlash, Secure Digital, Memory Stick and Smartmedia cards.

All supplied media will be returned with your order.

File formats

Please submit your images as RGB TIFF or JPEG files. We cannot accept images saved using LZW compression, PSD files or images containing extra channels or layers.

Apple Macs

Due to differences in the way MacOS and Windows handle filenames, we strongly advise that filenames should be alphanumeric, with no punctuation or spaces. We also suggest that TIFF files are saved using PC byte order format, with no compression.

Resolution

Most digital cameras available today produce images with a limited scope for enlargement - a 4-megapixel camera, for instance, can only produce quality prints up to 12 x 8 inches; any larger and the print will become noticeably blocky or pixelated. Ensure that your images have a resolution of at least 200ppi (pixels per inch) at the print size you require to avoid unsatisfactory results. Compare your file sizes (when open, NOT when compressed or stored on disk) with those listed here as a guide to maximum print size.

Cropping guidelines

Due to the process by which digital prints are created, it is inevitable that on occasion prints will be cropped by as much as 4mm per edge [Fuji Frontiers cut the paper to size and then print the image, rather than the other way around]. If you wish to avoid potential cropping problems, we recommend that you extend a white canvas around the image, taking the overall size of the image up to the next standard size.

For example, if you have a 7½" x 5" image and wish to eliminate the possibility of cropping, extend the canvas to 8" x 6" [don't stretch or resize the image!] and send it to us, requesting an 8" x 6" print. The only disadvantage to this next-size-up approach is that you will be charged for the larger print - in the case of the example above, for the 8" x 6" - but you will have a full-frame print.

Non-standard print sizes

Images submitted to us that do not fit the standard paper formats listed here will be printed in their entirety with white borders and you will be charged for the next size up. For example, a 24" x 18" image will be printed with 1" white borders on two sides onto 24" x 20" paper at a charge of £11.30.