The editor will give you a warning you when your photo is of low resolution. In short: the technical quality of the photo is too low, so that the print will be pixelated or grainy. If you want to avoid this, choose another photo with better quality.
We measure the resolution (technical quality) of your image while making your IXXI. It is important to know that this has not much to do with the size in MBs, but with the number of pixels in your image. The larger you blow up an image (which is what happens when you make an IXXI), the more visible the pixels become. Visible pixels provide a pixelated image which is generally not the desired outcome.
The exact size of the image depends on the dimensions in which you order your IXXI. The larger the size of the IXXI, the greater the resolution of the image should be. A very technical story, but it works like this:
Do you opt for one photo per card? Depending on the size (10x10cm cards or 20x20cm cards), you can use the following. The 10x10cm cards should be between 250 and 500 pixels. The 20x20cm cards must be between 500 and 1000 pixels.
Do you opt for an enlargement? For example: the IXXI is five cards of 20x20 cm wide, which comes down to an IXXI of 100 cm in total, then the image must therefore contain between 2,500 and 5,000 pixels.
In addition to the technical quality of your photos, you also have a visual quality. This means quite simply whether the photo was taken with a good camera and if photo was photographed sharply. You can check this by zooming in on the original photo (not in the IXXI editor, but on your own computer or phone). When you enlarge the photo, you suddenly see all the small imperfections in the photo very clearly. The visual quality is not measurable, so the module does not report when the visual quality is insufficient.
What to do with low image quality?
You can try to improve the quality of your photo with an online program, such as pixlr.com. Or try another photo with a higher resolution. If necessary, a professional photographer can adjust your photo. Of course you can also choose to use this image anyway.
*How Pixlr works: Open your image. Choose 'Properties' in the menu at the left. Then choose 'Resize image'. In the pop-up screen you increase the number of pixels. You will see a preview of the quality and then you can save your file. When saving, choose 'jpg' with the highest quality.
Color
RGB and CMYK are both possible. RGB colors are converted to CMYK in the printing process. Note: Due to this process and your screen settings, (bright) colors on your screen may differ slightly from the final print.
Color difference black and white or sepia cards
It is possible that there is a color difference between your current and new black and white or sepia cards. When you order new cards, they may differ from the cards already printed. This is due to the color structure; to get a deep color, it is built up by multiple colors. In one print, a different color may dominate a little more than in another print. In addition, you can also have sunlight influence your existing cards over time, so you will also notice a difference.
Allowed file formats
jpg, jpeg and png
Resolution guidelines for professionals
IXXI recommends a resolution of 150 dpi (1:1) for optimal results. The desired resolution per card is 1000 x 1000 px, the minimum file size is 500 x 500 px per card. Pay attention! The maximum file size per image is 50 MB.
