Why am I getting a low quality warning when selecting a print size?

What does it mean when I see a "low quality print" warning?

Uh-oh! If you're seeing a yellow warning sign (!) or a red X when trying to select a size, this means the size of your image file is smaller than the pixel dimensions required for the print size you've chosen. This will cause the print to turn out pixelated, blurry, or distorted.

If the print size preview is blank, and you see the red X symbol on certain sizes, it will not be selectable to order because the blur, grain, or pixelation of the file would be too severe to produce a recognizable print. 

You can still add an image with a yellow warning to your cart and order it by clicking the “ I understand” button, but keep in mind that the print will still have noticeable blur and pixelation. 

In order to print your image at a larger size and ensure that they turn out clearly, you'll want to track down the original photo file.

Where can I find the original, high-res file?

The first question you need to ask is: what device was this photo taken on? Based on the answer to that, there are few courses of action you can take:

  • If the photo was texted or sent to you from someone else's phone, get in touch with the person that sent you the image. Have them re-send the photo to by email, ensuring it's attached at the Actual Size.
  • If you took the photo on your own phone, we recommend uploading directly to our website from your phone. No need to worry about transferring it to a computer! Make sure the file you're uploading is the original from the date that it was taken on, and not a screenshot (there will always be quality loss when taking a screenshot).
  • If you took the photo on a DSLR or point-and-shoot camera, you'll want to transfer those photos directly from your camera or its memory card to your computer before uploading to our site.
IMPORTANT NOTE: Using photo editing software (like Adobe Photoshop) to artificially increase the size of a file will not fix or remove the pixelation and blurriness that could occur while printing. That's why it's important to locate and make sure you're working with and uploading the original, source file, since that will be the version that has the most detail possible.

In some cases, there may not be a larger image available to you or a larger version that exists. If all you have is a file that's too small, please note that there's no good way to make a small file larger without losing quality.

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