Export a photo for print: a file-to-order checklist

Collect the specification before editing

Write down the finished width and height, orientation, preferred image density and accepted file formats. Also check the provider’s color, bleed and border instructions. Keep the exact product specification with the project so that a later change in frame or paper size is visible.

Do not infer the required file format from what a calculator can open. Our local checker accepts JPEG, PNG and WebP, but a particular lab may require something else. Accepted upload formats and processing behavior belong to that provider’s workflow.

Choose a source with enough usable pixels

Open the original or highest-quality edited source you have. Apply the intended crop before judging pixel sufficiency. For an 8 × 10 portrait output at 300 PPI, the target is 2400 × 3000 pixels after the relevant crop, before any additional bleed.

If the crop leaves 1600 × 2000, the effective density at that size is 200 PPI. Increasing the exported dimensions can resample the image, but it does not by itself confirm enough useful detail. Compare the source with the provider’s needs and inspect a proof for important work.

Make export settings deliberate

Check whether the export dialog is limiting the longest side, setting a total pixel count or reducing quality. Those controls can undo a correct document-size setup. Verify whether resolution changes are changing metadata only or resampling the image.

Follow the provider’s requested color handling rather than applying an assumed universal profile. A dimensions tool does not inspect color profiles, transparency, compression quality or sharpening. If those affect your job, inspect them in suitable image software and ask the provider when instructions are unclear.

Reopen the actual saved file

Read the exported width and height and compare them with your notes. Check orientation, edge content and any visible compression or resizing artifacts. A plausible filename such as “final-high-resolution” is not evidence that the correct export settings were applied.

For supported image types, our checker can read dimensions without uploading the file. Its result describes geometry and density, not a general pass/fail assessment of image quality. Unsupported or unusually large images can be planned using manually entered dimensions.

Check the ordering preview and archive the handoff

When the lab displays a crop or placement preview, compare it with your expected composition. Look for automatic fill, extra borderless enlargement, borders and orientation changes. Save or note the selected options before submitting the order.

Keep the original, the exact export, the requested dimensions and the order reference together. The printable checklist on this site can accompany those records. It stores nothing on this website; checkmarks last for the current page session, and you can print a copy for your own project folder.

If the delivered print differs, this record helps identify whether the file, upload placement or production stage needs investigation. It is more useful than changing several settings at once and losing track of which version was sent.