Imagekind allows you to upload files in a variety of formats to suit your needs. Different file types have properties that affect the quality of your images, and consequently the prints that are created. We accept TIFF, JPEG, and PNG files through our direct uploader, via the Imagekind bulk uploader, or on discs that you send to us. If you would like to FTP your files to us, then you may also upload archived ZIP or RAR files that include multiple images.

If you are not sure which format to use, consider the properties that each file type has.

TIFF and PNG are lossless files, and will retain all data found in the original image file, no matter how many times you change or resave them. Working with these types of files is the best way to ensure optimum results for your prints. However, the drawback is they have extremely large file sizes, which can be more cumbersome to work with and upload to your Imagekind galleries.

JPEG’s have smaller file sizes due to the compression methods used. A JPEG is a lossy file, so if it is edited and saved many times it will degrade because too much compression can cause the images to lose information. Over time, this will result in an unprintable image file. The amount of data lost can be controlled by the JPEG quality settings function when saving your file in Photoshop. A high-quality JPEG can be an excellent compromise between file size and image dependability. JPEG files are smaller size, and therefore faster to upload to your Imagekind galleries.

The sizes available for purchase from your Imagekind gallery are completely dependent on the size of the file that you upload. Here is how to find how large your files really are, and how we figure what size prints we can make.

Pixel Dimensions

A pixel is the smallest piece of any digital image file. The "pixel dimensions" of your image are the vertical and horizontal measurements of your image expressed in pixels. We use pixel dimensions to determine the largest possible printing sizes because it is the actual, finite size of your image.

We will never change the aspect ratio of your image (the ratio between height and width) or arbitrarily crop your images. We fit your images into size "containers," which is described below. Digital cameras, 35mm cameras, and scanners all capture information at different ratios, so you may find that some of the actual available sizes vary slightly. For example, a small piece may be available at 6.8 x 10 instead of 8x10, due to its individual proportions.

DPI versus PPI – Image Resolution

Don't confuse DPI with PPI! These two terms are often used interchangeably, although they refer to different things.

DPI (Dots per Inch) refers to how many drops of ink per square inch are used on paper to print an image. Imagekind prints our fine art giclees at 1440 DPI, which is one reason why they look so great. DPI has nothing to do with your file.

PPI (Pixels per Inch) refers to the number of pieces of information that are present in one inch of your image file at the selected print size. Otherwise known as output resolution, optimum results for our printing process require anywhere from 150 PPI to 300 PPI although we are still able to get good results all the way down to 100 PPI. This is our baseline output resolution and as such our system will not allow the purchase at any size that would result in a print using less than 100 PPI.

Imagekind Print Container Sizes

Some sizes unavailable for purchase?

After you upload your images, you may see some sizes are not available for purchase. If you do not see a size available, then our system has determined that your file is not large enough to render a good quality print at that size. We do not recommend manually increasing the pixel dimensions of your images or "up-sampling," to have more sizes for sale. Up-sampling will artificially add information or pixels where they do not currently exist. It is a practice that can lead to serious image degradation or pixilation despite an apparent large image size.

High-Quality Image

Degraded Image

While up-sampling may fool our safeguards, the resulting print may be very disappointing. We cannot guarantee the final print quality of any image exhibiting these characteristics. As a service to you, we will contact you before printing an upsized image to see if you have a different file for us to use, and we will give you time to re-photograph or scan if necessary.

Imagekind utilizes a fully color managed environment. This means that all of our output devices -including monitors, printers, and print media, are properly calibrated and profiled. If precise color is important to your work, then read on to learn about ICC profiles. Knowing this will help transform your created art seamlessly into a high quality print.

ICC Profiles

You may have noticed that an image looks different on your home screen versus your work monitor. Every screen will display images with slightly different color, depending on the settings, calibration, and brightness settings. While you can’t control the settings on our monitors, you can include instructions on how your image should look, in the form of an ICC profile.

An ICC profile is a set of instructions that is embedded or assigned to your image that tells our monitors how to display the colors accurately. Most images that come from a digital camera (and sometimes scanners) already contain an embedded ICC profile. Otherwise, you will want to embed a profile into your images using your photo editing software, prior to sending us your files.

IMPORTANT: Images that come to us without an assigned ICC profile may not print as you intended them, as our print professionals will not know which color space was used to create or edit your images. We highly recommend embedding an ICC profile in all of your images that you upload to Imagekind.

RGB, CMYK, or Grayscale?

We accept files in RGB, CMYK, and Grayscale format, but if your files are already in RGB or grayscale, please keep them as such. We use specialized RIP software to properly read your RGB files and optimize them for ideal printing on any of our media types. Images are converted to the printer’s color space using color management methods that honor your ICC profiles, preserving all of your original image’s clarity and vibrancy.

IMPORTANT: As part of our color managed workflow, we also always honor color space information embedded in your images ensuring that the colors, brightness and contrast levels found in your images, so they always print faithfully.

Our prints have amazing detail and clarity, so what you see in the original image is exactly what you get – be sure it is what you want!

What You Send is What We Print

In addition to having your files correctly formatted, also be sure that your image looks exactly the way you want it before uploading to your Imagekind gallery. We expect all images to be ready to print as soon as they are ordered, without any modifications. Your files should be color-corrected, properly cropped, and checked over for dust and other artifacts before uploading.

Soft-proof your image to know how it will look on our media types. Soft-proofing does not produce a precise representation of how your image will look on paper, but it can give you a general idea about any possible color issues. If you would like to soft-proof your files for our different media types, you can find the printer profiles for download here.