File guidelines for custom printing

A large format print is only as good as the file it starts from. Here are the technical requirements for an image printed by GetinArt, explained so you can check them yourself in a minute: format, resolution at print size, colour, margins. Printing your own image is coming soon, so this page is here to let you get your file ready in advance. No file goes on the printer without that check.

Accepted file formats

We do not print native files (AI, PSD, INDD) or PNG: export to PDF, TIF or JPG first. Maximum 300 MB per file. Above that size, or for a set of several files, write to support@getinart.com and we will arrange a transfer.

Minimum resolution: how many DPI you really need

Resolution has to be judged at the real print size, not at the size the file appears on your screen. A photograph of 3,000 pixels is excellent for a 50 cm print and thin for a 3 metre wall: the pixels have not changed, the surface they have to cover has. To print wallpaper and canvas we ask for 150 DPI at print size; for fine art prints, which are looked at from close up, 300 DPI.

What counts in practice is the number of pixels. To check whether your image is enough, multiply the print width in centimetres by 59 (for 150 DPI) or by 118 (for 300 DPI), then compare the result with the pixel width of your file.

Minimum pixels by print width

Below these values we do not reject the file automatically. Wallpaper is looked at from two metres away, and an image at a real 100 DPI can turn out excellent. We judge case by case and tell you what to expect before printing. Images downloaded from the web (typically 1,000 to 2,000 px) are not suitable for a wall.

Colour: why screen and print do not match

Send files in RGB with an embedded sRGB profile, or Adobe RGB if that is the profile you work in. We convert to CMYK with the calibrated profiles of our printers, and a different profile for each material: the same image on Smooth paper and on Fabric gets two different conversions, because the two surfaces absorb light differently. Avoid Pantone colours and unconverted spot colours.

A backlit screen always shows brighter colours than paper does. Deep blacks and saturated blues are the tones that shift most. If colour is critical, for a brand or a contract specification, tell us in advance: we can indicate how a specific tone will behave on the material you have chosen.

Margins, bleed and composition

For wallpaper the configurator adds the trim margin automatically: you do not have to build it into the file. What you should do is keep the important elements, faces, text, fine detail, at least 10 cm away from the edges, so nothing essential ends up in the part that gets trimmed while hanging.

For framed canvases you choose whether the edge is mirrored, white or continuous. With a continuous edge the design loses 2 to 4 cm per side around the depth of the frame, so do not place anything you care about right at the border. For fine art prints you can ask for a printed white margin.

Smartphone photos, scans and AI generated images

Recent smartphones produce files of 12 to 48 megapixels, roughly 4,000 to 8,000 pixels on the long side. That is enough for large format canvas prints up to 100-120 cm and for small wallpaper panels, not for a whole wall. Before you discard a photo, check the actual pixel count rather than the file size in MB: a heavily compressed 8 MB photo and a clean 8 MB photo are not the same thing.

To reproduce a painting or an illustration, scan at 300 to 600 DPI and save as TIFF, with even lighting and no reflections. Images generated with AI are fine if they have the pixels required, and they usually need upscaling, which we can assess. Bear in mind that on this site AI generated content is labelled as such, as European rules require.

Rights on the image

By sending us a file you declare that you hold the rights to use it. We do not print images covered by third party copyright, such as characters, photographs by named authors or works by living artists, without authorisation. The GetinArt catalogue of museum works uses only public domain or CC0 reproductions from international institutions.

How the file check will work

Every file goes through the same prepress flow before production, whether it comes from the catalogue or from you.

• Automated check of resolution at print size, colour profile, margins and file integrity, followed by a human review.
• Outcome, in three possible forms: ready to print; ready with a caveat, where we explain what to expect; or a better file needed, with guidance on what to change.
• Production starts only after your go ahead. If a printing error is down to us, we reprint free of charge.

Frequently asked questions