Why Digital?
File Size
File Format

Digital Cameras and Prayer Cards
"Prints on Disk"
Letting Us Scan Your Print or Negative
Scanning at Home

Why Digital?

As our name suggests, DPI uses an all-digital process to create your photo card. This means that no matter how you send us your photo, we will eventually work with it as a digital image. So if your picture begins as a digital image, you can easily upload it to our site.. This does not mean you cannot use a regular film camera to take your picture. However, if you want to create a digital image from a non-digital source on your own, there are several things about which you need to be aware. So check out the subjects under "Creating a Digital Image" for some ideas.

File Size

Generally, a digital file needs to be 1200x1800 pixels and often bigger if possible, especially if we need to crop or zoom in on your photo. This size in pixels is the same as a 4”x6” photo at 300dpi. This can vary depending on what kind of card you want. (Note that BOTH dimensions need to be as close to these sizes or a little bigger.)

• For Photo Cards, your photo should not be smaller than 880x1320 pixels (4”x6” at 220dpi), and should only be this size if you are sure no zooming needs to be done.
• For Post Cards, your photo should not be smaller than 1500x2200 pixels (4”x6” plus bleeds at 350dpi). (Please try to send a bigger file than this. If you cannot send something bigger, we may be able to use a Cameo, Frames, or Half&Half Format in which the photo is actually a bit smaller than the Full Photo.
• Bookmarks are rarely done as a Full photo, but if you want your photo to extend from top to bottom in a horizotal framework (i.e. as a Half&Half Format), it needs to be 950 pixels high for a 2.75x8.5 or 650 pixels high for a 2x6.
• For Business Cards photos can be as small as 675x1225 (2.25"x3.75" at 300dpi) note that both dimensions need to be met if a full photo is going to be used.

File Format

We can take a number of file formats, including JPEG, TIFF, PSD, and PDD. If you send us a PSD or PDD which has layers, please do not flatten the file before you send it to us. We prefer not to take picture files that are in RAW or BMP format, though these formats are fine for logos and other graphics.

Many cameras save files as JPEGs or TIFs, and this is often the easiest format with which to work. The JPEG format is our preferred format. However, there are a couple of things you must be aware of about JPEGs. JPEG is a compressed format. This means that every time it is saved it is compressed further, and more of the color and detail is removed. The more you save it, the more of your photo is lost. So when you take your photo, save it only once. If you open your photo again, do not re-save it or more will be lost. Also, be aware that there are different levels of compression on a JPEG. The higher quality save, the less detail is lost. If your photo is the correct size, you should be able to save at the highest quality and still have a very manageable file size.

Digital Cameras and Prayer Cards

Using a digintal camera is probably the best way to create a digital image because it begins at the digital level rather than needing to be converted from another form of media. So if you don't have a digital camera yourself, see if any of your friends do.

• Make sure your camera is at least a 3 mega-pixel camera, and that it is set to take your photo at it's maximum resolution. Check your camera’s instructions to figure out what settings produce what size files.
• Do not use the digital zoom. The digital zoom reduces the final resolution. Use only the optical zoom.
• Have your camera save the pictures as a low-compression/high quality JPEG file whenever possible. (See above)

"Prints on Disk"

Another way of creating a digital file is to have a developer put your developed film on disk. Be aware, however, that many developers will only create a standard small sized image on their disks (often only 800x1024 pixels), and have few options for creating higher resolution images. Check with your developer about the size of the resulting file.

Letting Us Scan Your Print or Negative

We offer a full scanning service for both prints and negatives. There is a $7 scanning fee for this process.When you send us your prints or negative, please protect them with cardboard. Please mail negatives with a plastic or paper sleeve for protection. We will not be responsible for damage that occurs to your photo while in the hands of the Postal System.

For Prints: Size is important!! If you intend to send us a print, consider getting it enlarged from the negative to 5”x7” or even 8”x10” before mailing it. A 4”x6” print will provide adequate detail for scanning, but the results will not be as clear because every printing and scanning process causes some loss of detail. The bigger the print is, the clearer and sharper your prayer card will look. Also make sure the finish is a “glossy” finish, not a “matte” or “linen-grain” (beware: Walmart generally uses a "linen-grain"). Both of the latter two styles will have blurry-looking results.

Scanning

There are many photo developing stores that scan negatives or prints very well, and we would suggest using one of these before considering scanning your photo yourself. If you choose to have one of them scan a print, see above about print size before scanning.

If you decide to use a scanner on your own to create a print, beware of the following:

• If you scan your print, start with a a 5x7 or bigger print. Beware of the deception that you can scan a small print at a high resolution and then blow it up. In a small print, there is simply not enough tiny detail for a scanner to capture and blow up clearly, no matter what the resolution of the scanner. Even if it looks good on the screen, your screen does not show what the photographic process will (see the above warning).
• Save it only once (see above) as a low-compression JPEG, and then let us work with it to fix color and etc. Do not try to fix the color yourself unless you really know what you are doing.