FAQ
What is the minimum quantity required to order?
Due to our advanced digital process, there is no minimum quantity required to order. You can order anywhere from one to ten thousand.
Is there a setup fee?
No setup fee is required. There are no hidden charges. You pay for however many you want, plus whatever shipping option you desire. That's all.
Can I use black and white photos?
YES! In fact, black and white images can give your product a “timeless” feel that will give it meaning to you well after the year is over. Sepia is also available.
Feel free to use black and white images, sepia (“old-fashioned”) images, or even just designs your kids have drawn using Paint or some other computer-graphics program.
What are the supported file types?
There are 5 basic file types you can use in your product: .jpg, .bmp, .tif, .png, and .gif.
JPEG (can be .jpg or .jpeg)- JPEG's support over 16 million colors, but can "distort" the image to compress the file size. The amount distortion is directly related to the 'quality' setting the image is saved with. We also recommend that you use the least amount of jpeg compression possible. (This is a setting on cameras that is sometimes called "quality" or "compression".) While high resolution and low compression will increase transfer times, they will produce the best results.
BMP (MS Windows Bitmap Format) - BMP is the native bitmap file format of the Microsoft Windows environment. For example, if you create a document using Paint, chances are it will save as a .bmp. BMP files are usually not compressed, and so are large for their image quality.
TIFF (Tag Image File Format, can be .tif or .tiff) - A bitmap graphics file format that was developed by Aldus and Microsoft for storing scanned images. It can be used with black and white, gray scale, 8-bit color, and 24-bit color images, and transfers well between different platforms. TIFF images can be compressed, although loss does occur.
PNG - Portable Network Graphics format that supports a completely loss-less compression.
GIF – Graphic Interchange Format files work best with simple line art, logos and icons.
How can I find out what the image quality of my digital image is?
Here's how to make sure you have an image that is at least our recommended size:
If you already have an image:
Open My Computer.
Find the image you want to use.
Set your mouse pointer on the image, click the RIGHT mouse button once, and release. A small menu will appear.
Set your mouse pointer at the bottom of the menu on "Properties” (It will highlight), click the LEFT mouse button once, and release. A new screen will pop up.
You should see several tabs across the top of the page. One of them will say “Summary.” Click it.
You should see a list of image properties. “Width” is the image width in pixels, and “Height” is the image height in pixels.
If you are planning on taking a picture with a digital camera:
Make sure you have a camera that takes 2 megapixel images or larger.
Make sure your camera is set to the highest setting before taking a picture.
Refer to your camera's manual for more details.
If you are scanning a 4x6 (regular photo size) image:
Set the scanner resolution to 200 dpi or higher.
If your scanner does not have a dpi setting, use the highest available setting.
Refer to your scanner's manual for more details.
How long do my uploaded images remain online?
Your images will remain on line and available to you for at least 2 weeks as long as you create an account and load the images into your account. If you do not create an account, you will need to upload your images each time you visit photoball.com.
Can anyone else see my uploaded photos?
If you have uploaded your pictures into an account, the only way someone else can see your images is if you share your username and password with them. Other than that, you are the only person who can see your images.
If you have not created an account and you upload images, nobody will be able to see them unless they sit down at the same computer you used, and your session is still valid. If you want to make sure this doesn't happen, just close your browser when you're done.
Can I change my order after I have placed it?
If you decide you want to change something after you've added it to your shopping cart, but before you check out, there is no problem. Simply click to edit product in your cart, and you'll be able to make any changes you want.
Once you've completed your order, our automated manufacturing process immediately sets your product for printing. Because we strive to deliver all our customers their finished quality product as quickly as possible, we are unable to accept changes to an order after an order has been placed.