Should You Crop a Photo Before Sending It for a Personalised Gift?

In most cases, it is better to keep the original photograph as well as any cropped version you like. The shape of the personalised product may be different from the shape of your photograph, so the uncropped original gives more room for positioning.

Why can cropping be a problem?

A tight crop can remove useful background around a face, pet or other subject. If the finished product needs a square, rectangular or wraparound layout, that missing space cannot simply be restored from the cropped file.

What should I send?

Use the highest-quality original available. If you have a particular crop in mind, you can keep that as a visual reference, but retaining the uncropped image provides more options when preparing the artwork.

What about screenshots?

Screenshots are usually less useful than the original photograph because they may contain fewer pixels and unwanted interface elements. The original camera or phone image is preferable whenever it is available.

For more preparation advice, read what makes a good photo for a personalised gift or browse Dad’s Cabin personalised print products.