Pixelation?

High quality image

Pixelated / low quality image

Pixelation usually occurs when the image has been either created too small to be enlarged to poster size or has been compressed when saving the file

We suggest that your image file (tiff, jpg or png) is more then 450kb in size as we have found that anything smaller than this could be pixelated when enlarged up to poster size especially if the poster contains text.

Most digital cameras now take files that are much larger than 450kb so should be fine for poster prints. If you are creating the file yourself please ensure that the quality is large enough to be printed at full size. Also if the file is being sent via a mobile device please ensure that the attachment isn’t being compressed when sent.

If you have any questions or need further help please call or email

What does trim to artwork mean?

Your Artwork / images can be printed with either a 5mm white border or with the option of trimming to artwork (full bleed)

What does this mean?

All of our posters are printed with at least a 5mm border around the print as standard. The 5mm white border only applies to artwork / images that are in proportion to the selected sheet size, if the artwork is not in proportion to the selected sheet size this may result in uneven white borders of various thickness (see above)

If you would like prints without the white border and printed right to the edge of the page select the "Trim to Artwork" option at checkout - You print will then be printed as large as possible within the selected sheet size without a white border. This is the best option to choose if you require a bespoke size – please let us know your required sizes in the notes section.

Please note: We don’t stretch or crop customers images unless its requested but if we are in any doubt we will contact you directly to clarify before we print!

What fonts or typefaces can you print?

Fonts - Typefaces

We can print a wide range of fonts or typefaces as long as they are embedded into your artwork.  In accordance with the Font Copyright regulation for print,  we are not able to print non-standard fonts without the appropriate licences.

The easiest solution to this is to provide us your artwork as a PDF document with the fonts embedded.  

If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to give us a call. 

Can you create a poster for me?

No Artwork?

We dont currently have any graphic designers on site here at Posterpigeon HQ,  however if you want something creating we can put you in touch with some talented designers.  We work with some very clever people - just call us and we will put you in touch.  

We can usually turn around artwork quite quickly,  so please just give us a call and tell us what you need. 

Can you print a picture from a web site?

Unfortunately this is usually not possible, in our experience the vast majority of images that are shown on websites are designed to viewed on screen, and so do not have a high enough resolution to be printed to a poster size.

They simply appear very jagged - or pixelated and unclear when printed to a larger size.

Some websites do provide print quality images and we are happy to print these for you providing you have approval from the copyright holder.

If you're in any doubt,  please contact us. 

Can you print Microsoft Office Files?

Posters from Microsoft Office - Word, Excel, PowerPoint.

Word, Excel, Powerpoint, all use fonts that might only be on your machine.  There is too much scope for error and so unfortunately we can not print posters from these files and will need you to convert them to PDF format - However dont worry,  If you are using recent versions of Microsoft Office  you can save your poster as a PDF file simply by selecting the .pdf file format within the 'save as' function.

For more information on File Format, please see the section 'File Types' 

In the meantime if you have any questions, please dont hesitate to give us a call. 

Double check - Previewing uploaded artwork

Preview Poster Artwork

The Poster Artwork you upload is available as a preview in the shopping cart.

If you hover the cursor over the filename, a tiny 'thumbnail' preview image will display.  If you click on the filename - you can download the image to your computer to double check what you have uploaded (Better to be safe than sorry)

If you are at all unsure about your artwork,  please contact us directly via telephone and we can discuss this with you.

Please be assured we manually check all artwork before its printed,  and if we have any problems or queries, we will contact you.  

Suitable file formats

File types and Advice

You can create artwork in any program you like,  we accept PDF, TIFF, or JPG file formats.

We prefer PDF files for posters as this usually creates the highest quality prints with sharp text. if you are using Acrobat to create your PDF file, we have found that using the "press settings" will keep your file size relatively low whilst still producing a good quality print.

If you have a newer versions of some of the Microsoft Office programs (Word, Excel etc),  you should be able to save your design as a PDF within the 'save as' function on your desktop.

JPEG files can be supplied if you are ordering posters from your photographs and camera images, but please note image files that are less than 450kb in size are usually saved at too low a resolution to enlarge up to a poster size print.

If you have any questions or need further clarification, please get in touch.

Handy Tips

Please consider the following when sending your artwork:

• Try to ensure that your artwork is at least 150 - 300dpi resolution. Ideally the higher the resolution is the better your artwork will look.
• We cannot open application files  (e.g. Quark Express, In Design, Photoshop etc),  however it is easy to convert your file to a PDF format within any of these applications.  Please make sure you save your PDF file to at least 300 dpi.
• If you are using any bespoke or unusual fonts,  please ensure that you embed all fonts in your artwork.  We have to comply with the Font Copyright regulation for Print,  and may be unable to print your artwork if the fonts are not embedded correctly.

We reserve the right to replace the font with suitable replacement in the event of conflict or corruption. Fonts should ideally be in Open Type or True Type format for the PC.  We will contact you for approval should we need to do this.