Pet Photo Guide

What does a good pet photo for printing look like?

Open the photo and zoom in on your pet’s eyes before you upload it. If the eyes and the fur around them still look crisp, you’re most of the way there. Then check the rest of this list:

• Sharp where it counts. Eyes, nose and whiskers should be clear, not soft or smudged.
• Soft, even light. Daylight from a window or open shade works best. A dark room, a flash or a bright window behind your pet makes the face hard to read.
• The whole head in the frame. Both ears, the top of the head and the chin, with a little space around them. An ear that’s cut off in the photo stays cut off on the print.
• A clear view of the face. No hands, toys, leashes or other pets in front of it, and no stickers, text or filters on top.
• The original file. The photo your phone saved, not a screenshot or a copy sent through a chat app or saved from social media, which are usually smaller and blurrier.

Which photo problems are hard to fix after you upload?

Our team crops your photo and places your pet on the design, but we can’t add detail that isn’t in the picture. These are the problems we see most, and the quick fix for each one:

If a photo is too blurry, dark or low-resolution to print well, we email you before production, so nothing is printed until you reply.

How do you take a better pet photo in five minutes?

You don’t need a good camera. A phone, a window and a treat are enough:

1. Pick the light first. Sit your pet facing a window, or go outside into shade. Midday sun makes pets squint.
2. Get down to their level. Hold the phone at the height of their eyes, so the face isn’t squashed from above.
3. Move closer. Fill most of the screen with the head and keep a little space around the ears.
4. Get their attention. Hold a treat or a squeaky toy just above the phone, or say their name once.
5. Take a burst. Keep the sharpest shot. Skip portrait mode and filters, which can blur the ears and change the color of the fur.

For more ideas, like photographing a black dog or a cat who won’t sit still, read our guide on how to photograph pets indoors.

Does each product need a different photo?

The same rules apply everywhere, but the size of the print changes what matters most.

Pajamas, pajama pants and socks

On custom pet face pajamas and custom pet socks, your pet’s face is cut out and repeated in a small size. Sharp eyes and a clean outline matter more than a huge file.

A pet that blends into the background, like a black dog on a dark couch, is harder to cut out cleanly, so choose a photo with some contrast behind them.

Photo blankets

A custom pet blanket can print one photo as large as 60″ x 80″, so grain and blur grow with it. Send the full-size original, and match its shape to the blanket: an upright photo suits a portrait blanket, and a wide shot suits a landscape one.

How do you send photos of more than one pet?

Choose the number of pets (up to 5) on the product page, and an upload box appears for each one. Upload one photo per pet, each one sharp and well lit. Photos taken in similar light look best together on the same design, so if you can, photograph your pets on the same day in the same spot.

Can you use an old photo or a photo of a pet who has passed?

Yes. Pick the sharpest photo where your pet’s eyes are clear, even if it isn’t the newest one. For a paper print, scan it, or photograph it from straight above next to a window so the glossy surface doesn’t catch a lamp’s glare.

Photos saved from social media or messages are usually compressed, so check a cloud backup or an old phone for the original. A design with small repeated faces is often kinder to an older photo than a large blanket print. Our pet memorial gifts include a blanket with room for your pet’s name and years.

Will the printed colors match your screen?

Very close, but not exactly. Your phone or laptop makes color out of light (RGB), while your pajamas, blanket or socks are printed with ink (CMYK). Ink can’t reach every shade a screen can glow, so the brightest colors, like neon green, electric blue, hot pink and vivid purple, print a little softer and deeper than they look online.

Screens also differ from one another. The same photo can look warmer on one phone and cooler on another, depending on its brightness, night mode and color settings. That’s why a small shift in shade between your screen and the fabric is normal for a printed item and isn’t a misprint.

• Pick a photo with natural colors. Heavy filters and boosted saturation are the first colors to shift on fabric.
• Expect rich, not glowing. Fur tones, backgrounds and pastel shades print closest to what you see; neon shades move the most.
• Clearly wrong colors are covered. If the colors on your item are clearly off compared with the photo you uploaded, email us photos within 14 days of delivery and we reprint it or refund you. See our returns and remake policy.

What happens after you upload your photo?

Our team crops your photo and places your pet on the design you chose. If the photo is too blurry, dark or low-resolution to print well, we email you before production and your order waits for your reply.

You can send a different photo, or ask us to go ahead with the one you uploaded. A photo printed at your request after we flagged it isn’t covered as a misprint; our returns and remake policy has the details. For the full order process, see how it works.

Getting the photo for a gift: what does each person need?

A photo for a pajama gift has one extra hurdle: you often need it without asking. These are the snags we hear about, person by person.

• Dog moms and cat moms: her camera roll is huge, and guessing her favorite is the hard part. Ask about the photo on her lock screen; it’s often the one she’d choose anyway.
• Dog dads and cat dads: if his photos are mostly action shots from across the park, they’re too far away for a face design. A close-up at eye level, taken on the couch, works better.
• Cat lovers: the cat won’t sit still, and the second you aim a lens it turns to the wall. Shoot a burst by a window while it’s drowsy, then keep the frame with both eyes open.
• Friends buying for a pet lover: a screenshot from their social feed looks fine on a phone but prints soft. Get the original file instead, from whoever lives with the pet.
• Families ordering matching pieces: photos of the same pet taken on different days can look mismatched side by side. Use one photo for every piece, so each one shows the same face.
• Couples sharing one dog: you each have a favorite photo and can’t decide. Pick the sharper one, since both pairs of pajamas come from that single file.
• A gift for grandparents: the best grand-dog photo often sits on a relative’s phone, far from you. Ask them to email the original instead of forwarding it through a chat app, which shrinks it.
• Owners of a new puppy or kitten: young pets grow up quickly and rarely hold a pose. Photograph them right after a nap or a meal, when they move less, and take plenty of frames.
• Holiday gift shoppers: a last-minute photo hunt in December adds stress you don’t need. Pick and save the photo weeks ahead, then order early for the holidays.
• Someone remembering a pet who has passed away: the photos left may be old, small or blurry. Choose for expression first, then search cloud backups for the biggest copy of that picture.
• A pack of two dogs, or a dog plus a cat: group shots rarely show every face clearly, so one pet gets left out. Give each pet a solo photo, taken in one spot under the same light.
• Buying for yourself: no occasion needed, and no reason to settle for a blurry favorite either. Take a fresh photo this weekend; you know exactly where your pet naps.

Ordering for the family? Mix any styles and sizes: one for you, one for them. Your cart always shows the final price.

• 2 items: 15% off, added automatically in your cart
• 3 or more items: 20% off, added automatically in your cart
• Free shipping from 2 items
• Just one? Code PETPJ20 takes 20% off at checkout
• Problem with your order? If it arrives damaged, misprinted or wrong, email us photos within 14 days of delivery and we reprint it or refund you

Pet photo guide FAQ

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