[couturegirlellen]

This is my first time using Mpix. I'm making a 5" x 7" flat card. I created a 5" x 7" JPG with a resolution of 96 ppi. When I uploaded it and previewed it, it was so blurry I could hardly recognize it. So, I've tried several different sizes and resolutions. The one I thought would for sure create a crisp clear image in the preview was 12.5" x 17.5" at a resolution of 300 ppi. Still no dice. It isn't as blurry in the preview as my first upload but it still doesn't look like anything I'd be expected to spend money on. I did not see any recommended settings on the website either. When I hover over the image after I drag it to the card, it says "46% Enlargement Ratio: Excellent Quality". Well, I'll believe it when I see it in the preview. How clear can I expect my image to be in the preview, and if the answer is "blurry", then what's the point of the preview? I feel like there's something simple I'm missing. Any ideas?
[Sorry if I seem grumpy, I'm just frustrated.]
Thanks

[KeithH]

couturegirlellen, on 17 November 2011 - 08:50 PM, said:

This is my first time using Mpix. I'm making a 5" x 7" flat card. I created a 5" x 7" JPG with a resolution of 96 ppi. When I uploaded it and previewed it, it was so blurry I could hardly recognize it. So, I've tried several different sizes and resolutions. The one I thought would for sure create a crisp clear image in the preview was 12.5" x 17.5" at a resolution of 300 ppi. Still no dice. It isn't as blurry in the preview as my first upload but it still doesn't look like anything I'd be expected to spend money on. I did not see any recommended settings on the website either. When I hover over the image after I drag it to the card, it says "46% Enlargement Ratio: Excellent Quality". Well, I'll believe it when I see it in the preview. How clear can I expect my image to be in the preview, and if the answer is "blurry", then what's the point of the preview? I feel like there's something simple I'm missing. Any ideas?
[Sorry if I seem grumpy, I'm just frustrated.]
Thanks

It is better to leave your image resolution and image size alone, but it is OK to crop a copy of your original to the aspect ratio you desire, like the 7:5 aspect ratio for a 5x7 or to 5:4 for an 8x10. Mpix has (or did have) a 100 PPI minimum.

Image resolution is the pixel dimensions of the photo. You want as many pixels as possible.

Mpix's printer RIP software will take care of setting the PPI.

The previous Mpix web site had a 'How To Prepare Your Images' support page, but I didn't see it's equivelent on the new web site.