x

Add an image from Facebook

x

Add an image from Google images

x

Xpress Clocks Image Guidelines

Creating great products on Xpress Clocks is easy, and it all starts with your images and art. In short, the better your artwork looks, the better your Xpress Clocks will look! Use the information on this page to help you create designs that will look great on Xpress Clocks products.

Supported Image Types

Xpress Clocks supports images in JPEG/JPG, GIF, PNG, and BMP formats. Any of these formats can create a great-looking clock if...

• a.  It’s a good quality image (not blurry, grainy, etc.)
• b.  The image resolution meets or exceeds our recommendations
• c.  The image itself is appropriate for the file type

We support full transparency for PNG, PDF and AI files so that you can create a design with multiple overlapping images. At the end of this process, any part of your completed Xpress Clock left blank without color will be white by default. All Xpress Clocks are custom printed on white medium.

When To Use Each File Type

There is no universal image format that is best for all scenarios. Select your format based on the size and content of the image you want to use

JPEG/JPG

JPEG is the most common format for web-based photographs. This file format is optimized for photographs and similar images that contain shading or gradients. A single jpeg image can contain up to 16 million different colors! JPEGs degrade each time they’re edited and re-saved as JPEGs, so take care no not over-process. JPEG is not well-suited for line art or images with large area of uniform colors and sharp edges.

Note: Not all jpegs were created equal! JPEG images exist at varying levels of compression. Low to moderate compression will be practically invisible to the naked eye, but at higher levels of compression, images can appear dull or hazy.

GIF

GIF is appropriate for simple graphics with few colors, like logos or line drawings. GIF images can contain up to 256 colors, so if your image contains more than 256 colors (like any photograph), do NOT use GIF. GIF is the worst choice for photographs, as it automatically flattens up to 99.99% of the colors.

PNG

The PNG format is appropriate for an image with large areas of perfectly-uniform color that contains more than 256 colors. PNG also supports partial transparency, which can be used for fades and the antialiasing of text. PNG is an improvement on GIF, but was still not designed for print graphics.

Image size and resolution

For optimal print quality, we recommend using images that provide at least 200 ppi (pixels per inch). A smaller image runs the risk of producing a clock that looks blurry or pixelated. Higher resolutions will have even better results.

The general resolution requirements (in pixels per inch) are:

Clock Size	Recommended Pixel Size	Minimum Pixel Size
12"	2400x2400 or higher	2000x2000
16"	3200x3200 or higher	2700x2700
24"	4800x4800 or higher	4200x4200

Note: If an image is already unfocused, blurry, or grainy, a high pixel count will not fix it. When printed on your clock, your image will probably be much bigger than you’re used to seeing it. Just as a high-quality images looks even better when enlarged, an inferior image will look even worse.

Color Profiles

RGB or sRGB images produce the most vibrant prints. We also support CMYK based images. Bit depth can be either 8 or 16.