Can I use a photo from Facebook, Instagram, or another social media app?
We always recommend tracking down the original image (if you can) from the device it was taken on. However, if you do use a photo taken from social media, our site will automatically let you know if that version is too small for us to print.
Social media platforms and other sites will often compress photos for web quality. A web quality photo will appear fine on a computer screen or mobile device screen, but is actually compressed and of a lower resolution than needed for most prints. Images that are going to be physically printed require a much larger file size, and higher quality, in order to appear crisp.
Instagram
All photos uploaded through Instagram are limited to a maximum of 1080 pixels in width, which means it can only be printed clearly on our smallest print sizes. If you would like to print in a
Medium Rectangle size and up, a
larger version of the photo must be uploaded (preferably the original photo file from your phone).
Facebook
Photos uploaded to Facebook will be stored at a maximum of 2048 pixels on the largest edge. Images uploaded from this source can usually only be printed at the Small Square or Rectangle, Medium Rectangle, and sometimes Classic size.
If you must use the Facebook version, don't take a screenshot of it—use the ••• menu to download the photo directly to your phone:
While images taken from an email attachment are often a better option than Instagram or Facebook uploads, your photos are still prone to being compressed when sending/receiving them in an email attachment. The size print that you can order, image dimensions, and resolution will vary greatly depending on how your image was sent.
When emailing a photo from your phone, for example, you’ll want to make sure it’s attached and sent at the Original/Actual Size. If someone else took the photo ask them to send it this way:
