Adding Photos
Q: How do I add a photo to my card?
A: Click the "import photo " button on the "create cover" page. A new window will open. Click the "Browse" button. Find the photo that you want to add. Click the "done" button. (There may be a delay while your picture is being saved to our server.) When your photo is added, it will appear in the card cover window of the "create cover" page.
Important notes: The supported file formats for photos are JPG, GIF, BMP, TIFF or PNG. The file size of your photo cannot exceed 10 megabytes.
Q: Last time I visited mycardmaker, there were several photos in "my photos" on the "create cover" page, but I don't see the photos now. What happened?
A: In order to see the photos that you have added to mycardmaker, you must be signed in. Sign in to the site by clicking on the "sign in" button at the top of page to the right of the mycardmaker logo. After you have signed in, you should see your photos.
Q: The photo that I added does not appear in "my photos" or in the card cover window on the "create cover" page. What happened?
A: We have several suggestions for this bug. The first is to be sure you have the latest version of the Flash plugin installed. Earlier versions of the plugin can cause problems on certain systems. The second suggestions is to avoid using mycardmaker with older versions of the Mac operating system (OS 9 and before). Also, you may find that it's a memory issue and that simply restarting your computer can help. Finally, try adding a different photo from a different source to see if you can add any digital photos. This may help you to track down the problem. If you continue to experience problems, please let us know using the help form form. Then, after you have sent the email, send the image (or images) you were trying to add to us for testing. Send them to myhelp@mycardmaker.com.
Q: What if my photo is larger than the card cover window?
A: Use the photo editing tools under item "D" of the "create cover" page to reduce (zoom) and center (move) your photo within the card cover window. To change the orientation, use the "portrait" and "landscape" buttons under item "B".
Be aware, however, that reducing your photo may reduce its quality and potentially result in a low quality print. The photo may look fine when reduced within mycardmaker, but when printed, it may appear blurry and less detailed.
Q: What if my photo is smaller than the card cover window?
A: If your photo is smaller than the card cover window, and you'd like to reduce the amount of white space around it, you can use the photo editing tools under item "D" in the "create cover" page to enlarge (zoom) and center (move) your photo within the card cover window. If you enlarge the photo beyond the defined borders, mycardmaker will automatically crop the photo equally on all sides to fit it within the photo window. To change the orientation, use the "portrait" and "landscape" buttons under item "B".
Be aware, however, that enlarging your photo may reduce its quality and potentially result in a low quality print. The photo may look fine when enlarged within mycardmaker, but when printed, it may appear blurry and pixilated. A pixilated photo will have rough and jagged, rather than straight and smooth, edges.
Q: How do I scan a picture to add to my card?
A: Because of the large number of possible computer/scanner set-up combinations, we cannot provide specific technical support for how to scan your a picture. Please consult your scanner and computer manuals for help.
Q: I tried to add a photo to my card or to "my photos", but I got an "Image Upload Error". What happened?
A: Only photos that have been saved as JPG, GIF, BMP, TIFF or PNG files can be added to mycardmaker. Also note that the file size of your photo cannot exceed 10 megabytes (10,000 kb).
Q: What things can I do to make my photos print well?
A: Make sure that the resolution of your photo is as high as possible. Your photo should be at least 1024x768 pixels or should be scanned at 150 dpi for best quality printing. If you are using a one megapixel or higher digital camera, your photos should print well if you set your camera to shoot at high resolution. Also, use your digital camera's native image resolution, which is often the camera's maximum resolution. Some cameras provide an "enhanced resolution" option, which produces larger files, but does not necessarily improve quality. If the software you're using to create or save your photo allows you to set the compression quality, select the highest quality you can while keeping the file size to 10 megabytes (10,000kb) or less.
Q: What does image resolution mean?
A: The resolution of a digital photo is the total number of pixels in the image. Its value is defined by the width and height of the image. A photo that is 1280 pixels wide and 900 pixels high (1280x960) contains 1,115,200 pixels, or 1 megapixel.
Q: How are resolution and file size related?
A: Typically, the higher the resolution of a photo, the larger the file size. You can use your photo editing software or your digital camera to "compress" an image, which will reduce the size of the file, but will also negatively affect the photo's quality. Increasing the amount of compression further reduces the file size but also further reduces quality. The resolution of your images should be at least 1024x768 pixels or should be scanned at 150 dpi for best quality printing. Also, keep compression to a minimum to obtain maximum quality for your photos. Lower compression photos will take longer to upload because the file size will be larger, but the quality will be higher and will result in good quality prints. Photos that do not meet our recommended guidelines for resolution, though they may look fine on your computer monitor, when printed, may appear blurry with jagged, rather than straight and smooth, edges..
Q: If I am using a digital camera, can I take my photos at any resolution setting?
A: Although many digital cameras have several image resolutions options, we recommend that you use the highest resolution option, if you plan to print on your home printer or order professional prints. Lower resolution options are OK, if you are going to email your cards. Also, many digital cameras enable you to choose the amount of compression for your photos. These options are often referred to as Normal or Basic, Fine, and Superfine or High Quality. If your camera can take photos at a resolution of 2 megapixels or greater, we recommend selecting the Fine or the Superfine setting. If you are using a digital camera that has less than 2 megapixels resolution, we recommend that you select the setting with the least amount of compression. For information on setting your camera's resolution and compression levels, consult the user manual.
Q: The photos in some of my printed cards came out dark. What can I do to avoid this in the future?
A: Your original photo may have been underexposed. Properly exposed photos require lots of light, especially when using digital cameras. We recommend that you use your flash often, even when taking photos outdoors. For subjects in low light or that are lit from behind, you should always use your flash. Before adding your cards to mycardmaker, view them on your monitor after you've scanned them or transferred them from your digital camera. If the pictures appear dark on your monitor, it's a good bet that they will be dark when printed. You can try to increase the brightness of your photos by using software (i.e., Photoshop) to edit them.
Q: Why does it take so long to add photos?
A: Large files may take a long time to upload or may not upload at all, depending on the speed of your modem/connection. If, for example, you are dialing up over a phone line with a modem at 56.6 kbps, we estimate that it will take 12 minutes for 2 megabyte (2MB) photo to finish loading. Obviously, the faster your modem/connection, the less time it will take for your photos to load.
Q: Can I add more than one photo to my card?
A: No. All of our cards are designed to accept a single photo on the cover only.
Q: On a previous visit to mycardmaker, I added a photo to "my photos" but now I don't see it. What happened?
A: If you added a photo when you were not signed in to mycardmaker, and then signed off or closed your browser, the photo was not saved in "my photos". In order to save photos in mycardmaker, you must be signed in.
