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• Format size:
  • 8 x 10”
  • 11 x 14”
  • 24 x 36”
• Paper stock:
  • Photo/Poster Paper is bright white with a fine pearl finish.
  • 170 gsm / 8 mil
• Framing:
  • Gallery Aluminum, Black
  • Round Top Wood, Black
  • Round Top Wood, Oak
• Matting: Cream W/white core

Last updated: 2008-05-06 15:09:57 | Back to top

Artwork pricing begins with a base amount that covers printing, and varies depending on the size of the printed piece. The price that a buyer pays depends on the print sizes and framing and matting choices made during the purchasing process.

• Print: starting at $2.95
• Framed: starting at $29.95
• Framed with mat: starting at $39.95

Last updated: 2008-05-06 15:09:57 | Back to top

Before you upload your image, decide which format you want to use. Lulu accepts four image file formats: JPEG, PNG, GIF, and TIFF. Each format offers different advantages, as described below.

• TIFF, the most widely used file format in desktop publishing, is a raster-based file supporting RGB, CMYK, Grayscale, Lab, and Indexed color. Make sure you don’t save your image with layers. We recommend TIFF for artwork prints.
• PNG files preserve your photo or image more completely than other compression formats, but tends to create substantially larger files than its JPEG counterpart. Although acceptable, PNG does not reproduce as well as a TIFF.
• JPEG, having the tightest compression, takes up the least amount of space for full-color images. It uploads faster than other formats with fewer errors. Again, JPEG is an acceptable format, but does not produce as optimally as TIFF.
• GIF files work best for simple line art, logos, and icons. GIF format only supports 256 colors; do not use it for photographs or artwork where resolution and smooth color gradation is important. Lulu accepts GIF files, but doesn't recommend that you use them.

Last updated: 2008-05-06 15:09:57 | Back to top

The following tips apply to all image file formats. Please see What type of files can I upload for artwork? for more information about file types.

• Flatten all layers when using TIFFs.
• Images should be in RGB if you plan to use them as printable artwork.
• If your images include text, either embed your fonts or (in advanced programs like Adobe^® Illustrator^®) use the “Convert text to curves” function. Save the Illustrator^® file and upload it as a TIFF, PNG, GIF or JPEG.

Last updated: 2008-05-06 15:09:57 | Back to top

We recommend using a 300dpi resolution for printing images, although we will accept images as low as 150dpi for print.

If the resolution of your image is not within that range, Lulu offers it for download only; it will not be available as a print. If the resolution is inadequate for larger sizes, as described below, it will only be available for printing at the smaller sizes.

Two things make up image quality: the physical size in width and height, and the output resolution. Dots, called pixels, form digital images. (The word pixel comes from picture elements.) These are the basic unit used to measure the physical size of a digital image, while output resolution is measured in dots per inch, or dpi.

References for graphics software, digital cameras, scanners and printers tend to use the term "resolution" to refer to both physical size and output resolution. Most people think of resolution as a description of the clarity of an image rather than a numeric measurement.

A digital camera offers different resolutions for capturing pictures, providing the number of pixels wide by pixels tall. Often represented as the total pixels tall times the pixels wide, presented as a total number of pixels. The higher that number is, the sharper the resolution is.

An output device such as a monitor or printer uses "dpi" to describe resolution.

When you create an image file in a graphics software package (like Adobe^® Illustrator^®), you define both height and width measurements in pixels and in dpi. The higher the dpi of the image (up to the limit of the output device), the better the quality of the final print.

Last updated: 2008-05-06 15:09:57 | Back to top

Our system automatically trims an image that is not proportionally sized correctly to fit the size you selected. For example, if you upload an image that is 8.5 x 10”, .25” will be trimmed off of each side to make the image 8 x 10”.

If the image is framed, 1/8” on all sides is covered by the frame.

Images are trimmed to within 1/32 tolerance, so the final print may be up to 1/16” smaller than the selected size.

If you upload a slightly smaller image, it is "up sampled" to the finished size, assuming the proportions are correct.

Last updated: 2008-05-06 15:09:57 | Back to top

As an owner or publisher of an image, you must determine how you want buyers to use it and indicate your preference in your license. Set the license in the same step where you set the price.

Last updated: 2008-05-06 15:09:57 | Back to top