Questions & Answers

• By Regular Mail - After you fill out the order form online,  you can print a copy of your order form and put your photos (we prefer glossy photos but matte will work also) in an envelopes along with your Order Form and send them to :

Custom Shots
189 Silver Lake Drive
West Creek, NJ  08092-3317

We can scan photos from wallet size to an 8x10 size.

• By Uploading - You can also send us your photo file by Uploading them with our upload link.  You'll find it at the end of the ordering process.  You may also place your order and go back into Your Account to add photos if you want to do that at a later time.
• By e-mail -   You may also send the photo files to us via e-mail.  We will match your files with your e-mail address.
• By Internet Uploading-  You may send your files through www.YouSendIt.com .  They offer file transfers for simply signing up to their service.  You are able to send one file at a time up to 100mb!  They do not bombard you with e-mails or try to push the service on you and if you'd like to buy more services, you are free to do that as well.  I find it simple and easy to use and I use this service myself to send my very large files to the printer for processing.

We ask you to please scan your original glossy, lab developed photo at a 300 to 600 dpi resolution and save it as a jpg at the highest quality possible (low compression) or, as a tif file.  Please do not change the size or sharpen the image.  Did you know that a jpg file is a compression file?  Every time you save your jpg file, it loses a little quality.  That's because it tries to compress it every time you save it!  File compression "throws out" pixels that are redundant leaving behind a blank spot.  The more blank spots there are, the more grainy the photo will be.  Also,  if you send your files through AOL, they will automatically compress the file for e-mail sending making the file too small for a decent photo. 
IF YOU HAVE YOUR PHOTO FILES ON A DISK, A CD, ON A CAMERA MEMORY CARD, ETC...THEY MUST BE COPIED ONTO YOUR COMPUTER HARD DRIVE FIRST.  We can not use the photos on cell phones as they are usually too small for printing.

Check your file size before sending and use the Upload Link for faster uploading.   You can check you file size by Right Clicking on the file name and when the information box pops up, choose Properties. This will tell you the size of the file.  It should be at least 1000kb in size (1 megabyte)  We can not be responsible for small files.  You can also send us your file on a CD.  We return all photos and CD's.

If you files are on a disk or a CD, copy them to your Hard Disk first.  If you upload you files from the CD, the upload will 'time-out', stall and you will receive an error message.  The CD just doesn't run fast enough to keep up with the file upload.
If you have a "Dial-Up" service, then zip your files first and send them one at a time.

Photo Tips

If you are using a photograph, we recommend professionally processed 35mm glossy prints for your cards. Your announcements, invitations, and holiday cards are likely to become cherished mementos. Sharply focused, fairly up-close but not too close, glossy color photographs produce the best opportunity for a beautiful photo cards.  We suggest you send several of your favorite photographs and we will use the one(s) best suited to the design you have chosen. Your original photographs will be returned to you with your order.
Your photos should be clear with good focus, and not blurry. Lighting is very important. If you are indoors, use natural light from windows, overhead lights and lamps, and your camera's flash to insure that you have enough light. Dark photos and harsh shadows on the subject can be lightened but will not maintain the quality of the image. Outdoor photos also look great taken both in natural sunlight and when taken with the fill in flash on your camera. In certain situations, the fill in flash makes the subject stand out and minimizes shadowing on the face caused by the sun.

Here are a few scanning tips:

• Scan good quality glossy photos.  The satin matte finish photos when scanned will pick up all those little texture marks and the printer may print those as dots.  Try not to use dark photos or ones that are too bright.  We can make some adjustments but it's better to start with a nice clear photo.  If the photo is not sharp, we can sharpen a little but we can NOT bring a photo back in focus if it is out of focus to start.  When you scan the photos you need to scan the photos at 300 dpi or better.  Select only the photo so the entire scan bed is not scanned as this will create a larger file but a photo with less quality. 
• Check your scanner resolution setting before you scan.  Most scanners are set to 72dpi which are great for web viewing and sending e-mail photos but not good enough to print a photo card.  For a decent print on a photo card, you'll need to set your scanner resolution to 300dpi.
• DO NOT scan photos that were printed from a home computer printer.  Sending the actual digital file would be a better choice.  Scanning a home printed photo will be very low resolution and the lines that the printer draws will be picked up by the scanner and visible when we print them.
• If we are going to use the photo as a "cut out" on a card, it's best to take the photo with a white background.  It makes it easier for us to get all the edges and make a nice clean cut out.  We will also use a photo that doesn't have a white background and we'll do our best to get all the edges.
• If you want a full bleed larger card where the photo is the entire front of the card, it's best to scan the photo at 600 dpi or higher.  If the file is too large and you have trouble uploading it, then just send it to us on a CD.

Here are a few tips for taking Digital Photos:

• I think the most important thing is to have fresh batteries on hand.  You get everything together, have a great shot and then...the batteries decide to quit.  Happens to everyone one time or another and it's always at the worst times.
• Always set your camera to its highest resolution.  You'll get less photos on the memory card because the files are larger but they will make better prints and cards.  The more pixels we have to work with, the better, especially if we use the photo to "cut out" the subject.
• When you take a photo outdoors, try not to take the photo with the sun directly overhead or behind the subjects.  You'll have shadowing on the faces.  You can use the Flash to help lighten the shadows if there is no other choice.  Check the little LCD screen to see how the photo came out and you can try again moving closer with the flash if the faces are still too dark.  The best time to take outdoor shots is late afternoon or on a cloudy day. 
• If your camera has a "zoom" feature, it's better to get closer to the subject than to use the zoom.  When you zoom in on a subject the camera is actually cropping and throwing away pixels that will result in a lower resolution file.
• Experiment with your "white balance" feature on the camera and if you are not sure how to use it then set it on "automatic" and let the camera do it for you.
• Automatic Focus is a great thing to use if you're not sure how to adjust it yourself.  Most cameras adjust the focus by slightly depressing the shutter button for a second and then depressing it fully to take the picture.
• Your camera has lots of nifty features, try them out to see the results.  The best thing about the digital cameras is that you can try all these features out over and over again without any waste of film or extra cost of developing. 
• What resolution should my digital photos be at?
  If you use a good quality digital camera or scanner at a high resolution and with minimal compression, you will be very happy with the results. The term "Resolution" relates to the number of pixels. In order to produce a satisfactory photographic print, your Digital Photo should have a resolution of at least: 
  1228 x 1842 in its original size for a satisfactory 4" x 5" card,
  1535 x 2149 in its original size for a 5" x 7" card, and
  1842 x 2456 in its original size for a 5" x 8" card.
  These are the MINIMUM requirements. 

• Once we receive your order form and the photos, it usually takes us 1-3 business days (sometimes sooner depending on the time of year) to get the work designed, and an e-mail sample sent to you for you to proof read.
• After you approve the design we send it to the printer.  It usually takes 2-5 business days for the approved designed to be printed and returned to us.
• We then package it and mail it the next business day according to the mailing preference you chose.  Priority Mail is usually 2-3 days and Express Mail, which is more expensive, is usually delivered Next Day, depending on your location.  Only Express Mail is guaranteed for delivery time.  Priority Mail is not.   If time is short we suggest using Express Mail to insure your delivery arrives when promised. 

Expect it to be longer for holiday deliveries (it can be up to three weeks for the entire process) as we get many orders for cards and we do them in order of the postdate.  So order your holiday cards early!

If the error was our fault, (a wrong date, time, misspelled name or word, etc.) we will reprint at no charge to you and we will do them right away.  If however the error was yours or you left something out, we will still be happy to reprint them for you but we will charge you again and discount the order 40%.  You will still need to pay the shipping, insurance and a design fee.  See Return Policy

No, we do have other samples that are not shown on the site.  All of the cards that you see on the web site are custom designed pieces for a particular customer.  We do custom designed cards.   Each card sample was custom designed for special occasion, theme, holiday or event.   We like to put the samples up on the web to give people an idea of what we do here.   Of course no two would ever be the same as you have your own photos and text to add to your card, invitation, announcement, etc.  Consider the site's samples then as templates of what you can do with your photos!  If there is something in particular you are looking for and you don't see it on the web site, just let us know. 

What types and size of photographs should I send?

When you place an order, we will ask you to set up "your account," which includes your name, e-mail address, mailing address, credit card number and expiration date, as well as certain other information. Using your account information, we will send you communications that we believe are relevant to you, including reminders, newsletters and emails two or three times a year.  If you would like to review or revise the information we have in your account, you may access such information by clicking on the "your account" link on any screen.

Security
When you place an order online at CustomShots^®, your personal information and credit card or debit card information are encrypted using SSL encryption technology before being sent over the Internet, We use SSL technology to prevent your information from being stolen or intercepted while being transferred to us. Your credit card information is always stored in encrypted form in a restricted-access database that is away from our Web site database so it isn't connected to the Internet, to keep it safe from hackers.