Our prints are printed on actual silver based RC photo paper using actual photo chemistry. They are not ink on paper. The resolution is better and you have a trained professional correcting your image to get the best print possible.

We print our color film, black and white film, slides, and our digital images (12×18 or smaller) on Fuji Crystal Archive paper unless you request otherwise. Fuji Crystal Archive paper prints are Digital C-Prints. Anything printed on paper larger than 12×18 is Inkjet printed; you can select the standard digital Lustre paper with the same surface type and tonal range as the Fuji Crystal Archive paper or select from any one of our Fine Art Paper options.

A completed canvas print should be ’stretched’ on wood bars. The standard depth is one inch. We also have 1/2’ and 1 1/2’ sizes as well. This creates the museum effect seen in galleries. You may choose to have your image visible (wrapped) on the sides or to have a white, black, or color border on the sides. If you have a family portrait that goes to the edge, you probably do not want to wrap the image. You can also have the sides be a mirror of your image edge if you do not want to lose part of the image to the sides but like the wrapped effect. We would be happy to examine your file, and make a suggestion.

We ship Monday – Thursday to addresses in the US via US Postal Service or FedEx. Sales tax is charged on all orders that are picked up or shipped to addresses in California. To check the status of any order please contact us.

Turnaround for Print Orders

We expect you’re excited to have the final result in hand and work to turnaround your orders as quickly as possible

Generally you can expect the following:

• Standard digital prints: 2-3 days
• Fine art prints: 5-7 days
• Canvas and metal printing: 7-8 days

Note: Turnaround times are approximate, you will receive a text message upon completion. For urgent needs or rush orders contact us by email or by phone at 415 626 6800.

Turnaround for Film Services

Film processing services are approximately 3 days once received. Larger orders and high resolution scans may take longer. Photoworks will email you a confirmation when your film arrives at our lab. Your files will be sent via a Pic-Time gallery with a download link. You can select from several return shipping options, including FedEx with tracking.

If you need some Photoshop work done please bring your files into the store or send them to us online and we will contact you with an estimate.

Yes. We are happy to receive your projects by mail. For your convenience here is the mail order form and a postage paid mailing label to submit for developing and processing.

We charge sales tax on all orders shipping within California. If you are a resident of California and have a Resale Permit, you may put that information on file with us, and we will not charge sales tax on your orders. To put your Resale Permit on file with us, please fill out the Resale Certificate form, sign it, and then email it to info@photoworkssf.com Please use the email associated with your PhotoworksSF.com account.

After the permit information is on file, you will be able to place ’tax exempt’ orders. Please allow 3-5 business days to process. If urgent, contact us.

We accept JPG, TIFF (flattened), PSD, and PNG. Most cameras shoot in 2:3 aspect ratio (e.g., 4×6, 8×10). Non-standard sizes may be cropped.

When using our online ordering system we recommend converting your images to JPGs for speedier upload. When submitting PSDs please flatten them first especially when submitting images with text layers. Photoworks may not have the same fonts and the software will automatically find a substitute font to use in the unflattened image.

Note: Online we can accommodate a max file size of 100MB. If you need to submit larger than 100MB, or if you are having trouble uploading images, please send your order to info@photoworkssf.com.You can send via Dropbox, Google Drive or WeTransfer links. Specify your instructions in your email, and Photoworks Customer Service will reach out to confirm your order.

You can upload them to Photoworkssf.com and pick them up in the store or have them mailed to you. Using the website to place your order will be the fastest and easiest way to place your order remotely; if you can’t use the website you may email us your order but we would appreciate either a Dropbox, Google Drive, or WeTransfer link with clear instructions on how you want your files printed. If you email us you will need to call in payment before your order can be put into production–we respond to emails as quickly as we can but if we are busy it could take up to one business day. Contact us if you have questions regarding the website or your options. Feel free to bring USB Drive down to our retail store to place your order in person.

Our photo uploader can be used with all the major web browsers. (Note: Javascript and cookies must be enabled.)

The best browser to use when placing your order is Google Chrome, if you have a high-speed internet connection it should be a quick and smooth process with Chrome. Larger files will always take longer to upload, we don’t accept raw files and it’s best to flatten/merge all Photoshop or Lightroom files and export as either a TIFF or JPG. Please do not submit excessively large files, ideal files will be 300dpi at desired print size saved as a TIFF or JPG.

We recommend the following:
Photoworks ICC Profile – Use this ICC profile for accurate color when ordering reprints from digital files. The profile will appear as ’sRGB IEC61966-2.1’ in the image editing software.
AdobeRGB 98 ICC Profile – Use this ICC profile for Fine Art/Canvas printing only.

Our color machines print up to 400 dpi. When preparing your files, 300-400 dpi is the optimal resolution your files can be at the size printed. Our state of the art equipment can interpolate or ’up-res’ your files so we can generally make quality prints from files as low as 150 dpi. More resolution is not necessarily better. If your image resolution is higher than the resolution that we print then your file will be compressed when printing. Files for fine art printing should be at 300 dpi for optimal results although 240 dpi, 150 dpi and anything within this range is also acceptable. If you’re unsure about your file size, email the file to info@photoworkssf.com and we can help determine the possibilities.

You should use RGB, see ’What if I want to do my own corrections’ for more information.

You can download our ICC profile to use in Photoshop or in most cases you can simply choose from a list of available profiles in Photoshop as it is a common color profile. The profile that we use is sRGB IEC61966-2. For Giclee prints use the AdobeRGB 98 color profile.

They should be 8 bit.

We could do a long winded section here, but honestly your best bet is to do some research on your own. There are some tools for purchase such as Pantone hueyPro, Datacolor Spyder3 Elite, and X Rite, ColorMunki. With monitor technology changing all the time the basic calibration tools leave much to be desired. The sole advantage is that some are free. The primary problem is that your basic eyeball calibration is highly influenced by ambient lighting, how much sleep you’ve had, and how much coffee is coursing through your veins. Obtaining a consistent viewing environment is difficult under these conditions. When it’s all said and done we suggest running a test print with us, asking for “no corrections.” Then go back and adjust your monitor to match our print.

If you want to make your own corrections use our color profile and specify ’no color corrections’ when placing your order. The color profile we use for digital prints is sRGB IEC61966-2.1. It is a common profile that can be selected in most versions of Photoshop or download it here. For all other prints use the AdobeRGB 98 color profile. This way you will be viewing the images in the same color space we are using (keeping in mind that computer screens are calibrated differently). When you place your order let us know that you do not want any corrections made to your images.

Yes, we have a lab technician who looks at each image and makes color, density and contrast corrections.

If you are new to black and white digital you can leave your images in color and simply request ‘black and white’ from the drop down menu when ordering. Our techs gray scale your images in Photoshop. If you have created B&W in camera that’s fine, though it is better to start in RAW and then convert in Photoshop. A simple method is to change your color files to Grayscale in Photoshop (Image > Mode > Grayscale). A better method in Photoshop is to convert the color image to Lab Color mode (Image > Mode > Lab Color) then discard all but the lightness channel by highlighting that channel in the channels palette, then change the mode to Grayscale (Image > Mode > Grayscale). When you get the window asking to discard color, click OK. Our archival paper allows for maximum tonal range.

We offer several border options; you can see which options are available by clicking the “View available border styles” button in our Pricing and Options list for the print format you’re ordering.

Multiply Height x Width x Resolution then Divide by 1200 = megabytes (For example 11 x 14 x 300 dpi divided by 1200 = 38.5 megs)

NOTE: We have state of the art digital printers which can interpolate (or ‘res up’) an image. We can make great prints at 150 DPI. Also note that compressed and/or manipulated JPEG files may be large enough to print but can result in poor prints because of compression.

Cropping occurs when the aspect ratio (or shape) of your file does not match up with the print size you requested. For example, if your image is from an SLR digital camera then the image is a 1:1.5 ratio which is a rectangular shape.

If you want to print an 8×10 from this file an 8×10 is a more square shape so your file would have to be cropped to print a borderless 8×10. Now if you print an 8×12 then your image would not be cropped because an 8×12 is also a 1:1.5 ratio.

You can check your file size in Photoshop by going to Image and then to Image size. You can key in the print size that you want and see if the size of your file matches up. You can also see what the resolution of your image at that size is while you’re at it.

A point and shoot digital camera generates an image that can be printed at 4×5, 8×10 borderless with minimal cropping. An SLR digital camera creates an image that is the same ratio as 35mm film, 2:3, and can be printed at 4×6, 8×12 and 12×18 without cropping.

If you do not want a crop:

1. Match your image shape to the corresponding paper shape to avoid cropping.
2. If the paper and image size do not match up you can print your images ’full file.’ This will most likely result in a border that is thicker on two sides and thinner on the other two.
3. You can also resize or crop your digital files ahead of time in Photoshop to match your paper size.
4. – OR – Request borderless or an even border all the way around even though you know the aspect ratios do not match up and expect and accept any cropping that will occur.