Frequently Asked Questions, Techniques, and Tips
General
Turnaround and Shipment Options
File Types
Uploading Files
Color
Additional Features
General
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I need help, how do I get it?
- Send us an email.
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When I try to login or create a new account, I get a message saying 'The page cannot be displayed.' How can I login?
- Pictopia is very concerned with ensuring your privacy and the protection of your personal data. Our website's secure transactions, which include logging in or creating an account, support 40-bit and 128-bit encryption.
- Some versions of Internet Explorer use 56-bit security, which we do not support, and which can be upgraded to 128-bit security.
- For Internet Explorer Users: To find out what encryption level your broweser supports, in Internet Explorer, select 'Help', then 'About Internet Explorer.' The information displayed will include "Cipher Strength", either 40-bit, 56-bit, or 128-bit. If it's not 128-bit, you will need to upgrade your browser to login to Pictopia. Either download Microsoft's Internet Explorer High Encryption Pack or Internet Explorer 7.0.
- For Netscape Navigator Users: All versions of Navigator that Pictopia supports (4.79 or higher) have always supported 128-bit encryption.
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How do I set up a corporate account or get resale status?
- It is very easy to set up a corporate account or get resale status at Pictopia. You can download an application in PDF or MS Word format from our web site in the New Accounts section. Please print the form, fill it out, and fax it to us. We will process your request promptly. If you have any difficulty in downloading the application, please contact us.
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How do Pictopia's prints compare to large format inkjet prints?
- Pictopia's prints are actual photographs exposed in the LightJet laser film recorder as continuous tone, 36 bits per pixel images. Since we print on photographic paper exposed by light, rather than ink sprayed on paper (Inkjet printer), our prints will look sharper and more realistic. Our LightJet printer prints at 300 ppi continuous tone, which is roughly equal to an inkjet resolution of 4000 dpi. In addition, Pictopia's prints are more archival and durable (less likely to crease or wrinkle) than most inkjet prints.
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What if I don't remember my password?
- In the login screen, put in your user name then click on forgot my password. Our system will e-mail you your password immediately.
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Can I change my password?
- Yes, you can change your password at any time. Just login to the site, go to "My Account", then click on "edit your account information There you can change your user name, password, address, credit card information, etc.
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What is the form you fill out after you upload all about?
- All of the information in that form is optional. It is there to help you with organizing your images. This information can be used to help you later search on those fields. You can leave the fields blank or revise their contents at any time.
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Turnaround and Shipment Options
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How fast can I get my prints?
- Turnaround time is two working days, plus shipping. Currently our working hours are 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM Monday through Friday, Pacific Time. Expedited service is available for an additional charge. Please contact us for more information.
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What are my shipment options?
- Pictopia currently offers Federal Express (FedEx) Priority Overnight, Standard Overnight, Second Day, Express Saver, and FedEx Ground service, a true value.
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What happens when I choose multiple shipments?
- When you choose multiple shipments, your order will be duplicated to all shipping destinations you designate. So if you are shipping the same order to three different addresses, you only need to order your prints once and specify the three shipping destinations.
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File Types
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What kind of files can I upload?
- To see a complete list of acceptable files, see Tech Guide: File Type.
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How should I save my file in Adobe® PhotoShop® ?
- The image needs to be in RGB mode (not CMYK). The file can be saved as TIFF or JPEG. Make sure that your image doesn't contain any additional layers, channels or paths (make sure it is "flattened") and is saved in standard 8-bit/Channel mode. It is now ready to be uploaded to Pictopia.
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Can Pictopia take files from Quark® Express®, Adobe® Illustrator® and other layout and drawing programs?
- Yes. The files need to be saved to EPS or PDF with the fonts embedded, or even with all fonts converted to outlines. All of the elements should be in the RGB color space. See Tech Guide: Saving from Quark, Illustrator....
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How do I save to an EPS file?
- Depending on the software you are using, you may be able to save to an EPS file. In most programs, you would do this in one of two ways. 1) Use the "save as" option. Then choose "EPS" for the format to be saved, or 2) see if your program has an "export" option. Not all programs allow you to save an "EPS", so check your software's documentation. Once you have saved an EPS file, we highly recommend that you import the file into either Illustrator or Freehand. Then convert all fonts into outlines. The reason for this is that Pictopia may not have all the fonts contained in your document, so you may experience font substitutions.
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Upload
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Why won't my image upload?
- With slower internet connections, larger files often have trouble completing the upload process (timeout with white screen) when using the browser-based (http) upload option. Try FTP uploading instead. The upload screen in your account has useful detailed information about how to upload with FTP and some suggestions for ftp client software.
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How long will it take to upload an image?
- The time it takes to upload an image depends on many factors. Some of the factors are - the speed of your computer, the size of your file, and the speed of your Internet connection. A nice way to get feedback on how long it will take to upload an image would be to use the FTP client option. Most FTP programs display their estimation of how long the upload will actually take. This option also allows you to upload multiple images at the same time. For more details, check out the FTP option in your Upload Images page.
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When is it better to use FTP upload versus the standard upload?
- The best time to use the FTP option is when you want to upload multiple images at once, or when you are uploading a large file and you wish to have feedback on the progress of the upload. Pictopia provides links for downloading freeware or shareware Mac and Windows FTP clients. Instructions on how to use FTP clients can be found in FTP Upload Instructions" (please login first).
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Why didn't the image I uploaded appear in my ftp upload collection?
- With your ftp client, look at the contents of your ftp directory on pictopia. If the processing of an image succeeded, you will see, if the image was named my.tif, a file called my.tif_proccessing_succeeded.txt, and my.tif will no longer be in the directory.
- If the processing failed, you will see my.tif_processing_failed.txt, and my.tif will still be there.
- The first thing to check is that the byte count of my.tif is the same as it is for the local copy you uploaded. If it's not, the upload was interrupted and you should re-upload it.
- Otherwise, the image was in a format we don't support, or there was an error in it. We don't support files with extra layers, alpha-channels, or that are in CMYK, or 16 bit format -- these are the commonest causes of image processing failure. If you are trying to upload a PhotoShop file, check to make sure it is saved in RGB, and that it is in 24 bit color or 8 bit gray, and that there are no extra layers (make sure the image is "flattened"), channels, or paths. For tiffs, we support LZW and ZIP compression, but not JPEG compression.
- See our complete list of recognized file formats in Tech Guide: File Types
- If it's been more than two hours after your upload has completed and there is still neither a processing_succeeded or proccessing_failed file for it, please contact us.
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Color
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The print I'm getting from Pictopia doesn't look like what I see on my computer screen. What should I do?
- Color mismatches between computer monitor and printed output are caused by a variety of factors, such the state of your display, the state of the printer, settings in your graphics software, ambient lighting conditions, etc. Pictopia provides guidance to getting a good match in Tech Guide: Color Matching.
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Does Pictopia print Black and White?
- Yes! Pictopia makes wonderful black and white prints utilizing the same workflow, materials, and chemistry as our color prints. Unlike previous models of LightJet, our LightJet model 7000/430 prints completely neutral black tones. Image files for black and white can be submitted in either 24 bit or 8 bit TIFF, JPEG or other supported file formats. For black and white images you should not apply a color profile.
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Does Pictopia work with ICC Profiles?
- Some users who are very sophisticated with respect to color prefer to use an ICC-based color managed workflow. For these users, Pictopia provides an RGB output profile for our photo printer. This profile is periodically updated and can be downloaded from a logged-in session.
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Can I send Pictopia a file with an embedded profile?
- Yes, you can, but Pictopia will not act upon embedded profiles. If what you want to do is to optimize a file for printing with Pictopia then you should apply the conversion in Photoshop with our output profiles. Instructions for doing this are provided in Tech Guide: Color Matching.
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Additional Features
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Can I crop or add borders to my photos online?
- Yes. Pictopia's online cropping tool allows you to crop and add borders with either standard presets or nearly limitless custom sizes and colors.
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Why does my photo print have two white borders?
- If you get white borders, this means your image did not proportion to the print size you requested. Pictopia will never arbitrarily crop your image to make it fit a print size, but will pad it instead. For example: if you ordered an 8x10 print and your image actually has a 7x10 aspect ratio, Pictopia will print the image to whichever dimension is constrained first (in this case, 10" dimension). Then the height of the image would be 7", to which we add white borders to fit the 8" requested height. Alternately, you can select a Custom print size on the Order Prints screen.
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How do I specify matte and glossy finishes or translucent materials?
- Pictopia's Order Prints screen offers you the choice of glossy or matte.
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