drop the world | frequently asked questions and help center

We don't count how many photos are in your book. The price is simply based on the number of pages your book contains. Layouts can have 4 or even 6 photos per side, so our books allow you to print lots of your favorite photos at a very reasonable cost.

I know my images are poor quality but can't I just print my book anyway?

By selecting the "Import" photo mode under the Book Design tab in your account, most imported and other smaller images will be printable. However, images we know to be below quality standards will not be accepted for your order.

Why do some images in my book preview look a bit pixelated?

All onscreen previews use the low-resolution versions of your photos. This is done so that book previews can be generated and viewed quickly - using the full quality photos for an onscreen preview would result in a huge file size and much slower PDF generation. But don't worry - after your order has been placed, the book will be regenerated with the full quality images.

Resolution Requirements

What is the minimum photo resolution for print?

For the Import photo mode, each photo must be at least 450 pixels on its longest side to be printed in your book. All other photo modes, as well as any photos marked as "Favorite", must pass a higher resolution check. Each of these must be at least 1500 pixels @ 150 dpi on its longest side. In most cases, the original photo from your camera will be more than adequate.

My photos look fine, why is the resolution not acceptable?

The image quality required for print is higher than what is needed on a computer monitor. Your images will probably look fine onscreen but would produce unacceptable results in print.

What do you mean by resolution?

Image quality is derived from two components - image size and resolution. Image size is simply the height and width and is measured in pixels. Resolution is measured in DPI or PPI (Dots Per Inch / Pixels Per Inch - for our purposes, DPI and PPI can be used interchangeably). A big photo with very few pixels per inch could be the same quality as a small photo with a lot of pixels per inch. So to accurately measure quality, both have to be taken into account. You enlarge an image by spreading the pixels over a bigger area, but spread them too thin and your picture will look blocky and pixelated.

I am uploading the original photos from my camera, but they do not pass the resolution tests. Why?

This is normally due to people taking pictures with a low quality setting on their camera. It is possible to fix this in many cases if you have Photoshop or another image editing program with similar capabilities. Open the image in Photoshop and go to Images -> Image Size. Make sure the 'Resample Image' box is NOT checked, then raise the Resolution value. You should set it as high as possible where the image is still at least 11 inches on its longest side. Save the image and upload it, and it should pass the resolution check.

Uploading Photos

How do I upload photos?

Select a blog under the Blogs & Photos tab in your account and view its photos. Photos can be individually replaced in the photo edit screen. If you go into the Upload Center you can upload new photos or replace existing photos up to 20 at a time. This is a convenience as it reduces the repetition of uploading pictures one by one, but remember that uploading lots of photos at once takes some time, so please be patient.

What about panoramic photos?

You can include panoramic photos as you would any other image. However, we do not offer specialized panoramic layouts at this point. They typically look fine but check your preview to be sure you are happy with the results.

Other Photo Questions

Can I control the print size of my photos?

Sort of. While you can't place individual photos in a specific layout, you can set certain options to get what you want. First, you can mark any photo as a "favorite". This tells the book generator that you would like this photo printed big. When the book generator encounters such photos, the software will choose from our "big photo" layouts according to the orientation of the picture. Sometimes this may result in small portions of your photo being cropped or the photo being placed slightly out of order.

Your other option for controlling the print size of your photos is to adjust the "photo mode" under the Book Design tab. This will give the book generator a general indication of how big or small you'd like your photos to be.

What is the "No-Span" option for favorite photos?

Our mix of "favorite photo" layouts includes some designs that place the photo across two pages. It could happen that a key element of the photo (e.g. someone's face) gets caught right in the middle of the spine. To solve this problem, simply select the "No-Span" option to make sure the photo will use a "favorite photo" layout that does not span the spine.

What does "full bleed" mean?

"Full bleed" refers to a layout where the photo is placed all the way to the edge of the page. Printing specifications require that all full bleed photos be placed 1/8" off the page to ensure proper results. Therefore, a very small portion of these photos may be clipped, but it is almost always barely noticeable.

How do I delete photos?

Since you can create several projects that include the same photo, deleting an image can have unintended side effects on other books. The best way to handle this is simply to de-select any photos you don't want printed in a project. We do allow profile pictures to be deleted, however. For special circumstances, please contact support@droptheworld.com.

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