Families spend hours on the verse and five minutes on the photograph, when it is the photograph everyone actually looks at. A little care here makes more difference than any other decision on the card.
Pick the photo that sounds like them
The formal portrait is not always the right one. A photograph at a wedding, on the farm, on holiday or in the garden shed often catches the person far better, and families are almost always happier with it afterwards.
Look for a natural expression and a face that is big enough in the frame. A group photo can work — we can crop and clean it — but a photograph where the person is thirty metres away on a beach cannot be rescued.
Resolution: what actually matters
Send us the original file straight from the phone or camera, or the largest version you can find. What ruins photographs is the compression that happens when a picture is forwarded through several messaging apps, downloaded from social media, or screenshotted.
If the only copy is a print, photograph it flat in daylight near a window, or bring it into us and we will scan it properly.
- Best: original camera or phone file, sent by email or WhatsApp as a document
- Good: a flat, well-lit photograph of a printed picture
- Poor: a screenshot, or an image saved from Facebook
What we can fix
More than most families expect. Our designers routinely repair creases and tears, remove colour casts from faded 1970s and 1980s prints, brighten dark indoor photographs, remove a distracting background, and take one person cleanly out of a group.
We can also convert to soft black and white or sepia, which suits a traditional card and hides a lot of sins in an older print.
Cropping and frames
Different formats crop differently: bookmarks and thank you cards often use an oval, wallet cards a tight rectangle, folded cards a larger portrait area. Leave a little room around the head when you choose, so there is space for the crop.
Our online designer shows the photograph under the frame live, so you can see exactly how it will sit before you order.
Two photographs on one card
Common for a married couple, or for a card that pairs a recent portrait with a younger photograph. A folded card handles two images comfortably; a wallet card does not.
If you are not sure, send it anyway
Send two or three options and we will tell you which will print best, before any money changes hands. We would far rather have that conversation at the start than reprint later.
Frequently asked questions
- What resolution photograph do I need for a memorial card?
- Send the original camera or phone file rather than a screenshot or a social media download. If you only have a print, photograph it flat in daylight or bring it to us to scan.
- Can you repair an old or damaged photograph?
- Yes. We repair creases and tears, correct faded colour, brighten dark photographs and remove distracting backgrounds as part of the design service.
- Can you take one person out of a group photograph?
- Usually, yes — provided the person's face is reasonably large and in focus in the original.
Need help with a memorial card?
Design and VAT are included, and we will email or WhatsApp a proof before anything is printed.
Talk to our design team