Valentines Day Sale

Happy Valentines Day to all.  To Celebrate Love we'd like to offer a gift.  Today only all our Personalized Gifts and Photo Gifts are 50% off.  Just apply the code "LOVE" when you view your cart BEFORE checkout.

What a great time to get a Mother's Day gift or Birthday Gift or even something special for yourself.

Visit us at our website www.CustomFLagsandGifts.com

Thanks for reading.
Josie and Marilee
Custom Flags and Gifts

Picture Pixel Pointers for Photo Gifts

When printing photo gifts, quality relies heavily on the quality of the photo.  Poor quality photos lead to poor quality gifts and unhappy customers.  One important factor is the size of the photo.  I would always read about Pixels, Resolution and DPI and even though I used to be an avid photographer in my younger years, I never really took the time to find out what those terms meant.  So I have done some research and this is what I found.

Digital images are not measured in inches, but in Pixels , which is actually short for Picture Elements.  Pixels are tiny dots, usually square,that are put together like tiny pieces of a puzzle to  make up a photo. The resolution of a photo is its measurements (width x height) in Pixels. DPI means Dots Per Inch, but from what I gather, it doesn't really mean much except in certain special printing circumstances and for the most part can be ignored.  Its the Pixels that really count.

When printing a photo as the image is enlarged the pixels, or dots, get spread thinner throughout the photo, so when they don’t fit tightly together, you start to see their edges and spaces between and the photo looks grainy or blurry.  Ideally you want the resolution of the photo to be 2.5 times the size of the photo times 100, so if you want a good quality 4 x 6 inch print, the photo should measure a minimum of 1000 x 1500 pixels.  Keep in mind, if a photo is cropped and stretched back to its original size, you have lost some pixels and therefore reduced its resolution.

The resolution of a photo cannot be increased after it is taken.  Check your camera settings and set the image size accordingly.  Larger images take up more space and allow you to store fewer pictures on your camera, but if you plan on doing any printing, it will save disappointment later.  Keep in mind there are other factors besides resolution that affect print quality.  Lighting, camera quality, steadiness, proper camera settings, etc are elements that will contribute, good or bad to the quality of a print.

Below I’ve made a chart of some of our photo products and the recommended dimensions your photo should be in pixels.  To determine the number of pixels your photo has, on your computer, right click the image file and a window will pop up, click “Properties”, another window will pop up.  At the top click details and scroll down to the dimensions in pixels.  

Please remember , if you think a photo may have to be cropped to give it its best presentation, the resolution may need to be a little higher than recommended.

PRODUCT	Recommended Resolution in Pixels
5x7 plaque	1250 X 1750
8 x 10 plaque	2000 X 2500
Mousepad	2000 X 2250
Keychain –square or round	500 X 500
Custom Flags- will vary by flag	2500 X  2500 Minimum
Puzzle Coaster	1900 x 1900

Personalized Gifts for Valentine's Day

Valentine's Day is just around the corner.  I must admit, this is a holiday I've taken in varied importance throughout my life.  I can't deny however, that anyone, skeptic or not, would be very touched by a heartfelt personalized gift.  Knowing that that special someone, planned ahead and actually put thought in the gift instead of running to the dollar tree at the last minute, is priceless indeed.  Here are few of the photo gifts, personalized gifts and garden flags at Custom Flags and Gifts that you may consider.

The decorative art tile is my favorite.  These turn out beautifully and display nicely on a shelf or buffet with the included easel.  The photo mousepad is also one dear to my heart.  This would also be an excellent choice for Mother's Day.  As with any occasion, if you are buying for someone who loves decorative flags, choosing any flag from our collection that you think they would like would be a welcomed gift.

Please visit us at  www.CustomFlagsandGifts.com

Thanks for reading.
Marilee & Josie