Print files
How to Export a Print-Ready JPEG at 300 DPI
Crop to your listing’s ratio, size pixels to inches × 300, save a high-quality sRGB JPEG, and tag it 300 DPI. That’s what makes a JPEG print-ready.
Direct answer
A print-ready JPEG is a high-quality sRGB JPG, cropped to your print’s exact aspect ratio, sized to width-inches × 300 by height-inches × 300, with 300 DPI written into the file’s metadata. An 8×10, for example, should be 2400×3000 pixels at roughly 90% quality. A 72 DPI web export with just the header changed doesn’t count, and neither does quality 40 to squeeze under an email limit.
“Save for web” does the opposite of print-ready. It strips the DPI tag, crushes quality, and often resizes down to around 1920 pixels wide. A print shop that opens that file sees a screenshot, not artwork.
The checklist below works whether you’re in Photoshop, Lightroom, GIMP, or Reopic Studio. The button names change from app to app. The pixels don’t.
- 1
Crop to the print ratio
Around the subject, not the center of the frame.
- 2
Set image size to inches × 300
Downscale only — never resample up.
- 3
Convert to sRGB if needed
Unless the print shop named a different profile.
- 4
Save as JPG at ~90% quality, 300 PPI
No “save for web” shortcuts.
The four things a print shop actually checks
Pixel width and height. Aspect ratio matching the paper size. JPEG quality high enough that skies don’t band. A density tag of 300 PPI. And color in sRGB unless told otherwise. See 72 vs 300 DPI for what happens when a shop only reads the tag and ignores the pixels.
| Check | Target |
|---|---|
| Pixels | Inches × 300 (after crop) |
| Quality | ~90% / Photoshop 10–12 |
| Profile | sRGB for most Etsy POD |
| DPI / PPI tag | 300 |
| Content | No mockup, no watermark |
Crop before you resize
Exporting a 4000×3000 JPEG when your listing is 8×10 still leaves you with the wrong rectangle. Crop to 4:5 around the subject first, then size down to 2400×3000. A focal-point crop stops a center crop from cutting off part of the art.
Don’t stack JPEG saves
Every low-quality save adds a little more artifacting. Keep a PNG or TIFF master if you edit the file often, and export a JPG once for the shop. If you need to re-edit later, go back to the master file, not yesterday’s JPG.
Export straight from Reopic
Drop in the original, pin the subject, add your custom inches, choose JPG, and hit Export Artwork. The file comes out tagged at 300 DPI automatically. The free plan covers 1 image and 3 ratios a day; Pro is $33 lifetime.
FAQ: export print-ready JPEG 300 DPI
What JPEG quality counts as print-ready?+
Around 90%, or 10–12 in Photoshop. Lower quality shows up more on paper than it does on a phone screen.
Does a 300 DPI JPEG need a special file extension?+
No, it’s still a .jpg file. The density is stored in the metadata along with the pixel count.
Can I send a progressive JPEG to a print shop?+
Some RIPs don’t handle progressive JPEGs well. Baseline JPEG is the safer default.
Is PNG more print-ready than JPEG?+
PNG handles type and flat color better. JPEG is the workhorse for photographs in print-on-demand. Both can carry a 300 DPI tag.
