FAQ & Help

If you have trouble using the online designer, please first refer to our step-by-step guide: Click here to open the guide

We recommend watching the following, short video that shows you how to upload a photo to us:

We have also compiled a FAQ for your reference. Please take a few minutes to check if an answer is available as we have already answered the most common questions in the FAQ section. Should you still have a question, please feel free to contact us at support-en@pixiprints.com.

General Questions

I have uploaded more than one picture but I can only see the first one?

The product designer only adds the first picture to the design area. The remaining pictures can be found in the side bar. Simply click on the next picture you would like to be added, the picture will be loaded and should appear in the workspace after a few seconds.

Can I simply send a photo to you without using the designer?

Unfortunately, we can’t accept any submissions that have not been placed via the product designer for legal reasons. But do not worry, the product designer has been designed in a way that it can be easily used even by people who have little photo editing knowledge, so please give it a try. You can also contact our support department if you get stuck using the product designer at support-en@pixiprints.com.

Do I have to purchase a photo product beforehand?

Generally speaking yes – you can purchase a vast variety of photo products from our online store www.pixiprints.com. It is also allowed to use the product designer prior to placing a purchase in case you would like to simply try out a few photos to make sure the design looks good, but please refrain from submitting any designs prior to placing an order.

What is the idea behind the product designer?

The product designer allows you to design your product on your own, which eliminates the need of sending in a photo and instructions on how to position it (same goes with text). The product designer also allows you to see a print preview and approve the design for print, which saves a lot of time.

I am stuck using the product designer, how can I get help?

We kindly ask to first check the FAQ (which you are already doing right now) and to read our step-by-step-guide. If you can’t find an answer to your question, please feel free to contact us at support-en@pixiprints.com and we will get back to you within 24h or less (working days) to help you solve the issue.


Using the Product Designer

Can I download / print a copy of the design?

The designer features a download-button, allowing you to either download or print the design. Please note that the final confirmation by e-mail won’t include a copy of the design.

How can I add symbols to my design?

You can add symbols in two ways:

  • Font-Symbols: Many fonts offer symbols as part of the font library. If you take Arial as an example, there are many lists on the Internet that give you an overview of symbols as part of the Arial font family. You can simply copy-paste them in the text box and then add them – just make sure Arial is selected as the font.
  • Upload Symbol: You can also upload symbols as pictures. We support JPEG and PNG, so if you use PNGs with a transparent background, you can even position them on top of pictures (e.g. a heart). Google and other search engines will give you access to lots of symbols but please make sure that you use websites that specifically allow using those symbols for print projects.
Do you recommend a certain order in which I add a text or image?

Please always keep in mind that every item you add is positioned on top of the item that has been added beforehand, so it is normally a good idea to first add photos and then text. You can also change the order by using the up/down-arrows in the toolbox.

How can I add and format a text layer?

You can easily add and then format text by clicking on the large A-symbol (beside the photo-symbol). This switches the input area to a text box. Type in the text you would like to be added and click on the ‘Add text’-button. The text will appear in the middle of the design area. You can now drag-and-drop it to the required position and also rotate and resize the text with the symbols around the text box. The toolbox also allows you to select a different font, change the font size, the colour and even add a curve to the text.

Can I change the background colour?

Most products allow the change of the background colour by simply clicking on the white area. The toolbox will automatically switch to a colour selection bar, giving you a choice of different colours for the background area.

I only want part of the picture to be printed.

You can easily resize the picture (click on it and drag it by the arrow-symbol) to enlarge it beyond the print area. Only the visible print area – the white canvas that is surrounded by a black border – will be printed, so everything outside this area will not be printed.

How can I resize, rotate and move a photo?

After adding a picture to the photo canvas, please click on it. You will notice symbols around the edges of the picture. Those symbols allow you to edit the photo:

  • Rotate: Use the rotate-symbol or the slider in the toolbox to rotate the image.
  • Resize: Use the arrow-symbol or the slider in the toolbox to resize the image. Simply click on it and keep the left mouse button pressed, now move the mouse. You can do the same with your finger when using e.g. a tablet.
  • Move: The position of the picture can be changed by clicking on it, keeping the left mouse button pressed and then moving the picture. You DO NOT need to use any of the symbols, simply click on the picture.
What do I have to keep in mind when designing a product to be printed on a coloured fabric?

When designing a product that is already coloured, e.g. high-visibility vests, we recommend using only black font or black and white photos as any colour printed on a coloured surface will suffer from a certain amount of colour shifting. Please also keep in mind that any white area will turn out to be the colour of the base material, so if the fabric is yellow, white becomes yellow.

How can I upload a photo?

Please simply click on the large, green button in the product designer, this will open a selection window so you can select and then upload one or multiple photos. The first photo will be automatically added to the design canvas.


Selecting the right product

I cannot find the product I need to customise.

Please first refer to the e-mail we sent you after the purchase, the message includes a direct link to the required product designer page. If you have not received the e-mail or if the link is not working, please contact us at support-en@pixiprints.com and we will send you the link within 24h or less.

How can I select the colour of the product?

In case you have purchased a product that is available in multiple colours, we will ask you during the submission process to select the colour of choice. Please keep in mind that this colour will be the one we will use for production, no matter if you selected a different colour when purchasing the product (with the exception of sold-out items, so you wan’t be able to select black in the designer when black was not available during the purchase).

How to I select the product that needs to be customised?

After you purchase a customised product from us, we will send you an automated e-mail containing a deep link to the right product designer page, so you won’t have to select the product manually. If for whatever reasons you have not received this e-mail, you can also click on ‘Step 1’ and start the design process by manually selecting the right product from our catalogue – but please make sure to select the right one as otherwise we won’t be able to process the design submission. We therefore recommend to contact our customer support department and request the link to be re-sent in case you have not received the e-mail – simply send an e-amail to support-en@pixiprints.com and we will get back to you within 24h or less.


Intellectual Property Rights

Do I need to keep any Intellectual Property Rights in mind?

Pictures are no different than movies or music, they are protected by IPRs (Intellectual Property Rights). That means that you can’t simply download a photo from Google and add it to your picture, unless the website specifically states that you are allowed to use the picture – there are some free picture sites available, though due to the changing nature of those websites, we won’t be able to provide you with any links, please refere to a search engine for finding those.

If you would like us to print a photo taken by yourself, that’s normally fine (though certain countries also limit the rights to print famous buildings or people with no written consent). If you download a photo from the web, that’s normally an issue, so please make sure that you are allowed to use any photos uploaded to us. By confirming our T&Cs during the last step of the submission, you are confirming that you hold the rights to printing the photo(s) uploaded.

Can I simply download a picture from Google & Co.?

Generally speaking, that is not a good idea. While there are picture websites available which allow the free use of the photos provided, most content on the Internet and most content in the picture search, of Google, Bing etc. is protected and cannot simply be used. The same obviously goes for logos, symbols or any other official signs (e.g. sports teams), those are normally protected by Intellectual Property Rights.

Can I use a photo from a stock photo site?

That really depends on if you have purchased the picture from the stock photo site and what type of license you have purchased. Some sites differentiate between online and print usage, others between individual prints and mass production, so please make sure you hold the appropriate license.

Can I print a famous brand logo if it is part of a photo?

If the photo has the symbol / logo as the central element, we won’t be allowed to print your design – so e.g. if you make a photo of a sports team logo. On the other hand, if you print a general photo that has logos in them, e.g. a photo of the times square, that’s absolutely fine as the intention is to show the location and not one particular brand.

Do you check if I hold the rights to a picture?

Once you have confirmed that you hold the rights on the picture(s) submitted, we don’t require any written confirmation. But we do have the obligation in certain cases, e.g. when certain brands are shown, to get back to you in order to determine if you are allowed to have the photo(s) printed. So we kindly ask to not simply ignore the Intellectual Property Rights of others.

Why do I have to approve the preview?

We are legally obliged to get your approval before we print an item – for multiple reasons. Accepting our T&Cs and approving the print (a) ensures that you confirm that you hold the required rights to the photos and (b) you approve the design as ‘ready to print’, hence we are allowed to produce the item without getting back to you for another approval. Using the product designer and its preview allows for faster processing.


Submitting your photo

I have placed multiple orders, which order number do I provide?

If you have placed multiple orders, please provide the order number associated with the product you have just designed.

I get an error message in the last step that you need my order number – why?

The product designer is only aimed at customers who already bought a product from us. If that’s not the case, please go to our web store PixiPrints.com and purchase an item before completing the design submission, you won’t be able to place an order directly in the product designer.

If you have already purchased an item from us, please refer to the e-mail we sent you after the purchase. All our mails contain your order number and the one we sent you with the link to the online designer states the order number as well, so please fill in the form using the order number provided by us.

Should you have not received an email with an order number, please contact our customer support department at support-en@pixiprints.com and we will get back to you within 24h or less.

Will the printed item look different from my design submission?

We always aim to ensure that your design is printed very similar to your submission, though some elements must be taken into consideration:

  • Trimming: Especially in case a photo covers the whole print area, we will need to cut along the edges during the print process. We therefore in the designer to ensure that important objects are not placed on the outside edge of the design.
  • Colour and Brightness: While we use a fully colour calibrated print process, that doesn’t necessarily mean that colours will look the same on the print product and on your screen. In fact, most screens show wrong colours and/or brightness to make the screen look more colourful and bright, which seems to be good for selling them but are also misleading when selecting pictures to be printed. That also means that in most cases, pictures are actually less saturated and bright as they appear on most consumer screens. So we do recommend to select a bright and vibrant picture.
Will I receive a confirmation?

Yes, we will send you a confirmation including a submission id for your reference (in case you need to contact customer support). Please note that the designer has a download option, so please use the download button in the designer if you would like to keep a copy of the submitted design.

nce I have designed my product, how do I submit it to you?

When you have finished designing your product, please scroll down. You will find a number of questions you will have to answer. Once all questions has been answered, please use the orange Submit-button to start the submission-process. You will be taken to a preview, please check the preview picture to make sure the design looks as intended. Now proceed to the next step, provide your details and please also make sure that you approve your design by checking the box – we recommend reading our T&Cs prior to make sure you adhere to all rules. After clicking on the orange button once again, your design will be submitted to us for further processing.

Can I order additional items via the product designer?

Unfortunately you cannot add any items to your purchase by using the product designer – if you would like to increase the number of items purchased, please go to our online store PixiPrints.com and place another purchase.

I would like to have the same design on multiple products.

Normally, that shouldn’t be a problem, but it really depends on your order:

  • Same item: If you purchased the same item multiple times, simply use the number-box beside the orange Submit-button to let us know how many of the purchased items are supposed to feature the same design.
  • Different items: If you have purchased different items, we won’t be able to automatically apply the same design to multiple items. In this case, you will need to submit a design for each item you have purchased.

Please also note that you cannot add any items to your purchase by using the product designer – if you would like to increase the number of items purchased, please go to our online store PixiPrints.com and place another purchase.