How to take a good photo of your child's drawing for printing

You do not need a scanner or a fancy camera to print your child's drawing well. A phone and a window are enough. What matters most is light, angle and a drawing that is bold enough to read at a small size.

Before you take the photo: the drawing

The clearer the drawing, the better it prints, especially on something as small as a name label.

Thick pens and crayons work best. Felt tips, wax crayons and marker pens give strong, solid lines. Faint pencil can disappear when the picture is shrunk.
Draw it big. Ask your child to fill most of the page with one character or object.
One picture per page. If there are lots of little drawings on one sheet, choose one and crop to it.
Plain white paper. Lined paper, coloured card or the back of a letter can show through in the photo.
Let it dry. Paint and glitter glue can smudge or reflect light while wet.

You do not need to "fix" the drawing. The wobbly lines are the point. Just make sure it can be seen clearly.

Taking the photo: six steps

Use daylight. Put the drawing near a window during the day. Soft daylight gives the truest colours. Avoid direct, bright sun, which makes harsh shadows and bleaches colours.
Turn the flash off. Flash creates a bright glare spot, especially on crayon and felt tip, which can be shiny.
Lay it flat. Put the drawing on a table or the floor. If the paper curls, weigh the corners down with something outside the frame. Avoid putting it under glass, which reflects.
Hold the phone straight above it. Keep the phone parallel to the paper, not at an angle, so the drawing doesn't look stretched. Many phones can show grid lines in the camera settings, which helps.
Watch for your shadow. Stand so the window is to one side of you, not behind you, so you are not casting a shadow over the drawing.
Get close, don't zoom. Move the phone closer so the drawing fills most of the screen, leaving a little white border. Digital zoom makes the picture less sharp. Tap the screen on the drawing to focus.

Take two or three photos and pick the sharpest. Zoom in on your phone to check that the lines are crisp, not blurry.

Common problems and quick fixes

The colours look yellow or blue. This is usually artificial light. Try again near a window in daylight.
The white paper looks grey. The room is too dark. Move closer to the window, or wait for a brighter time of day.
There's a bright patch. That is glare. Turn the flash off and tilt the paper slightly away from the light.
The drawing looks like a trapezium. The phone was at an angle. Hold it straight above the middle of the page.
It's blurry. Hold the phone with both hands, rest your elbows on the table, and tap to focus before you take the picture.

Some phones have a "scan document" mode. It straightens the page well, but it can also make colours look washed out, so compare it with a normal photo before you choose.

What happens when you upload it

When you upload a drawing, you can crop it to just the picture on the next step, so a little background around the edges is fine. You then see a real-size preview with your child's name before anything is printed. If the preview doesn't look right, you can try a different photo.

Questions parents ask

Can I use a phone photo, or do I need a scanner?

A phone photo is fine. Take it in daylight, with the flash off and the phone held straight above the drawing. A scanner can give even lighting, but it is not necessary for a good print.

Can I print a drawing done in pencil?

You can, but light pencil lines may be hard to see at label size. If you can, ask your child to go over the outline with a felt tip or crayon, or choose a drawing made with thicker pens.

Why does my photo of the drawing look yellow?

Indoor lights often give a yellow or orange tint. Photograph the drawing near a window in daylight, with the flash off, for the most accurate colours.

How big should the drawing be?

Any size of paper works, as long as the drawing fills most of the page. A large, bold picture keeps more detail when it is shrunk to fit a name label.

Can I use an old drawing or one from school?

Yes, as long as it is your child's own work. Flatten creased paper under a heavy book for a day before you photograph it, and follow the same steps above.

Got a favourite drawing? Turn it into name labels and see the real-size preview before you order.