Frequently Asked Questions

Great question! Here's what to do:

1️⃣ Complete your checkout and payment

2️⃣ You’ll receive an order confirmation email within a few minutes

3️⃣ Open the email and click the Download Your Files link

4️⃣ Your files will download directly to your device. 

If you don’t see the email within 5–10 minutes check your spam or junk folder.

Search your inbox for our store name or subject line “Your Downloads Are Ready.”

Make sure you entered the correct email address at checkout.

Allow a few extra minutes during busy times.

If you still can’t find it, contact us and we’ll resend your download link.

Note: Please allow up to 14 days for any custom orders.

Your images are hosted on Google Drive, accessible via a link in the PDF file (portable document format) that you will receive immediately after your purchase.  

For each image included in your purchase, you will receive two JPEG files. One in Adobe RGB for high-quality printing, and one in sRGB for web use; a CMYK version for professional printing, and, where applicable, a PNG file with a transparent background in both sRGB and Adobe RGB. (Please see the question below regarding PNG images).

They will all be within a compressed zipped file and the images need to be extracted in order to use them. Download the ZIP file first, then extract it before using the images.

Windows: Right-click the ZIP folder → click “Extract All” → choose a location → click “Extract.” Open the new folder to access your images.

Mac: Double-click the ZIP file → it will automatically create a new unzipped folder in the same location. Open that folder to see your images. 

Transparent PNG files are great for clip art, and work well for casual, home, or desktop printing projects, such as crafts, because they offer high resolution and support transparent backgrounds. However, it is not recommended, and not ideal, for professional, high-volume, or color-sensitive printing.  

PNG files use the RGB color mode, which is intended for digital screens and online use. Professional printers, however, reply on the CMYK color model. Since PNG files do not support CMYK, trying to convert them for professional printing can lead to muted colors, unexpected color shifts, or other color inaccuracies.

Because PNG files cannot be saved natively in CMYK, conversion attempts may fail, revert back to RGB, or produce colors that differ from what you see on your screen.  In short, for color-critical or large-scale professional printing, a CMYK vector file is recommended.

Your sRGB files (Standard Red Green Blue) are for use on the Internet and social media,  photo apps, etc., ensuring accurate colors across different web browsers, and standard monitors or screens like Frame TVs.  This is the standard color space.  To break that down even more, it's basically for all online digital content that you view on your screens or cameras,  but not as good for printing. 

Your Adobe RGB files (Adobe Red Green Blue) are for high-quality printing containing a much broader spectrum of colors (and more vibrancy and richness especially across greens and blues) used for prints, content creation for professional displays, editing for professional photography, and designers. The images you receive are created in Adobe RGB and then converted to sRGB. 

Your CMYK files (Cyan, Magenta, Yellow, and Key/Black) are the standard format for ink-based printing. Unlike screens, which use light to create color, printers use ink, so standard printers can’t always reproduce the full light-based color spectrum accurately. That’s why CMYK is the industry standard for commercial printing.  Please refer to the question below for a more accurate description of how CMYK works. 

So, basically, having all three options available to you, it ensures color accuracy across online devices, photo printing at home, and professional printing, without having to do color conversions yourself. 

NOTE: While sRGB is the shared standard for online color,  not all devices will replicate those colors in the same way. Manufacturing differences and lack of calibration can cause the same image to look different on a laptop, vs. a phone, etc., and across different laptop and phone brands, too.  Phones will often display more high-contrast, vibrant, richer colors than a laptop or desktop. Therefore an image viewed on your phone vs. your laptop may show more saturation and different skin tones, and some may show cooler colors with more blues/greens/purples, and others may show warmer colors with more reds/orange/yellows.  

This is why CMYK (and to an extent Adobe RGB) is important when shifting from your screens to paper. And speaking of paper, the type of paper you use, coated vs. uncoated will also make a difference in your final print. Please refer to the question regarding what type of paper to use for more information.

So, CMYK stands for Cyan, Magenta, Yellow, and Key. Key being black ink. These are the four primary colors used in the four color printing process. However, all colors in the printing process stem from those primary four. To make it easy to understand, each color is basically separated into dots in various size and strengths to produce the colors you see that will eventually get printed. But those colors need to be made using reflective light in order to print exactly how you see them. On the other hand, when you see images on your laptop, phone, tablet, or even your TV, the colors you see (RGB color space which stands for Red, Green and Blue) are not reflective but instead are transmitted, and they're transmitted via the device you're using. 

CMYK colors are used to print. RGB colors would need to be converted to CMYK before being sent to the printer.  By using CMYK colors from the start, true, rich blacks are produced rather than dark grey, and it will also alleviate any bleeding or smudge that would occur using the RGB color space. True black is produced in CMYK by merging all the 4 primary colors together. When they start to combine you get black. The opposite is true for RGB and when merging, you get white. In CMYK white doesn't actually exist but gets printed using a spot ink or,  you're simply seeing the white from the paper or card stock you're using. 

Your printing service may convert the JPG file you have from RGB to CMYK automatically, but it's not always perfect. The colors can shift, sometimes a lot. That's why it's better to send files already in CMYK, so you can control how the final print looks. Automatic conversion can cause unexpected color changes, especially with bright or neon tones. If color accuracy is important, it's best to also send the JPG and the CMYK file together to your printing service. For this reason, a CMYK file is included for your convenience. Home printers work with RGB files but physically print using CMYK inks. The printer driver automatically converts RGB to CMYK during the printing process. That said, you don't have full control over how those colors shift — which is why professional printing usually requires CMYK-ready files for more accurate results and why professional printing is always recommended. 

For printing clip art and junk journal pages with bright, vibrant colors, coated paper is superior. Rather than being absorbed into the fibers of the paper such as with uncoated textured or matte paper that often shows bleeding,  the ink sits on the surface which produces sharp images with crisp edges and vibrant colors. Use satin, matte, or glossy depending upon your needs.  Bear in mind that glossy can produce glare. 

Uncoated paper has more ink absorption and is best for an a textured, matte, or artistic vibe but will often render muted, dull colors and a more natural look. It will have more bleeding/feathering of colors meaning the color spreads beyond the lines or boundaries (much like when children color over the lines in a coloring book) only on printed paper the lines produce fuzzy edges. 

Matte photo paper in a heavyweight is also an excellent choice for clip art and junk journal pages. Be sure to check the gsm (grams per square meter) needed for your particular project. 

Your image sizes will vary depending on their intended use, such as clip art, wall art, junk journals, or other design projects. 

For clip art and junk journal images in a 1:1 (square) aspect ratio, files are provided at 5000 × 5000 pixels at 300 DPI (dots per inch). These large, high-resolution dimensions ensure strong print quality, since smaller files may not reproduce as well when used for wall art or professional creative projects. The higher resolution also gives you greater flexibility, allowing the images to be used across a wide range of creative applications — from digital designs to printed artwork for your home, office, or gifts. 

Your wall art image sizes includes high-resolution files in several common aspect ratios to fit a wide range of standard frames:

• 1:1 — 30 × 30 (square)

• 2:3 — 90 × 60 cm / 36 × 24 in

• 3:4 — 24 × 18 in

• 4:5 — 50 × 40 cm / 30 × 24 in

• 11:6 — 22 × 12 in (panoramic)

• 22 × 28 — suitable for 11 × 14 prints

• 5 × 7

• A1

• 70 × 50 cm

You can also print smaller sizes within each of these aspect ratios without losing quality. If you need a size larger than those listed, please contact us for assistance.

In addition to your images, you’ll also receive a size guide, simple explanations of aspect ratios and CMYK color format, and a limited commercial license for images to which it applies. 

 A Limited Commercial License is included and explains in depth what is and what is not allowed. Limited, meaning, you may use the images for up to 1500 physical or digital end products for sale (inventory-based limit) before an extended commercial license is required. Unlimited personal use is allowed, and image attribution/credit is not required for personal or commercial use.

Digital files may not be distributed, claimed, resold, shared, sublicensed, rented/leased, or used as-is. Any digital file that is allowed for commercial use may not be resold in its original, unaltered form and requires that the product be substantially modified prior to sale, as commercial use of the product does not grant the right to resell it as-is. 

You may use the images for POD (print-on-demand) for clothing, stickers, mugs, bags, wall art, phone cases, posters, and journals/scrapbooks/notebooks, etc., if the end product is a derivative work, transformed and adapted, into your own design, and does not directly compete with the original image. It may be cropped/resized, recolored, and mixed with other design elements,
including text. Any layers used must be flattened, and vector images saved as PNG before using commercially. The 1500 digital or physical end products for sale applies.  

While you may use modified designs for your own products and branding, you may not use the images as branding to include logos or business cards for your clients, nor can they be claimed by your clients (or you) as their/your own.

Using the files for illegal, offensive, or discriminatory purposes is strictly prohibited. By downloading and using the digital imagery sold by The Artsy Files you agree not to use the images to create content that is unlawful (or depicts illegal acts), defamatory, obscene, pornographic, vulgar, or offensive. Furthermore, images may not be used to promote violence, discrimination, bigotry, or racism against any individual or group or in any way that violates the rights of third parties. 

For customized orders (such as Name Wall Art), please fill out "Special Instructions" within your shopping cart.  Please order with the name of your choice, date and place of birth, and the color choice for your chosen name  (see color options for the specific product listing). Please allow up to 14 days for completion and email delivery.