PhotoLabSpecsStandard photo-print reference

Four labs · seven preparation fields · first-party provenance

Photo Lab File Requirements:Bay Photo, Mpix, Nations & Qprints

Compare standard photo-print file requirements without flattening workflow differences or filling source gaps with assumptions.

Standard photo printsAll sources checked

Source assessments, not runtime guarantees. This reference is limited to the standard-print and workflow scopes shown below.

Reference

Find the lab requirement, then keep the qualification attached.

Every field keeps its source state, workflow scope when relevant, direct first-party provenance, and checked date. Unknown means the checked source does not establish the answer.

SupportedQualifiedUnknownConflictingUnknown ≠ unsupported. Qualified ≠ universal. Supported ≠ guaranteed.

Showing all four labs.

Photo lab file requirements comparison
Requirement
Bay PhotoChecked First-party source ↗
MpixChecked First-party source ↗
Nations Photo LabChecked First-party source ↗
QprintsChecked First-party source ↗
File types
supported
JPEG, TIFF, PNG

JPEG is preferred.

Source ↗
supported
JPEG print files

This is the frozen preparation-page scope; do not treat it as a universal upload-format list.

Source ↗
qualified
JPG, PNG, flattened TIFFWorkflow: Website gallery + desktop ROES

TIFF is ROES-only; HEIC is not accepted.

Source ↗
unknown
Not established by the checked source

The frozen homepage does not state a canonical accepted-file-type list.

Source ↗
Bit depth / image mode
supported
8 bits/channel · RGB
Source ↗
supported
8-bit · RGB

CMYK, grayscale, RAW, PSD, and LZW-compressed files are outside the recommended preparation path.

Source ↗
supported
8-bit · RGB

CMYK is not accepted.

Source ↗
unknown
Bit depth not established

The source says images must be RGB, but it does not state a bit-depth requirement.

Source ↗
Color space / profile
supported
sRGB, Adobe RGB (1998), or ProPhoto RGB

Embed the working ICC profile.

Source ↗
supported
sRGB · do not embed profiles

Do not convert to or embed the printing ICC profile.

Source ↗
supported
sRGB IEC61966-2.1

Files arriving in Adobe RGB 1998 or ProPhoto RGB are converted to sRGB.

Source ↗
qualified
RGB · sRGB recommended

Profile embedding and the full accepted-profile set are not established.

Source ↗
Resolution / resize
supported
Upload at original size, or as close as possible

Do not routinely resize just for ordering.

Source ↗
supported
250 PPI printer output with per-size optimal/minimum pixel tables

Preserve original pixels rather than resampling upward.

Source ↗
supported
125-dpi minimum / 300-dpi maximum guidance

The checked source also provides per-size pixel-dimension guidance.

Source ↗
supported
300 PPI at intended print size recommended

Example: 8×10 → 2400×3000 pixels.

Source ↗
File-size / dimension limit
unknown
Not established by the checked source

No universal upload-byte or pixel-dimension ceiling is established.

Source ↗
unknown
Not established by the checked source

No universal upload-byte ceiling is established.

Source ↗
qualified
Website: 40 MB/file · ROES: no file-size limitWorkflow: Website gallery vs desktop ROES

The limit depends on the upload workflow.

Source ↗
unknown
Not established by the checked source

No universal upload-byte or image-dimension ceiling is stated.

Source ↗
Filename / preparation constraints
supported
Flatten layers · remove alpha channels · JPEG: Baseline “Standard” encoding · avoid listed special characters in filenames

Maximum-quality JPEG export is recommended when using JPEG.

Source ↗
supported
Flatten files and remove extra channels
Source ↗
supported
25-character filename limit; only hyphen and underscore as special characters
Source ↗
unknown
Not established by the checked source

General filename/preparation constraints are not established by the frozen homepage.

Source ↗
Crop / bleed / edge guidance
unknown
Not established by the checked source

No universal standard-print crop, bleed, or edge rule is established.

Source ↗
supported
Fixed print aspect ratios; mismatched files are center-cropped

Leave composition room for cropping.

Source ↗
unknown
Not established by the checked source

No universal standard-print crop, bleed, or edge rule is established.

Source ↗
supported
No bleed · about 2–4 mm crop on all sides · keep text/design 1/4 inch from edges
Source ↗

Lab

Bay Photo

How Should I Prepare My Files? File Size & File Preparation Guidelines ↗Checked
File types
supportedJPEG, TIFF, PNG

JPEG is preferred.

Source ↗
Bit depth / image mode
supported8 bits/channel · RGB
Source ↗
Color space / profile
supportedsRGB, Adobe RGB (1998), or ProPhoto RGB

Embed the working ICC profile.

Source ↗
Resolution / resize
supportedUpload at original size, or as close as possible

Do not routinely resize just for ordering.

Source ↗
File-size / dimension limit
unknownNot established by the checked source

No universal upload-byte or pixel-dimension ceiling is established.

Source ↗
Filename / preparation constraints
supportedFlatten layers · remove alpha channels · JPEG: Baseline “Standard” encoding · avoid listed special characters in filenames

Maximum-quality JPEG export is recommended when using JPEG.

Source ↗
Crop / bleed / edge guidance
unknownNot established by the checked source

No universal standard-print crop, bleed, or edge rule is established.

Source ↗

Lab

Mpix

How to prepare your photos ↗Checked
File types
supportedJPEG print files

This is the frozen preparation-page scope; do not treat it as a universal upload-format list.

Source ↗
Bit depth / image mode
supported8-bit · RGB

CMYK, grayscale, RAW, PSD, and LZW-compressed files are outside the recommended preparation path.

Source ↗
Color space / profile
supportedsRGB · do not embed profiles

Do not convert to or embed the printing ICC profile.

Source ↗
Resolution / resize
supported250 PPI printer output with per-size optimal/minimum pixel tables

Preserve original pixels rather than resampling upward.

Source ↗
File-size / dimension limit
unknownNot established by the checked source

No universal upload-byte ceiling is established.

Source ↗
Filename / preparation constraints
supportedFlatten files and remove extra channels
Source ↗
Crop / bleed / edge guidance
supportedFixed print aspect ratios; mismatched files are center-cropped

Leave composition room for cropping.

Source ↗

Lab

Nations Photo Lab

How to Order Prints ↗Checked
File types
qualifiedJPG, PNG, flattened TIFFWorkflow: Website gallery + desktop ROES

TIFF is ROES-only; HEIC is not accepted.

Source ↗
Bit depth / image mode
supported8-bit · RGB

CMYK is not accepted.

Source ↗
Color space / profile
supportedsRGB IEC61966-2.1

Files arriving in Adobe RGB 1998 or ProPhoto RGB are converted to sRGB.

Source ↗
Resolution / resize
supported125-dpi minimum / 300-dpi maximum guidance

The checked source also provides per-size pixel-dimension guidance.

Source ↗
File-size / dimension limit
qualifiedWebsite: 40 MB/file · ROES: no file-size limitWorkflow: Website gallery vs desktop ROES

The limit depends on the upload workflow.

Source ↗
Filename / preparation constraints
supported25-character filename limit; only hyphen and underscore as special characters
Source ↗
Crop / bleed / edge guidance
unknownNot established by the checked source

No universal standard-print crop, bleed, or edge rule is established.

Source ↗

Lab

Qprints

Qprints.com Photo Lab homepage ↗Checked
File types
unknownNot established by the checked source

The frozen homepage does not state a canonical accepted-file-type list.

Source ↗
Bit depth / image mode
unknownBit depth not established

The source says images must be RGB, but it does not state a bit-depth requirement.

Source ↗
Color space / profile
qualifiedRGB · sRGB recommended

Profile embedding and the full accepted-profile set are not established.

Source ↗
Resolution / resize
supported300 PPI at intended print size recommended

Example: 8×10 → 2400×3000 pixels.

Source ↗
File-size / dimension limit
unknownNot established by the checked source

No universal upload-byte or image-dimension ceiling is stated.

Source ↗
Filename / preparation constraints
unknownNot established by the checked source

General filename/preparation constraints are not established by the frozen homepage.

Source ↗
Crop / bleed / edge guidance
supportedNo bleed · about 2–4 mm crop on all sides · keep text/design 1/4 inch from edges
Source ↗

Workflow qualifications

The exceptions that change how you prepare the file.

These qualifications are also attached directly to the affected table values above.

01

Nations: website vs ROES

TIFF is desktop-ROES-only. Website-gallery files have a 40 MB maximum; the checked source states no file-size limit for desktop ROES.

02

Mpix: preparation-page scope

JPEG is the frozen print-preparation format. This reference does not broaden that into a universal claim about every format Mpix may accept elsewhere.

03

Qprints: deliberately partial

The frozen source is the Qprints homepage. File type, bit depth, universal upload limits, and general filename constraints stay unknown here.

About this reference

Transparent enough to verify, quiet enough to stay useful.

The operational detail lives here so the comparison can stay fast to scan.

How source states work
supported

Directly supported for the stated standard-print or workflow scope.

qualified

Supported only under a named workflow, recommendation, product boundary, or partial rule.

unknown

The frozen first-party source does not establish the field strongly enough.

conflicting

Admitted in-scope first-party statements materially conflict and accepted precedence cannot resolve them.

Sources & method

Each lab uses one frozen first-party source. Recommendations remain recommendations, workflow-specific rules stay attached to the named workflow, and fields not established by that source remain unknown. Last checked is the source-review date, not a guarantee that a lab's rules have not changed since.

Maintenance

Immediately before publication/indexing, all four frozen first-party sources must be checked again and their last-checked dates updated. While active, routine checks occur no more frequently than monthly unless a concrete source-change or disputed-claim trigger appears.

If a frozen source stops establishing a field, that field becomes Unknown until reviewed. Material source changes update the value, state, checked date, and change log together. If a material claim would require a new source outside the frozen set, stop that claim until reviewed change.

Corrections & change log

See something that no longer matches a lab? Send the lab name, field, and first-party page supporting the correction. Reports are reviewed against these source and change rules before material table changes are made.

Report a PhotoLabSpecs correction ↗

Change log

  1. Rechecked all four frozen first-party sources. Refined Bay Photo resolution and filename/preparation wording; no substantive Mpix, Nations Photo Lab, or Qprints copy changes were required.
  2. Initial frozen four-source review baseline used for this first draft. No implementation-time source refresh is claimed.