Why does my design look different when printed?
Because a screen is a light source and paper is not. Prints are always a little darker and less saturated than the display, some RGB colors cannot be made with ink, paper texture and whiteness change the look, and viewing light changes it again. A small shift is physics; a large one is usually a settings problem.
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Normal shifts
Slightly darker overall. Neon and electric tones muted. Whites the color of the paper, not the screen. Fine detail softened a touch by ink spread.
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Fixable shifts
Very dark or muddy: screen brightness was too high while you judged it, or the print quality setting was low. Wrong hue: auto-enhance at the lab, or a CMYK conversion done blind. Banding: a JPG re-save.
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What to do
Judge on a screen at moderate brightness. Order one small test print. Choose matte for art with soft tones, lustre or gloss for punchy color. Look at the print in daylight, not under warm bulbs.
Is a color shift a defect I can claim under the guarantee?+
The 14-day make-it-right guarantee covers a file that is wrong or does not deliver. A normal print shift is not a wrong file; a genuinely broken file is.
Why does the same file look different at two labs?+
Different paper, different printers, different conversion. That is why a test print at your chosen lab is worth a dollar.
Does the framed edition match the digital preview?+
It is printed by our print partner from the same file, with the same physics applied.
- —Apex cannot control a given printer's output or a given room's light.
- —The guarantee does not cover ordinary screen-to-paper differences.
See it on the wall first.
The AR preview shows a piece in your room before you buy, at the size you would print.