A quick review and useful info on digital downloads: download process, file types & use, and quality. Based on vertical folded cards and Windows system. Quick summary: the procedure is simple, you get 4 download options and the quality is professional. Worth 5 stars out of 5.
1. Purchase / File location
After purchase, a note informs that an email will be sent when the card is ready to download. Estimated time up to 30 minutes. Unfortunately, I didn't get the email (seems a temporary issue), so I don't know if there is a direct link to the download page in the email. If there is no such link or you don't get that email, the download can be found in the Order History of your Member Account.
2. Download Options
After clicking on Download, a popup appears with 4 options. You can choose one or more depending on your needs. The downloads are not limited, you can re-download at any time.
Option A: PNG
Downloads all 4 card faces separately in High-Resolution PNG format at 1500x2100 pixel size, according to 5x7" card size at 300 DPI resolution. You can download every image separately or all 4 saved in a ZIP file. The image quality is high. You can use them both for prints and digitally. Be aware that these image files can be pretty heavy in size, I would not recommend using these for sharing or in emails. In this case, use the JPG variants instead, or make your own.
Option B: JPG
Download works as Option A. The JPG images are the same size (1500x2100 pixels) and resolution (300 DPI) as the PNG files but more compressed, which makes them lighter in file size. The quality is a bit less due to the compression but it isn't truly noticeable even at 100% view. Use them for sharing/emails.
Option C: Standard PDF
Downloads 1 PDF file containing the images of the 4 card faces separately on 4 pages. The images are at 5x7" size and compressed. The standard PDF file size is smaller than the professional Print PDF variant. You may use this lighter PDF for emailing. For prints, use preferably the Print PDF or the PNG images.
Option D : Print PDF
My recommended option. Comes as a ZIP file and includes 2 high-res professional PDF files (one for the card's outer sides, 1 for the inner sides) for printing, as well as 4 HQ PNG images like in option A for digital use. After unzipping, the files are saved in different subfolders:
NOTE: This option is apparently only available as a ZIP file (tested under Windows). This is not a problem on Windows systems but may need dedicated apps on other operating systems and devices, e.g. mobile phones.
The PDF files are in professional print quality, with High-Res images and all vector and text elements embedded as separate vectors. This grants the best print results. One file shows the outer faces of the card (front & back), the other the inner pages. For printing on your home printer, use 8.5x11" US letter sheets (or dedicated 5x7 cards template sheets). First, print the front of the sheet (front & backside of the card), then turn the sheet horizontally and print the backside (inner pages of the card).
Print and Standard PDF compared
Image quality
The image quality both of the Print PDF and the PNGs is very good. The resolution is 300 DPI at 5x7" physical size, equivalent to 1500x2100 pixels. Zazzle's designer did a good job at resizing my originals (3300 pixels) to the smaller card-size image. The images and card content (texts and vector logo) look sharp and crispy even zoomed in to 200% or more, and the colors are true to my RGB original and the colors shown within the designer. The middle of the inner card background matched perfectly. The resizing of the original image loses a little bit in sharpness and details compared to the resizing within a professional software such as Corel Photopain or Adobe Photoshop, but this is normal and doesn't impact the quality of the print.
My impression as a graphic designer: 5 out of 5 stars.
I hope this helped. No posters as download yet, but will test them out, too, when time comes.
