1. What is a Life Size Trophy Print/Big print?
2. What kind of material is the Life Size Trophy Print printed on?
3. Will this cost me an arm and a leg?
4. How long will it take to get a print made?
5. Do you only print fish pictures?
6. What kind of photo file do you need when printing a full size print?
A Life Size Trophy Print is the alternative to a mount, especially for fishermen who practice CPR (Catch, Photo, Release). With today's technology and the advancements of digital and film photography, many of you are capturing your moment of glory with a click of a button.
You no longer have to settle for telling fish tales accompanied by a small photo that just turned your 50" muskie into a 5" picture. Now you can have a 50" life size photo of your 50" muskie or even a 10' print of your 10' shark.
Instead of telling everyone, "It was this big, I swear!" Why no show them? We wil ltake your unaltered high res digital photo file or quality 35mm picture and print it at 100% actual size to bring your moment of glory to life. All we need is the length of the fish.
This is not a taxidermist's or artist's rendition of what your fish looked like. This is exactly what your fish looked like the moment you caught it. And best of all...the fish gets to live. You no longer have to kill a trophy to have a trophy.
For the car and bike enthusiast, we have the BIG print. Whether you own a one of kind motorcycle or an awesome looking car, there's a lot of pride that goes into owning and maintaining your dream machine. At Customfish.com, we are bringing the love of your life off the road and onto the walls of your garage, rec room, and office.
Let us take the photo of your car or bike and enlarge it to a 48" x 60" vinyl print. Why not show off your "baby" all year round?
What kind of material is the Life Size Trophy Print printed on and what type of finishing is available?
We print on a durable 10 oz. vinyl fabric using UV colored inks. By using a quality substrate and printing ink, your print will resist tears, wrinkles, and fading. The vinyl's smooth surface allows for maximum detail with the highest resolution. Life Size Trophy Prints and BIG prints are also available on paper, styrene, canvas, and duraplast.
Prints are trimmed to size, but custom finishing is available upon request (i.e. hemmed edges, framing, grommets, etc).
Will this cost me an arm and a leg?
A Life Size Trophy Print is 1/3 to 1/4 the cost of a traditional mount. Pricing starts at $10.25 a square foot compared to $10 an inch for a mount.
For the car and bike enthusiast interested in a BIG print, the standard 48" x 60" BIG print costs $150.00 each (without customization).
How long will it take to get a print made?
One of the great things about a Life Size Trophy Print and a BIG print is the short lead time. It normally takes 2 -4 weeks after receipt of a digital photo file. Even if you decide to have a mount made by a taxidermist, you can have a Life Size Trophy Size Print placed over your mantle until your mount arrives.
Do you only print fish pictures?
Large fish may be our specialty, but we have the ability to print anything you want (within reason) be it your pet, child, whatever. We've printed one of a kind motorcyles and vintage cars.
What kind of photo file do you need when printing a full size print?
This is very important - We need the original image, not resized, color corrected, or anything else. The original is always the best since it gives you the best quality reprint. Download the photos to your computer using the instructions that came with your camera or take the memory card out and bring it to a photography store (i.e. Walgreens) and they can put the images on a CD for you. For the best trophy print, always use your flash and have the digital camera set on the highest quality setting. You won't get as many pictures but the one you take will be worth it. What is the point of a whole bunch of photos that don't look good? Quality reprints over quantity.
Do you need info about my photo?
Give us the who, what ,where, and when if you would like that info printed on your Life Size Trophy Print/BIG print.
To all fishermen: Along with the original image, give us the fish length or a close estimate. If you're unable to give us a size, we have a method of size calculation. (We'll know if you're lying...shame on you!)
I don't have a digital image of my trophy catch/car/bike. Can I have a Life Size Trophy Print/BIG print made from a photo?
No digital image? That's ok. Send us the best quality print you have of your trophy catch/car/bike. Send print via UPS, FedExKinko's or some other courier service you can track. Unfortunately, the U.S. mail occasionally misplaces mail and it is never seen again or shows up 3 years later. You don't want your only photo of the fish of a lifetime/custom bike/vintage car lost forever. Send your photo via registered mail service.
If you use the flash, it doesn't matter where the sun is. That is the point of the flash. But try to have the sun behind the camera.
Tip #2: Hold up that fish!
Don't lay the fish down on any surface. Pull the fish out of the water, hold it up for a photo and then get it back in the water. Laying the fish on the ground or floor will harm the fish. Hold large fish (i.e. muskies and pike) horizontally. A vertical hold will injure the jaw and internal organs of a larger fish.
Tip #3: Minimize the background.
Fill up the photo with angler and fish. The background may be a nice scene, but save it for another shot. The trophy picture is what you're after here. We don't want to charge you for wasted background.
Tip #4: Quality over quantity.
Use the highest resolution possible on your digital camera or the best film for your 35mm. This is a once in a lifetime shot we're talking about here...don't risk a bad shot by using bad settings.
Tip #5: Be ready!
Before you set out on the water, have your photography equipment ready and accessable. The general rule is: When you take the fish out of the water for unhooking and a photo, start holding your breath. When you've run out so has the fish.
Tip #6: Original is good!
Send us unaltered photos. No need to save it as a small jpeg. In order to achieve a high quality print, just send us the original full size shot via e-mail, disk, or snail mail. We'll take care of the rest.