Export your files
Choose the output that matches your next step. Image pixels, physical page placement, and saved instructions are different deliverables.
Choose the file you need
Open a source photo before exporting real image content. Manual dimensions can produce a numerical summary, but they cannot produce a photograph.
| Format | What it contains | Best next step |
|---|---|---|
| JPEG | Photo pixels on an opaque background | Use a photo in another application |
| PNG | Photo pixels with transparent or solid background | Keep an explicit background choice |
| Layout PDF | A physical sheet and placed photo copies | Print at actual size |
| Summary PDF | Dimensions, settings, and calculated results | Keep a calculation report |
| Project JSON | Versioned parameters and source-file information | Restore the setup with the original |
Export a photo
Select JPEG or PNG and check the output dimensions. By default, the raster contains the retained photo pixels, without automatic upscaling. To include fit borders, select the complete target frame explicitly instead of the photo-only output.
PNG can preserve transparency or use a chosen solid background. JPEG requires a solid background because the output is opaque. If transparency is selected, choose an opaque JPEG background explicitly; the tool does not silently replace it with black.
Open the downloaded image and confirm its orientation, crop, pixels, and background. Pixel-boundary rounding can differ slightly from an ideal fractional crop calculation.
Export a paper layout
Use the layout PDF when photo dimensions, sheet size, margins, or repeated positions must be preserved. Check that every copy fits before downloading. The calibration option gives you a physical measurement to check after printing.
Match the paper in your PDF viewer and select actual size or an equivalent 100% setting. A Fit option can shrink the page to the printer’s usable area. The separate summary PDF reports calculations; it is not a scaled photo placement.
Open the layout again
Download project JSON to retain the settings and source-file description. It does not contain the original image bytes, a thumbnail, or a durable blob URL. Reopen it and choose the original photo when requested.
A local project can store the original separately only after you explicitly choose that option. Downloading its JSON still exports parameters rather than the locally stored image. Keep the source in your own files if you need reliable recovery.
If an export fails
Read the error and keep the current settings. A missing source, invalid layout, unsupported background choice, or memory limit needs a specific correction. An interrupted or failed export is not a completed download.
Try again after correcting the issue. If resources are exhausted, close other large tasks or use a separate smaller source. Do not assume a success message proves the file exists in your downloads; open the result and inspect it.
Resolution metadata
Canvas exports may carry a default resolution tag such as 96 dpi, and they do not preserve every original metadata field. PrintLilt does not rewrite that tag to claim additional detail. Effective PPI comes from the actual retained pixels and intended physical size; the layout PDF carries the physical placement.