Overview

We highly recommend that you use FTP to upload and download your images, especially if you’re sending us many images at once. Once set up, sending us your images via FTP is as simple as dragging and dropping the required files into a folder on your computer.

Section 1: FTP For Beginners

FTP stands for “file transfer protocol” and is simply a method of transferring files between two computers over the internet.

To transfer files to Pixelz with FTP, you need to download a program called an FTP ‘client’. The FTP client program connects your computer to Pixelz FTP server allowing you to transfer files to us quickly and easily.

Once downloaded, the client program appears as a window on your desktop, with the files on your computer on one side, and your files on the FTP server on the other.

To upload and download, you simply drag and drop from one to the other. As soon as your images appear on our FTP server, they enter the production process. Likewise, as soon as your images are finished production, they will be placed on the FTP server, ready for you to download them.

Using an FTP client

We recommend you use FileZilla, but our FTP server is compatible with all client programs.

FileZilla is a free, open source FTP client that can be downloaded from http://filezilla-project.org/

FileZilla is available for both Mac and Windows.

1) Downloading and installing FileZilla

Go to the http://filezilla-project.org and download the latest version of FileZilla client for your operating system. Follow the on-screen instructions to install.

2) Setting up FileZilla

Launch FileZilla and locate the Host, Username and Password fields at the top of the window.  Enter one of the following Host addresses depending on your location:

• ftp-east.pixelz.com (North America)
• ftp.pixelz.com (Europe)
• ftp-sg.pixelz.com (Asia)

For the Username and Password, use the same credentials as your Pixelz.com account.  You can leave the PORT field empty.  Now click the blue Quickconnect button.

3) Using the FTP client

The FileZilla client is very simple to use. On the left side you should see your own computer’s folders (Local site) and on the right you see the Pixelz FTP server (Remote site).

On the remote site, you will see two folders: ‘Upload’ and ‘Download’.

You can transfer files and folders from your computer to the remote site and vice versa by dragging and dropping from one to the other.

Uploading Images

Inside the folder ‘Upload’ you will see a folder for each specification you’ve created in the login area (Click here to learn how to set up your specifications). To upload images, just drag and drop your files into the folder corresponding to the specification you want to use.

You can also upload a folder of images as a subfolder. As soon as the images are uploaded, they will enter our production process and you will be able to see the order in your online account in 5-10 minutes.  

For pay-as-you-go customers, once you see the order in your account, simply make a payment online and your images will be sent into production.

Downloading Images

When you receive an email informing you that your images are ready, just go to the folder called ‘Download’. Inside, you’ll see a folder for each of your specifications. Inside the relevant specification folder, you’ll find a folder containing your finished images.

If you uploaded a folder of images, the folder will have the same name as the folder you uploaded. If you didn’t upload a folder, the folder will be labelled with the relevant date.

Section 2: FTP for Experienced Users

Settings

You can find your FTP settings in your Pixelz account by clicking on "Account" then clicking on "FTP Settings."

Uploading Images

When logged in, you will see an upload folder and a download folder. Inside the upload folder, you will find a folder for each specification you have in the system (You can create a new specification in your Pixelz account).

Just upload your files to the folder corresponding to the specification you want to use. You can also upload a folder of images as a subfolder. As soon as the images are uploaded, they will enter our production process.

Downloading Images

Downloading is just as easy as uploading. When you receive an email informing you that your images are ready, just go to the download folder. Inside this folder, you will find folders corresponding to your specifications.

Your processed images will be inside the relevant template folder. If you uploaded a folder of images, you will find a folder with the same name as the folder you uploaded. If you didn’t upload a folder, you will find a folder labeled with the relevant date.

*All files in the system will be deleted after 30 days, so make sure you download your images before this time period is up.

How to name images when combining images (ie invisible mannequin or 3D effect)

When you would like us to combine images, we can combine up to 5 images.

Before you upload, it’s important that you create a relevant specification in the login area. Just pick the ‘Invisible Mannequin’ option (located under Add-Ons) plus any other services you require. Please remember to write any special instructions in the comment field in the specification. You can learn more about adding comments to a specification here.

It’s very important that images you upload are named in such a way that our system can see which images belong to which product. You do this by giving each new image in a series the same name and a different ending. You can use either a dash (-) or an underscore (_). 

Examples of correct combined image naming:

myimage.jpg
myimage_x.jpg
myimage_xx.jpg
– will be combined into myimage.jpg

imagename-1.jpg
imagename-2.jpg
– will be combined into imagename.jpg

*Please note, there can be a delay of up to 30 minutes before the uploaded images are visible in the login area.