Name the permitted change
An instruction such as “make it better” is too broad for a fidelity-sensitive image. State whether the job is dimension enlargement, restrained cleanup or an intentionally creative reinterpretation. Identify features that must remain unchanged: lettering, product shape, face identity, artwork edges or a signature. If a client owns the image, confirm permission for the intended processing route. A clearer brief makes later review possible because it defines what counts as a failure.
Include the technical destination
Record source dimensions, intended crop, finished physical dimensions and the printer’s resolution target. Add the accepted file format and color-handling instructions. Keep bleed and safe areas separate from image enlargement. If a required specification is unknown, mark it unknown rather than filling in a familiar default. You can still inspect a sample, but do not label the final handoff ready until the receiving requirement is settled.
A restrained artwork brief
For a fictional illustration, the brief might say: retain the exact line shapes and signature; enlarge the final crop to 3600 by 4800 pixels; do not add new objects; inspect flat fills and thin lines; export in the format requested by the printer. The output dimensions are only one acceptance condition. A visually richer result that thickens lettering or invents brush texture can fail even when every technical size field is correct.
Keep the brief with the versions
Save the original, processing settings, candidate filename and review notes together. Identify which version the printer should use. If the brief changes—for example, a larger print or a different crop—recalculate and review the affected output. Do not silently apply an earlier approval to a new file. A small, readable record is enough; it should help the next person reproduce the decision rather than become a form filled without substantive inspection.
Sources used for this page
These records support the facts and comparisons above. Merchant-controlled records are labelled so you can separate product claims from independent evidence.
- Let's Enhance print-preparation help (September 16, 2026) — Merchant documentation · help.letsenhance.io · Merchant-controlled · checked 2026-09-25
- Adobe image size and resolution reference — Merchant documentation · helpx.adobe.com · Merchant-controlled · checked 2026-09-25