Guide · 5 min
iPhone HEIC photos: what print shops need to know
Short answer: HEIC is the iPhone’s photo format. It is as sharp as JPG at half the size, but many print programs cannot open it, so convert it to JPG before printing.
What HEIC is
Since 2017, iPhones save photos as HEIC (High Efficiency Image Container). The quality is excellent, but older Windows software and many print programs do not read it.
How SendToShop handles it
Customers send the original HEIC. The shop app makes a JPG copy next to it on your PC, upright and ready to print, and keeps the original in case you need it. On a Mac this works out of the box. On Windows the shop app uses the HEIC support built into Windows: if the Photos app opens iPhone photos on the shop PC, you are set; if not, install HEIF Image Extensions and HEVC Video Extensions from the Microsoft Store (or the free ImageMagick).
Questions
Do customers need to change their iPhone settings?
No. They send as normal; the JPG copy is made on your PC.