A photo blanket is made by picking a style and size, uploading your images to a design tool, arranging them on a live preview, then ordering the finished print.
One crooked crop and you’ve paid for a blanket with a headless dog on it. The good news is the whole build happens in a browser or app, and the layout fixes cost nothing until you hit checkout. Most people finish a design in under 20 minutes once their photos are picked. Here’s the exact order of operations, what the sizing actually means, and the two mistakes that cause most reorders.
What You Need Before You Start
You need three things: the photos, a rough idea of the finished size, and an account with the printer. Two of those take minutes to sort out, and skipping the first one is what sends people back to the upload screen mid-design.
- Photos: pick 1 image for a single-photo design, 8–20 for a collage, or a text-heavy layout if you want a quote and a date. Shutterfly’s upload sources include your phone, computer, Facebook, Google Photos, and Amazon Photos.
- Resolution matters more than count. A shot that looks sharp on a phone screen can turn soft when stretched to 60 inches wide. Choose the largest file version you have.
- A size you can actually use. A throw lives on a couch; a twin fills a bed. Buying a throw for a bed is the single most common sizing regret.
How To Make A Photo Blanket Step By Step
The working sequence runs choose design type, pick material and size, personalize, upload, arrange, preview, then checkout. Shutterfly lays out these steps on its own photo blanket pages, and the order holds across vendors.
- Choose your design type — single-photo, collage, or text-based.
- Select the material and size you want.
- Click Personalize to open the design tool.
- Upload photos from your phone, computer, or a linked photo library.
- Drag images into the template and adjust text, colors, and placement.
- Preview the full blanket and clear every design alert the tool flags.
- Add to cart and check out.
Design alerts are the tool telling you an image will print blurry or a face is cut off at the crop line. They exist because the preview is your last chance to catch it — after checkout, the file goes straight to print. Mpix notes that once an order is placed, the company prints and ships within 2–3 days, which leaves almost no window to change your mind.
| Blanket Size | Typical Use | Reference Price |
|---|---|---|
| 30×40 inches | Baby or toddler | $59.00 at Mpix |
| 50×60 inches | Standard throw | Varies by vendor |
| 54×70 inches | Larger fleece styles | Shown from $29.99 |
| 60×80 inches | XL throw or twin bed | $59.00 at Mpix |
Pricing swings widely by vendor and material, so a fleece throw and a woven one at the same size can sit far apart. If you want to compare options side by side before committing, our tested roundup of the best photo blankets we’ve tested covers materials and sizing in detail.
How Much Does A Custom Photo Blanket Cost?
Expect roughly $30 to $60 for a standard throw, with larger sizes and premium materials climbing above that. There is no industry-wide standard, which is why two vendors can quote very different prices for the same dimensions.
Shutterfly shows some fleece blankets starting at $29.99, while Material is the biggest lever: fleece is the budget pick, while woven and plush options cost more and feel heavier. Sales move these numbers constantly, so the price on the product page at checkout is the one that counts.
Mistakes That Ruin A Photo Blanket
Blurry uploads and ignored design alerts cause most disappointing orders, and both are caught free before you pay. A blanket is a single print run, not a reprint-friendly item, so the preview carries real weight.
- Uploading a screenshot or a downloaded social media copy. Compressed files lose detail fast at blanket scale.
- Skipping the preview zoom. Faces near the edge get trimmed by the seam allowance.
- Assuming care instructions are universal. Washing guidance is product-specific, so check the card that ships with your blanket rather than treating all fleece the same.
- Ordering late. With print and ship times around 2–3 days at some vendors, plus transit, a gift deadline can slip.
Common Questions
Can I use photos from my phone’s camera roll?
Yes. Shutterfly accepts uploads directly from a phone, a computer, or linked libraries including Facebook, Google Photos, and Amazon Photos. For the sharpest print, upload the original file rather than a version you texted or posted, since those copies are compressed and lose detail when enlarged.
How many pictures fit on one blanket?
It depends entirely on the design you choose. A single-photo layout uses one large image, while collage templates fit anywhere from a handful to twenty or more, depending on grid style and blanket size. Larger blankets give each photo more room, so a 60×80 twin handles a denser collage than a 30×40 baby size comfortably can.
How long does a custom photo blanket take to arrive?
Production is quick — Mpix prints and ships orders within 2–3 days — but total delivery time adds shipping on top. Standard ground transit usually runs a few business days within the US. If you’re ordering for a specific date, build in a buffer and check the estimated arrival shown at checkout.
Sources
- Shutterfly. “How to Make Fleece Photo Blankets” Supplies the design-type, upload-source, and preview steps.
- Mpix. “Full Photo Blanket” Source of the size lineup, $59.00 price, and 2–3 day print time.
- Shutterfly. “Photo Blankets” Confirms size range and fleece pricing from $29.99.