A set of three photo magnets is the least expensive photo gift we make and the one most often ordered twice, because the first set goes on a grandparent's fridge and then the parents want one. Each magnet is 5 cm square. That size, and the fact that there are three of them, decides how to choose the photos.
Three photos are a set
On a fridge the three sit within a hand's width of each other, so they are read together. The sets that look right share something: the same people, the same day, the same light. Three photos from one afternoon (the beach, the ice cream, the sandy feet) look like a story. Three photos from three different years and three different phones look like three magnets.
The easiest good set: one wide shot, one close face, one detail. A wedding: the couple, a face, the rings. A new baby: the baby, a hand, the name written out. A dog: the full dog, the face, the paw.
Square crops, chosen by you
The magnet is square and phones take rectangles, so every photo is cropped. If you send the photo as is, the crop is taken from the middle, which cuts the top off tall photos and the sides off wide ones. Crop each photo to a square on your phone before uploading (the edit tool has a 1:1 option) and you choose what survives. Faces should fill at least half the square; at 5 cm a face that is a quarter of the frame is a face the size of a fingernail.
Mixing in a name or a date
Each magnet can be a photo, a name, a date, a short line or an icon, in any mix. The mix that works most often is two photos and one text magnet: the text magnet carries the caption ("Cornwall 2026", "Ivy, born 3 May", "Nanny & Grandad's") so the photos do not need words on them. Three text magnets with three children's names is the other common set, and a useful one on a school fridge.
Who the set is really for
- Grandparents, who take no photographs and print none. This is the gift.
- New parents, for the same reason, from anyone who visited in the first month.
- Teachers: a class photo, the school logo and a thank-you line, from the class.
- Someone who has moved: three photos of the people they left behind.
- You, honestly: the school run, the dog, the one holiday photo everyone liked.
Photo quality in one paragraph
Original files, not screenshots or forwarded copies; even daylight; faces large. A 5 cm print forgives a lot, but it does not forgive a photo of a photo taken under a lamp, which prints with a glare stripe. The longer version is in how to upload a photo for print.
Where they stick
Fridges, magnetic boards, lockers, a metal filing cabinet, the side of a microwave. Not on a stainless-steel fridge door, which is usually not magnetic, and not on a car. They are decorative magnets, so use them for photos and notes rather than for holding up a calendar.
Everything is printed to order in Cheshire, usually dispatched within one to three working days, with free UK delivery. Because the set is printed from the photos you send, it cannot be returned for different photos, so do the square crop first. If a photo mug is the better fit for the person, which photos print well on a mug covers the difference, and more photo gifts are in gifts for mum.
Frequently asked questions
What size are the personalised photo magnets?
Each magnet is 5 cm square, and they come as a set of three. Faces should fill at least half the square to read from across a kitchen.
Can I mix photos and names in one set?
Yes. Each of the three can be a photo, a name, a date, a short line or an icon. Two photos and one caption magnet is the most common set.
Do photo magnets stick to a stainless-steel fridge?
Usually not; most stainless-steel doors are not magnetic. They hold on painted steel fridges, magnetic boards, lockers and filing cabinets.
