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A locket personalizer lets your customer upload the photos that go inside, crop them to the window, add engraving for the outside cover and see it on your product photo before they buy. You get an order with the photo files, the crop, the side each photo goes on and the engraving text, all in one place.
Lockets are the one piece of jewelry where the customer sends you their own material. That changes the job. A name necklace fails on spelling; a locket fails on a blurry photo, a face cut off by the oval, or two pictures swapped left to right. This page covers photo upload, sizing, printed versus engraved photos, outside engraving and the details your maker needs on every order.
We build PIMW Product Personalizer, a Shopify app. Photo upload starts on our Pro plan, and we'll show where it fits and where your maker takes over. For the wider picture, see our jewelry personalizer guides.
Key takeaways
- Tell customers up front whether the photo is a printed insert or laser engraved, and price the two differently.
- Measure each locket's inside window and set the photo crop to match it, keeping faces centered for oval and heart shapes.
- Use one labeled upload field per window so your maker knows which photo goes on which side.
- Capture method, files, crop, color, engraving text, font and chain on the order so nothing needs a follow-up email.
How a photo gets into a locket
There are two ways, and you should tell customers which one you use before they upload. Our custom necklace designer guide shows how photo pieces sit alongside name and coordinate styles in a store.
Printed photo inserts
The classic method. The photo is sized to the inside of the locket, printed on photo paper, cut to the window shape and pressed in under the small lip that holds it. Some lockets add a clear cover on top.
Printed inserts show full color and can be swapped later. Use real photo paper, not regular printer paper, which looks dull and curls. The weak points are moisture and wear over the years, so say so in your care note.
Engraved photos
The photo is laser engraved onto the metal, either on the inner panel or on the outside. Engravers convert the image to black and white and work best with photos that have many shades from light to dark. It's permanent and can't fade or fall out, but it's single tone and can't be changed.
Many shops offer both as a dropdown: "Printed color photo" or "Engraved photo". Price them differently, because they take different time and tools. If engraved photo pieces are your focus, our pendant personalizer page covers photo engraving tips in more detail.
| Printed insert | Engraved photo | |
|---|---|---|
| Color | Full color or black and white | Single tone on metal |
| Can be replaced | Yes | No |
| Best photo | Sharp, well lit | High contrast, close-up face |
| Durability | Can wear or get damp over time | Permanent |
| Typical setup | Print, cut, press in | Edit, convert, laser |
Photo size and crop
Locket windows come in many sizes and shapes, so there's no single "locket photo size". Measure the inside window of each locket you sell and use that as the target. Most windows are oval, round or heart shaped.
In PIMW, the photo upload field has a crop locked to an aspect ratio you set. Match it to the window: a portrait ratio for an oval, a square for round and heart windows. The customer drags and zooms the photo inside the frame, so they decide what stays in. Your maker then trims the print to the oval or heart outline using that crop.
Keep the face in the center of the crop. Ovals and hearts lose the corners, and hearts lose a lot at the bottom point. Put a note beside the upload button: "Keep faces in the middle. The edges are trimmed to the locket shape."
Photo tips to show at the upload button:
- Use the original photo, not a screenshot or a social media copy.
- Pick a close-up. A full-body photo makes the face tiny in a small locket.
- Choose even light and sharp focus.
- For two people in one window, pick a photo where they're close together.
PIMW accepts JPG, PNG and iPhone HEIC files. Our guide to the Shopify photo upload option walks through the field settings.
Outside engraving
The front and back covers carry the text. Common choices:
- Front cover: initials or a monogram, "E.M.R.", up to 3 characters in a monogram font.
- Back cover, line 1: a name or phrase, "Always with me", up to 15 characters.
- Back cover, line 2: a date, "05.11.2026", up to 10 characters.
Many lockets have engraved floral patterns on the front with only a small plain area in the middle. Check every design and set the front limit to what fits. On a fully patterned front, drop front engraving and offer the back only.
Monograms are popular on lockets. See our custom monogram necklace guide for letter order and font choices.
Fields to offer on a locket
Upcharges are suggestions at the time of writing (October 2026). Base them on your own print and engraving costs. Chain options work the same way as on our necklace personalizer page.
| Field | Type | Example value | Limit | Suggested upcharge |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Photo method | Dropdown | Printed color / Engraved | 2 options | Engraved $15 to $30 more |
| Left photo | Photo upload | family.jpg | 1 file | Included |
| Right photo | Photo upload | wedding.heic | 1 file | $5 to $15 |
| Photo color | Dropdown | Color / Black and white | 2 options | Included |
| Front engraving | Text, monogram font | E.M.R. | 3 characters | $10 to $15 |
| Back engraving | Text, two lines | Always with me / 05.11.2026 | 15 and 10 characters | $10 to $20 |
| Font | Font picker | Script or serif | 3 to 4 fonts | Included |
| Chain length | Dropdown | 18 or 20 in | 2 to 4 options | $0 to $10 |
| Notes for maker | Text | Please brighten the left photo | 150 characters | Free |
Keep metal (sterling silver, gold vermeil, solid gold) as a Shopify variant. PIMW adds each fee as its own cart line, so "Right photo: $10" shows clearly instead of hiding in the total. Our jewelry personalization pricing page compares pricing models across pieces.
What your maker needs on every locket order
A locket order is only as good as the information attached to it. Here's what we suggest capturing, in this order:
- Photo method: printed or engraved.
- Each photo file, labeled by position: left, right, or inner panel 1 and 2.
- The crop the customer chose.
- Color or black and white.
- Front and back engraving text, with font.
- Locket metal, size and chain length.
- Any notes for the maker.
PIMW saves all of this on the order as line-item properties, with the uploaded files attached, so your bench or fulfillment partner reads it from the order without a back-and-forth email. Our guide to Shopify line item properties explains how they show up in admin and emails. PIMW doesn't print the photo, edit it or create the engraving file. Your maker does that from the files and details on the order.
How to set up a photo locket in PIMW
Plan on about 15 minutes for your first locket once you have photos of the product.
- Install PIMW Product Personalizer from the Shopify App Store and pick the Pro plan for photo upload ($13.99 a month, no per-sale fee).
- Upload a product photo of the open locket, so customers see both windows.
- Add a photo method dropdown if you offer printed and engraved.
- Add a photo upload field for each window, place it over that window on the photo and set the crop ratio.
- Add your photo tips as help text under each upload.
- Add front and back engraving fields with limits and two to four tested fonts.
- Add fees on the second photo, engraving and engraved photo options.
- Add the app block in the theme editor, place a test order with a real phone photo, and check that both files and every property land on the order.
Common mistakes with locket personalizers
- One upload field for a two-window locket. You won't know which photo goes where. Use one labeled field per window.
- A crop that doesn't match the window. A square crop for an oval window cuts off heads. Match the ratio to each locket.
- No photo tips. Screenshots and dark group photos lead to remakes. Put the tips right at the upload.
- Not saying printed or engraved. A customer expecting a color print and receiving a laser engraving will ask for a refund.
- Front limits on patterned covers. If the front has little plain space, offer back engraving only.
- Forgetting HEIC. Most iPhone photos are HEIC. Make sure your upload accepts them, or customers stall at checkout. Our HEIC upload troubleshooting article covers the fix.
Where PIMW fits for locket stores
PIMW Product Personalizer gives you photo upload with aspect-ratio crop, live preview on your product photo, 35+ fonts, character limits, dropdowns and add-on fees as a separate cart line. It runs on every Shopify plan. Plans are Free for your first product, Basic at $7.99, Pro at $13.99 and Unlimited at $24.99 a month, and photo upload and conditional logic start on Pro.
It doesn't do 3D preview, AR try-on or automatic engraving files. If you want to compare photo-ready apps, see our jewelry personalizer comparison.
Memorial lockets are one of the biggest uses for photo jewelry. Our memorial jewelry store guide covers dates, phrases and keepsake pieces.
Frequently asked questions
What size photo fits in a locket?
There is no single size, because locket windows vary by design. Measure the inside window of each locket you sell, size the photo to it and set your upload crop to the same proportions. Keep the face centered, since oval and heart windows trim the edges.
Is a locket photo printed or engraved?
Both methods exist. A printed insert is a color or black and white photo on photo paper cut to the window and pressed in, and it can be replaced later. An engraved photo is lasered onto the metal in a single tone and is permanent. Tell customers which you use before they upload.
Can customers upload two photos for a two-sided locket?
Yes. Add one photo upload field per window, labeled left and right, so your maker knows where each goes. In PIMW, photo upload starts on the Pro plan at $13.99 a month.
What photo works best for a locket?
An original, sharp, evenly lit close-up of a face, not a screenshot or a social media copy. Full-body or group shots leave faces too small for a locket window. For two people in one window, choose a photo where they stand close together.
Can I engrave the outside of a photo locket?
Yes. Initials or a monogram usually go on the front cover, and a short phrase and date on the back. Check each design first, because patterned covers may leave little plain space for text.
Does PIMW print or edit the locket photos?
No. PIMW collects the files, the crop and the engraving details and saves them on the order as line-item properties. Your maker prints, trims or engraves the photo from those files.
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Sources & further reading
Primary sources referenced in this article. We link to official platform documentation and standards bodies rather than secondary summaries so you can verify claims directly.