Birthday Gifts: The World On The Day They Were Born
Their hometown, exactly as it looked from space on the day they arrived.
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Why a satellite print works as a birthday gift
The strongest birthday version of this print is not the person’s current address — it is their hometown on their date of birth. It shows a place that has usually changed a great deal since, frozen at the moment they entered it. For anyone born from 1984 onward there is a real satellite capture of that place from that period, and most people have never seen it.
- It reaches back further than photographs of the person usually do, and shows a version of their hometown they cannot remember.
- It works especially well for milestone birthdays — 30th, 40th, 50th — where the gap between then and now is the point.
- It is a strong gift for a parent or grandparent, where the hometown has changed beyond recognition.
- Nobody else gives it, and it is difficult to guess in advance.
A note on older birthdays
The satellite archive starts in 1984, so birthdays from 1984 onward can be printed. Dates from 1984 to 2011 use Landsat 4–5 imagery at 30 m resolution — noticeably softer and more painterly than modern captures, which suits a print about the past. There is a gap in 2012 (the only satellite operating had a hardware fault that leaves visible striping) and no usable coverage before 1984. For a birthday outside those ranges, a milestone date — a significant birthday, or the year they moved — is the usual alternative.
Sizes and pricing
Framed prints are made on archival matte art paper in a black frame, in 12×16", 18×24", 24×36" — $69 to $149. A full-resolution digital download is $6, on its own or added to a framed print.
Start your printFrequently asked questions
Can I get a print from before 1984?
No. Consistent global satellite imagery begins with the Landsat archive in 1984, and there is nothing usable before that. For an earlier birth year, most people choose a later milestone instead — a significant birthday, a wedding, or the year they emigrated.
Why can I not choose a date in 2012?
In 2012 the only Landsat satellite collecting was Landsat 7, whose scan line corrector had failed — its imagery carries permanent diagonal gaps. Rather than ship a print with visible striping we exclude the year entirely. 2013 onward is fine.
How different does older imagery look?
Considerably. Pre-2015 captures are 30 m per pixel rather than 10 m, so the image is softer and the colours are less saturated. It reads as a painting more than a photograph. For a birth-year print most people consider that a feature.
Can I print somewhere the person has never lived?
Of course — the print works for anywhere on Earth. A place they love, a place they are about to move to, or a place from a trip all work as well as a hometown.
Popular places to print
We print anywhere on Earth. These are the places people ask for most:
Other occasions
Also popular as gifts: