Photo Candle Use and Care Guide:
Please be extremely careful when unpacking your new photo candle. The candle can be easily damaged by sharp objects.
Keep your photo candle out of direct sunlight. In order to be environmentally responsible we avoid the use of harsh chemicals when creating your candle, so prolonged exposure to direct sunlight can fade the water based inks used to create your candle. Also, prolonged exposure to direct sunlight may generate enough heat to melt the surface of the candle thereby obscuring the image underneath the wax.
Never leave a burning candle unattended. Although the likelihood of a photo candle causing a fire in your home is very small, it is never a good idea to leave a candle of any type burning while you are not present.
Do not burn your photo candle for more than 3-4 hours at a time. This is especially important if you are burning the wick of the photo candle itself. If you are burning a tealight candle inserted into the photo candle (as described below) then it is OK to burn it as long as you wish since no damage to the "shell" of the photo candle will occur.
Never burn the last 1/2 inch of a photo candle. This is too close to the bottom of the photo candle and may result in damage to whatever surface the candle is sitting on if the liquid wax spills out. This may also present a fire hazard.
Always burn your photo candle on a protected heat-resistant surface.
Always keep the photo candle wick centered within the candle and trimmed to 1/4 inch. Keeping the wick centered in the candle will prevent the flame from getting too close to the edges of the candle and melting through the outer wax shell. Keeping the wick trimmed to 1/4 inch will keep the wick from producing smoke.
When lighting your photo candle for the first time, allow a few hours of burning time before you have to extinguish the flame. This will allow the wax pool to grow to an appropriate size, but please do not let the wax pool get any closer than 1/4 inch to the candle's edge. Then extinguish the flame and allow the wax pool to harden completely before relighting. This process will prevent leaking by building a strong "shell" around the outer perimeter of your photo candle and will also enhance the backlight effect that the flame will have on the image printed on the photo candle. Again, please do not burn your photo candle for more than 3-4 hours at a time unless you are using a tealight candle inserted into the photo candle as described below.
You can prolong the life of your photo candle by allowing the candle to burn down 1 to 2 inches into the "shell" and then placing a self-contained tealight candle into the hole and lighting it instead of the wick of the photo candle. When the wax of the tealight candle is used up just pull it out and put a new one in! This will allow your photo candle to remain in use indefinitely. For the best viewing experience, choose a tealight candle that comes in a clear plastic cup so that the light can penetrate downwards into the photo candle making it glow from within and providing a beautiful backlight for your photograph.
