Guide to Image Resolution
Resolution refers to the number of colored dots or pixels that make up an image.
It is commonly expressed in dpi or dots per inch.
Resolution Rules-of-thumb:
- The higher the dpi, the greater the resolution, the better the image quality. But don’t go overboard. Higher resolution images create larger file size.
- Image resolution is directly and inversely proportional to an image’s physical size. When you increase the resolution of an image, reduce its size. When you enlarge an image, lower the resolution. Otherwise, the image will print poorly.
- For printed images, the ideal resolution is 300 dpi for images and 400 dpi for text at the final printed size.
Here is a chart to help you determine the proper dimensions of your image at your desired print size and in the recommended resolution of 300 dpi.
PRINTED SIZE MIN. IMAGE DIMENSIONS IMAGE RESOLUTION
2” x 1.60” |
640 x 480 pixels |
300 dpi |
2" x 2" |
600 x 600 pixels |
300 dpi |
2.67” x 2” |
800 x 600 pixels |
300 dpi |
2" x 3" |
400 x 600 pixels |
300 dpi |
3.41" x 2.56" |
1024 x 768 pixels |
300 dpi |
4.27" x 3.20 |
1280 x 960 pixels |
300 dpi |
4” x 4” |
1200 x 1200 pixels |
300 dpi |
4" x 6" |
800 x 600 pixels |
300 dpi |
5.33" x 4.00" |
1600 x 1200 pixels |
300 dpi |
5" x 7" |
1000 x 1400 pixels |
300 dpi |
8” x 5.33” |
2400 x 1600 pixels |
300 dpi |
8" x 10" |
1600 x 2000 pixels |
300 dpi |
8.5” x 11” |
2550 x 3300 pixels |
300 dpi |
More Helpful Tips:
- Your screen resolution doesn’t accurately reflect your image resolution because monitor displays usually have about 72 to 116 ppi. To view print resolution of your image, zoom in up to 300-400%.
- When taking pictures from a digital camera for your print project, it’s best to set your camera to the highest resolution setting.
- Four-Color Process Printing uses the CMYK color mode. Convert RGB images to CMYK using graphics editing software such as Adobe Photoshop.
- Save your images in a lossless file format such as .tif and .eps to maintain accuracy and quality.
