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Archive for November 7th, 2009

Image Resolution For Web Design Print Design Projects

When graphic designers and printers start talking about image resolution most people’s eyes start to glaze over. While it’s true that image resolution sounds complicated and tricky and it certainly can be! understanding a few simple concepts about image resolution can make communicating with your web designer graphic designer or printer a bit easier and can make your next web design or print design project go more smoothly.

So what is resolution exactly?
In very simple terms an image’s resolution is measured by the number of pixels or dots per the unit of printed size in the image. When talking about screen images resolution is stated in pixels per inch ppi and when talking about printed images it’s stated in dots per inch dpi. Why you ask? Simple … screens use pixels and printers use dots.

Pixels
A pixel or Picture Element is simply a dot of color. When you put all of the pixels or dots of color together you get the full image. A 100 x 100 pixel image is actually comprised of 10000 individual pixels that when viewed together as a whole make up the image. The more pixels an image contains the more detail that image will have and the more “crisp” it will appear.

Images for the Web: 72 dpi
Most computer monitors display at 72 dpi. Therefore when preparing images for use on a website 72 dpi at final screen size is the norm. When it comes to web you want your images to be as small in file size as possible so that your pages load as quickly as possible. Reducing the resolution to 72 dpi will help to get your images as small in size as possible. Of course you can put up higher resolution images on a website but keep in mind that the more resolution an image has the larger it’s file size will be and the longer it will take to download and display on a web page.

Images for Print: 300 dpi
In print projects resolution is key. If the images that you include in a print project do not have high enough resolution they will appear fuzzy jagged or blurry. Most professional printers require a minimum of 300 dpi for all images at the final print size. However some printers require even higher resolution so it’s always a good idea to check with your printer on their recommended printing resolution. Generally the higher the resolution of your image is the better the quality of the image will be when printed.

Scanning Images or Digital Photos
You can certainly scan images or take photos with a digital camera for use in both a website and in print. The key is keeping in mind what physical size the images will need to be and the final resolution needed for example a 5″x7″ photo 300 dpi in a print piece or a 300 x 500 pixel image 72 dpi for a website etc..

If in doubt or you don’t know the final size or think you’d like to use the image in both print and on the web it’s better to scan or shoot the image at the highest resolution and downsize it later if needed. Remember that when it comes to resolution and size you can’t easily increase resolution you can only decrease it.

About the writer:  Caryl A. Clippinger is a graphic designer and a founder of Charlotte’s Web Studios L.L.C. a Virginia graphic design company. For more information about Charlotte’s Web Studios and additional graphic design tips and resources please visit http://www.CharlottesWebStudios.com.