Many of us have made the same mistake—you have a stock photo that looks clear and high quality on your desktop but then print it out blurry. While this is partially because of the number of pixels per inch (PPI), it’s also due to printing resolution. No matter how high your PPI is, your image won’t come out clear if your print resolution doesn’t match, especially when printing sizeable images on large format printers. To help you create crisp, clear images, take a closer look at what printing resolution is and why it matters for large format printers.
What Is Printing Resolution?
The term printing resolution simply refers to the number of dots per inch (DPI) of ink that your printer will place on your printing substrate. For example, if you set your printer’s resolution at 600 DPI, it will deposit 600 tiny dots of ink per inch of the entire print.
This means that the higher your DPI is, the more crisp, colorful, and detailed your print will be. Although your image may be 300 PPI, that does not mean your printing resolution is 300 DPI. Therefore, it’s important to manually change your printer settings when necessary.
Why Does Printing Resolution Matter?
Part of the reason why printing resolution matters for large format printers is that it’s vital to create clear images when printing large images or graphics. On smaller photos and graphics, you may be able to get away with lower-quality resolution, but on large images, pixelation will become much more obvious.
It’s also important to remember that your desktop may be automatically size the image to give you a better view. This does not mean the quality will come out the same when you print it. Manually changing the resolution settings on your large format printer will guarantee you get a higher-quality image. That said, even if your image’s PPI is low, you may be able to get a higher-quality image if you set your resolution right. Ideally, you want your DPI to be either the same or higher than your PPI.
What Is the Best Resolution for Large-Format Printers?
The best resolution to print at will vary depending on the size of your image, what you want it to look like, and the kind of printer you use. For smaller prints, you wouldn’t want to go lower than 300 DPI, but it’s a little different for large format printers. The file size for a 300 DPI resolution can be quite sizable on a large format printer. In many cases, you must account for viewing distance.
If people will be viewing your image or graphic from a distance, you can get away with a 100 DPI photo. It will look clear from across the room, but it may look slightly pixelated up close. However, if you intend for people to view your image up close and want it to be clear regardless of viewing distance, you’ll need a DPI of no less than 300. Often, it’s best to do a test print to determine your ideal DPI before printing out a final product.
At The Plotter Paper Guys, we understand how important it is to create clear, vibrant images for signs, posters, and other promotional materials. That’s why we have signage printers for sale so that you can create crisp marketing materials within your budget.
