![web image resolution 72 or 96 web image resolution 72 or 96](https://thirdave.co.uk/media/zd1px45j/72-cafe-3rd-ave-96-d-p-i-rgb-for-web-screen-resolution-only-simon-pepper-photography-2020-37.jpg)
Keeping a master file will allow you to easily export the recommended size and resolution a printer needs. I also think it’s a good idea to have a high resolution, 200-300DPI, and save this version as your master design file. So, when creating new designs make them with as many pixels as possible. There are so many different printing machines, processes, and calibrations, that it’s best to take the recommendation of the printer as their goal is to print your work at an optimal resolution for the setup they have. If you happen to be given exact pixel dimensions but also a target DPI/PPI, this could be based on a recommendation of the machine the printer is using. If they only need 150DPI you can always adjust. So if you’re commissioned to make a design that is going to be 16″ x 20″, it’s a good idea to aim for 300DPI just to be safe. However, with some projects you only have a target print size. We give you a breakdown of the pixel dimensions for each product, as recommended by the printers, which makes it much easier to deal with. Using a high DPI also allows a printer to have more room to adjust, if you should ever want you work printed on billboard for example.Īnother reason it’s good to think about PPI, is that you don’t always have exact pixel dimensions to work with. This is one of the reasons why it’s still good to think about using a PPI that allows for these changes. Depending on the viewing distance the DPI can be lower. Whoa, but that’s how billboards are printed, with a really low DPI. The 72DPI has a target of 5.5 x 6.9 inches, the 300DPI a target of 1.3 x 1.6 inches, and the 1DPI a target of 400 x 500 inches.
![web image resolution 72 or 96 web image resolution 72 or 96](https://cloud.netlifyusercontent.com/assets/344dbf88-fdf9-42bb-adb4-46f01eedd629/3ac03533-30f7-4e8a-8fa1-8ad843a29bcd/7-css-absolute-units.png)
![web image resolution 72 or 96 web image resolution 72 or 96](https://d3i71xaburhd42.cloudfront.net/aba7c3502fb9d429cae7a25c433f181029144653/7-Table4-1.png)
If you look again at the examples above, while they all have the same pixel dimensions, the PPI denotes different printing targets. For reference, PPI is used in Photoshop and other programs and while it is not directly related to DPI since pixels can technically be printed at any size, PPI is still a method for targeting print size of your works, and that is worth noting here. So why deal with DPI at all? Well, there are a few reasons why it’s still good to think about DPI/PPI. This is why many have referred to worrying about DPI as pointless when it comes to sizing digital images, as what is truly important is the actual pixel dimensions. When it comes to screen resolution, 400px wide is 400px wide no matter what the DPI/PPI is set at. All three files are 400px wide and all three are 152kb in size. You will notice all three look identical, however the one on the left is 300DPI, middle is 72DPI, and on the right 1DPI.
![web image resolution 72 or 96 web image resolution 72 or 96](https://i.stack.imgur.com/0nTri.png)
Each of the images seen below are 400×500 pixels. Hopefully the below example featuring work by Madkobra, will help illustrate this. Well, this isn’t entirely true especially when dealing with how you view images on a screen. For example, you may have heard “300 DPI” mentioned when it comes to optimal printing resolutions. DPI refers to the density of dots per inch when printing.Įvery printer has a different resolution it can handle, and depending on the process the resolution can be changed allowing for different sizes when printing. However, this can get confusing as resolution can be measured in multiple ways Pixels Per Inch (PPI) when it comes to computer screens and Dots Per Inch (DPI) when it comes to printer resolution. This goal when designing should always be to create high-resolution files, which refers to the sharpness and clarity of an image.