May 13, 2015

Digital Pixel Resolution, or What is DPI?

Anything that is displayed digitally or in print has a resolution. This post will quickly explain what this means, and why it matters to you.

What you see on the screen you are reading this on is composed of tiny dots of color. The smaller they are, the crisper the image. The number of dots, or "pixels" across an inch (or other unit) is called the resolution. The same is true for anything that is digitally printed, which is common these days.

So what is a "good" resolution? The answer depends on how you are looking at it.

When printed, images should have a 300 DPI, or dots per inch. If an image has a resolution much lower than this, jagged edges will appear, and your marketing materials will not look professional.

When viewed on a screen in a browser, the standard is 72 DPI.

The images on the left have resolutions of 30, 72, and 300 DPI. Notice the difference?

This is an abbreviated version of a one-sheet informational flyer on image resolution that you can download as a PDF.

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