{"id":1024,"date":"2026-07-04T06:32:06","date_gmt":"2026-07-04T04:32:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/printiteasy.eu\/image-resolution-dpi\/"},"modified":"2026-08-31T12:54:37","modified_gmt":"2026-08-31T10:54:37","slug":"image-resolution-dpi","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/printiteasy.eu\/en\/knowledge-base\/supplying-files\/image-resolution-dpi\/","title":{"rendered":"Image resolution and dpi: how to get sharp printing"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">A photo that looks sharp on your screen can turn out grainy in print. That comes down to <strong>image resolution<\/strong>: the resolution your file needs in order to print sharply. Where a screen is happy with 72 ppi, printing asks for 300 dpi. Knowing the difference means supplying sharp files.<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-large has-custom-border\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"683\" src=\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/hero-kunstboeken-1024x683.jpg\" alt=\"Image resolution and dpi: how to get sharp printing\" class=\"wp-image-146\" style=\"border-radius:14px\" title=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/printiteasy.eu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/hero-kunstboeken-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/printiteasy.eu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/hero-kunstboeken-600x400.jpg 600w, https:\/\/printiteasy.eu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/hero-kunstboeken-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/printiteasy.eu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/hero-kunstboeken-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/printiteasy.eu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/hero-kunstboeken.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">What is dpi?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Dpi stands for dots per inch: the number of printed dots per inch. For sharp printing you need at least 300 dpi at the size at which the image is printed. On a screen 72 dpi is enough, and that is exactly why a web image often disappoints in print.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Calculating at actual size<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Important: 300 dpi applies at the final size. A 300 dpi photo that you print twice as large effectively becomes 150 dpi and therefore less sharp. So do not enlarge an image substantially after you have placed it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Practical tips<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Use original photos in high resolution, not downloaded web images.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Check the effective resolution after placing and scaling.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Avoid enlarging small images; detail that is not there does not come back.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Supply your file as a PDF with images at a minimum of 300 dpi.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Not sure whether your image is sharp enough? We check your file before production and warn you if the resolution is too low.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Image resolution when enlarging<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">With <strong>image resolution<\/strong> the biggest mistake is printing a small image large. An image from the internet is often 72 dpi and looks fine on your screen, but on A4 it becomes blocky. Enlarging in software does not help: the missing information cannot be brought back.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">So work with print-quality images from the start. Photograph or scan at high resolution and keep the originals, so that you can print larger later without loss of quality. You can find more technical background on resolution at <a href=\"https:\/\/www.pdfa.org\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">the PDF Association<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Work it out for your own image. A photo of 1200 by 800 pixels is fine on half an A5, but place it full page on A4 and the resolution drops to roughly half, and you see the pixels. So always calculate at actual size: pixels divided by the desired width in inches gives you the real dpi.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Software that &ldquo;upscales&rdquo; a photo invents the missing pixels. These days that can work surprisingly well for landscapes and flat backgrounds, but with text in a photo, hair and fine patterns you see it immediately. Rather go back to the original or to the photographer than stretch a small file.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">When 300 dpi is not necessary<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The rule of thumb of 300 dpi applies to photos you look at from close up, such as in a book you hold in your hands. For print you see from a distance it can be less: a poster on the wall gets away with 150 dpi perfectly well. Conversely, line work asks for more. A logo, a map or a scan of a drawing only becomes really sharp at 600 to 1200 dpi, or better still: supply it as a vector file, and resolution stops being an issue altogether.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Finally, pay attention to where your image comes from. Images from a website are almost always 72 dpi and too small for print, even though they look sharp on your screen. Screenshots have the same problem. When in doubt, ask for the original file; that saves disappointment once the book is printed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Frequently asked questions about image resolution and dpi<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<details class=\"wp-block-details is-layout-flow wp-block-details-is-layout-flow\"><summary>What dpi do I need for print?<\/summary>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">300 dpi at actual size is the standard for sharp printing. For black-and-white line work 600 dpi or higher is better.<\/p>\n<\/details>\n\n\n\n<details class=\"wp-block-details is-layout-flow wp-block-details-is-layout-flow\"><summary>Can I use an image from the internet?<\/summary>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Usually not. Web images are often 72 dpi and too small for sharp printing. Use the original in high resolution.<\/p>\n<\/details>\n\n\n\n<details class=\"wp-block-details is-layout-flow wp-block-details-is-layout-flow\"><summary>What is the difference between dpi and ppi?<\/summary>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Ppi is screen resolution (pixels per inch), dpi is print resolution (dots per inch). For supplying print files, the effective dpi at print size is what counts.<\/p>\n<\/details>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-buttons is-layout-flex wp-block-buttons-is-layout-flex\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-button\"><a class=\"wp-block-button__link wp-element-button\" href=\"https:\/\/printiteasy.eu\/en\/contact-en\/\">Get help with your file<\/a><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-button is-style-outline is-style-outline--1\"><a class=\"wp-block-button__link wp-element-button\" href=\"https:\/\/printiteasy.eu\/en\/knowledge-base\/supplying-files\/\">More about supplying files<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>A photo that looks sharp on your screen can turn out grainy in print. That comes down to image resolution: the resolution your file needs in order to print sharply. Where a screen is happy with 72 ppi, printing asks for 300 dpi. Knowing the difference means supplying sharp files. What is dpi? Dpi stands&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"parent":695,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"_kad_post_transparent":"","_kad_post_title":"","_kad_post_layout":"","_kad_post_sidebar_id":"","_kad_post_content_style":"","_kad_post_vertical_padding":"","_kad_post_feature":"","_kad_post_feature_position":"","_kad_post_header":false,"_kad_post_footer":false,"_kad_post_classname":"","footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-1024","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/printiteasy.eu\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/1024","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/printiteasy.eu\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/printiteasy.eu\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/printiteasy.eu\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/printiteasy.eu\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1024"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/printiteasy.eu\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/1024\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":6358,"href":"https:\/\/printiteasy.eu\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/1024\/revisions\/6358"}],"up":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/printiteasy.eu\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/695"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/printiteasy.eu\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1024"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}