Printing Resolution

To put it simply, resolution is the amount of detail that you can see on a television or computer screen, or in a photograph. Resolution is determined by the number of pixels (dots) in the picture, and is expressed in dpi or dots per inch, with the higher dpi, the greater resolution, which means better quality of the image. However, you are advised to be conscious here as too high resolution pictures make the size of the file larger.

The best resolution for printed images is 300 dpi. As for printed text, choose 400 dpi. Mind that your screen resolution and the resolution of printed materials will always differ because monitor displays usually have about 72 to 116 picks per inch. If you want to see how your materials will look like after printing, zoom them in 300-400%.

Image resolution is directly and inversely proportional to an image's physical size. When you lower the resolution of an image, enlarge its size and vice versa.

If you want to have high resolution images, set your digital camera to the highest resolution when taking pictures to make printing materials. It's a good idea to save your images file formats such as .tif or.eps, which ensure that the quality of the image will remain perfect.

Convert RGB pictures to CMYK using graphics editing software such as Adobe Photoshop.

Hints

• The RGB color model is an additive color model in which red, green, and blue lights are added together in various ways to reproduce a broad array of colors. The main purpose of the RGB color model is for the sensing, representation, and display of images in electronic systems, such as televisions and computers, though it has also been used in conventional photography.
  
• The CMYK color model, often referred to as process color or four color, is a subtractive color model, used in color printing, also used to describe the printing process itself. CMYK refers to the four inks used in most color printing: cyan, magenta, yellow, and key (black).