Print Resolution
What Is Print Resolution?
Print resolution is how much image detail lands in each inch of a printed piece. Print shops state it in DPI, dots per inch, and for an image file they mean pixels per inch, which the DPI vs. PPI page explains. Most ask for 300 at the size the image prints, a figure that comes from the halftone screens presses print with.
The number is not fixed to a file. It depends on the image’s pixel count and the space it takes up on the page, so the same photo can be fine on a postcard and soft on a poster. In CE.SDK, the scene’s DPI setting turns inches and millimeters into pixels when you export.
Is 300 DPI Enough for Every Print?
For photos, yes. Black-and-white line art needs more, and vector artwork needs no resolution at all.
| Resolution at print size | |
|---|---|
| Photos and illustrations | 300 PPI |
| Black-and-white line art | 600 to 1,200 PPI |
| Logos, type, and shapes | Vector, sharp at any size |
How Does Scaling Change Print Resolution?
Enlarging an image in a layout spreads the same pixels over more paper, so its effective resolution drops. Shrinking it raises the resolution. Here is a 300 PPI photo placed at three sizes.
300 PPI
At 100%
sharp even in your hands
200 PPI
At 150%
fine on a poster a meter away
150 PPI
At 200%
soft up close, fine across a room
How Do You Fix a Low-Resolution Image?
Upscaling software adds pixels, not detail, so a blurry photo stays blurry at a higher number. These three fixes work.
Use the original file
Copies saved from websites, social media, and messaging apps are shrunk to load quickly. The camera original has the pixels a print needs.
Print it smaller
The same pixels over less paper raise the resolution. The DPI vs. PPI page shows how to work out the largest size that stays sharp.
Switch to a vector version
Logos, type, icons, and line art built from paths instead of pixels stay sharp at any size. Use an SVG or PDF version whenever one exists.
How Does CE.SDK Handle Print Resolution?
Pick the scene’s DPI
Use a print unit such as millimeters, then give the scene a DPI, usually 300. It decides how many pixels each inch gets when the design exports, and DPI vs. PPI walks through the settings.
Flag low-resolution images while customers design
On the web, the design validation starter kit adds a low-resolution check. It flags images that may look pixelated at the target resolution, so the customer can swap them before ordering.
Pick how PDFs handle photos
With the high-compatibility option on, CE.SDK rasterizes bitmap images at the scene’s DPI, which keeps them consistent across PDF viewers. With it off, unmodified JPEG photos go into the PDF with their original data, and images it can’t embed directly, such as photos with effects applied, are rasterized.
Low-Resolution Warnings on Canvas Prints and Business Cards
Phone photos on canvas prints
A customer drags a phone photo across a large canvas print. The low-resolution check warns before checkout, so they can pick a smaller size or a sharper photo.
Logo uploads on business cards
Customers add their company logo to a business card. A small image upload gets a warning, while an SVG version prints sharp at any size.
FAQs
Usually not. Images saved for websites and social media are made small so pages load fast, and they rarely have enough pixels to print sharply beyond a few inches. Go back to the original photo or a high-resolution export instead.
Not visibly. At reading distance the eye can't pick out detail beyond about 300 PPI, so a 600 PPI photo prints no sharper, while its file is about four times larger and slower to upload. Black-and-white line art is the exception.
A PDF has no single resolution. Text, shapes, and vector logos stay sharp at any size, so the 300 PPI rule applies to the photos and other images placed inside it, measured at their printed size.
Links
Documentation and references for this concept.