{"id":4585,"date":"2019-06-20T20:15:13","date_gmt":"2019-06-20T20:15:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.printivity.com\/insights\/?p=548"},"modified":"2025-07-30T18:43:44","modified_gmt":"2025-07-30T18:43:44","slug":"what-resolution-should-i-use-for-printing-answer-300-ppi","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/insights.printivity.com\/what-resolution-should-i-use-for-printing-answer-300-ppi","title":{"rendered":"What Resolution Should be Used for Printing?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>Resolution is a frequently asked question amongst Printivity printing customers. It is a word that is used constantly when speaking about digital files. \u00a0A low resolution image is a common issue, but is considered a\u00a0 \u201cdesign error\u201d that can delay an order. The only way to fix this issue is to replace it with a higher print resolution image or file.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>But how do you know which print resolution is best? For print, documents with a 300 PPI resolution are ideal. Here\u2019s why.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">What does 300 PPI in print mean?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>300 PPI means \u201c<a href=\"https:\/\/www.printivity.com\/insights\/resolution-matters-design-files-at-300-pixels-per-inch\">300 pixels per inch<\/a>\u201d. PPI is the measure of the resolution for a digital image. You may see DPI be used interchangeably, but there is a difference. Dots Per Inch (DPI) is the measurement used to determine print resolution. Learn more about <a href=\"https:\/\/www.printivity.com\/insights\/dpi-vs-ppi\">DPI vs PPI<\/a> in this link, but you will only need to focus on PPI for the purpose of this article.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>What does it mean for your <a href=\"https:\/\/www.printivity.com\/help-center\/file-design-questions\">file design<\/a>? Well, let\u2019s say that you\u2019re designing a file which is 8.5\u201d wide and 11\u201d tall. Since every inch contains 300 pixels, that means that your 8.5\u201dx11\u201d file should be:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>2550 pixels wide (300 pixels\/inch * 8.5 inches) and<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>3300 pixels tall (300 pixels\/inch * 11 inches)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><strong><em>We recommend setting the print resolution in your image editor (i.e. Photoshop) to 300 pixels per inch before starting to design your file. <\/em><\/strong><em>Increasing the print resolution after you start will still result in blurriness\/pixellation. <em>While 300 is a good PPI for printing standard documents,<\/em><\/em> c<em>onsider increasing your file resolution to 600 PPI for more detailed graphics.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.printivity.com\/landing\/insights\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" height=\"256\" width=\"1024\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.printivity.com\/insights\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/BannerPostcards-1024x256.png?resize=1024%2C256&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"Get 20% off your first order at Printivity banner ad\" class=\"wp-image-2647\"\/><\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">300 PPI is the standard print resolution for quality<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>300 PPI is the optimal printing resolution for <a href=\"https:\/\/www.printivity.com\/insights\/whats-the-difference-between-offset-printing-versus-digital-printing\">digital printing<\/a> presses. This issue applies to all print products, from small products like <a href=\"https:\/\/www.printivity.com\/business-cards\">business cards<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.printivity.com\/marketing\/postcards\">postcards<\/a> to larger products like <a href=\"https:\/\/www.printivity.com\/booklets\">booklet printing<\/a> and a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.printivity.com\/marketing\/folders\">pocket folder<\/a>. Designing with a printer resolution lower than 300 PPI creates blurry images and excessive pixellation. On the other hand, there is no point in designing at higher than 300 PPI for a print project. As far as the eye can tell, there will be no difference in print quality. Additionally, it will significantly bloat your file size (making it more time-consuming to upload\/download your files).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">What to do if you can\u2019t design your print files at 300 PPI resolution<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>The general rule is to use 300 PPI for printing, but we also know that sometimes <em>you just don\u2019t have the ability to edit your designs<\/em>. If you can\u2019t design your print files at 300 PPI, there are a couple steps you need to take to see if the low resolution will work for you.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The first thing you need to do is to ask if your prints are critical to have the best PPI for printing; in other words: can you live with lower print quality? For example, many <a href=\"https:\/\/www.printivity.com\/copies\/color-copies\">color copies<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.printivity.com\/marketing\/flyers\">flyers<\/a> are looked at once then thrown away. If you can live with low resolution images, just go ahead and print it. If you\u2019re concerned, you can always ask your customer service representative how the lower-resolution print can do. We recommend ordering a physical proof so you can see for yourself (you can try printing it out on a desktop printer to preview it instantly). <strong>Don\u2019t be too attached to a single image or graphic.<\/strong> You can easily find a similar image with a higher resolution that will print with better quality.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>If you have the capability to do so (or if image quality is an absolute must), do is to do a redesign of your file. You would need to redesign from scratch, starting at an image resolution of 300 PPI. You could: redesign the entire document, redesign just the pages with photographs and illustrations (text usually isn\u2019t affected by low resolution), or redesign just the covers (to save you time).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Get a complimentary file check from Printivity!<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Before printing your file and risking being unhappy with your files resolution, receive a complimentary <a href=\"https:\/\/www.printivity.com\/contact-us\">file check<\/a>! Every order placed with Printivity receives a file check and digital proof. We do not print your file until you fully approve your file because we want to make sure our customers are 100% satisfied with their product. But if you are not ready to commit to an order yet, email your file to service@printivity for a complimentary file check! <\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Need more help?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Printivity offers <a href=\"https:\/\/www.printivity.com\/design-services\">graphic design services<\/a> to help you at any stage. Whether it&#8217;s creating an image with a good resolution for printing or designing the whole product, we got you covered. You will work with our professional graphic designers to make your vision come to life on paper.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-gallery has-nested-images columns-default is-cropped wp-block-gallery-2 is-layout-flex wp-block-gallery-is-layout-flex\">\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" height=\"768\" width=\"1024\" decoding=\"async\" data-id=\"1948\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.printivity.com\/insights\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/PhotoRetouch_SS_pg47_v3-1024x768.jpg?resize=1024%2C768&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"Stack of saddle stitch booklet templates\" class=\"wp-image-1948\"\/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Shop Saddle Stitch Booklets at Printivity<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" decoding=\"async\" data-id=\"1793\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.printivity.com\/insights\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/presentation-folders-pdp.jpg?ssl=1\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-1793\"\/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Shop Folders at Printivity<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" decoding=\"async\" data-id=\"1776\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.printivity.com\/insights\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/Postcards_Transparent.png?ssl=1\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-1776\"\/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Shop Postcards at Printivity<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-buttons is-horizontal is-content-justification-center is-layout-flex wp-container-core-buttons-is-layout-499968f5 wp-block-buttons-is-layout-flex\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-button\"><a class=\"wp-block-button__link has-background wp-element-button\" href=\"https:\/\/www.printivity.com\/products\" style=\"background-color:#ef4129\">Shop at Printivity.com Now<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Resolution is a frequently asked question amongst Printivity printing customers. It is a word that is used constantly when speaking [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":571,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[2,3,10,15],"tags":[24,95,170,185,318,340,341,367,398,425],"class_list":["post-4585","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-design","category-design_tips_and_tutorials","category-print_ready_files","category-vocabulary_and_terms","tag-300-ppi","tag-business-owners","tag-design","tag-digital-printing","tag-online-printing","tag-pixels","tag-pixels-per-inch","tag-print-ready-files","tag-resolution","tag-small-business"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/insights.printivity.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/Pixels-1.jpg?fit=1823%2C1536&ssl=1","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/pgont1-1bX","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/insights.printivity.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4585","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/insights.printivity.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/insights.printivity.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/insights.printivity.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/insights.printivity.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=4585"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/insights.printivity.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4585\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":10002,"href":"https:\/\/insights.printivity.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4585\/revisions\/10002"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/insights.printivity.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/571"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/insights.printivity.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4585"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/insights.printivity.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=4585"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/insights.printivity.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=4585"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}