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| Optimizing Print Quality and Increasing Image Resolution Through Resampling |
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The majority of images in our collection are provided in 300 DPI. Print quality of hard lines in images and text/fonts can be improved for commercial/business applications with resolutions at 300 (DPI). This is acheived by resampling an image with a graphics program. Although a DPI range of 250-300 is recommended for professional applications, better results can be obtained by resampling images to the base DPI used by your printer. Refer to your printer user guide to determine the base DPI resolution setting.
If you download images or clipart that are not in 300 DPI, you will need to resample those images before pasting them onto a 300 DPI image.
Before purchasing a membership for business application, you should download a sample of our designs to ensure that they are compatible with your graphics software. Use the tips provided on this page to increase DPI, then test print to ensure that you are satisfied with the results. Samples are located Here.
Printer Color Resolution:
The designs on the site (and the web in general) are created in .jpg RGB
mode. The majority of printers print in CYMK mode, which has a limitation
on the range of colors. Colors that are not in the range of CYMK mode
convert to the nearest color. This is more noticeable in larger sections of solid colors. Fortunately, some printers offer the option of switching to RGB mode. A second option is to convert the image to CYMK prior to
printing. Programs like Adobe Photo Shop allow you to select the color for
colors that are out of CYMK range during conversion.
In addition to DPI settings, different brands of photo quality paper contain a variety of coatings (clay, enamel, high-gloss chemical "cast" coating, etc.) that influence ink dispersion and absorption which affect final print quality. To produce optimal printing results, you should test print an image on different brands of paper to find one that works best with your printer. Excess ink absorption and poor ink dispersion will result in poor print quality regardless of image resolution.
DPI resolution can be increased for business applications by resampling the image with a graphics program. Instructions for resampling images to 300 DPI resolution using Adobe PhotoShop and PaintShop Pro are provided below. You will need to modify the setting if you resample to higher resolutions to match your printer base DPI setting.
PhotoShop 6.0.1
Click "File", "Open" and open the image
Click "Image", "Mode", "RGB Color"
Click "Image", "Image Size"
Enter "300" in "Resolution" and set your print dimensions (see chart below)
Check "Resample" and "Bicubic", then click "OK"
You are now ready to apply text and photos
PaintShop Pro 7.0
Click "File", "Open" and open the image
Click "Image", "Resize"
Check "Actual/print size" and enter "300" in "Resolution" and set your print dimensions (see chart below)
Set "Resize type" to "Bicubic resample"
Check "Resize all layers" and "Maintain aspect ratio...", then click "OK"
You are now ready to apply text and photos
Determining your print dimensions
You can find the image's print size by dividing it's pixel dimensions by the dpi. Below is a chart for each layout in our collection.
| Layout | Print Dimensions (W X H) |
Candy Bar Wrapper | 5.25 X 5.5 |
Invitation | 7 X 5 (as invitation/wine label/greeting card/menu/etc)
5 X 3 (as recipe card/large jar & candle label)
3.5 X 2.5 (as placecard setting/gift tag/etc) |
Mini Wrapper | 1.38 X 2.88 |
Matchbook Cover | 1.75 X 5.09 |
Additional Image Optimization Techniques
When resizing print size after resampling an image to a higher resolution, resize only the height or the width with "Maintain aspect ratio...." checked so that it will be resized to the scale of the original image. Otherwise the "Resize" will result in a certain amount of image distortion rather than maintaining the scale of the original image.
Another technique to clarifying detail (is you are using Paint Shop Pro) is to use "Unsharp Mask" (radius "3", strength "65", clipping "16" - adjust based on your preferences). If you are experiencing a color wash when printing, you can increase color saturation by using "Hue Map" and setting "Saturation Shift" to "19" (or lower depending on your preferences).
You may need to resize the image to fit the new layout. The goal in resizing images is to retain as much image clarity as possible. If you lose image clarity after a resize, undo the resize and do the following:
Apply Effects >> Noise >> Edge Preserving Smooth (set this to "1" for a 100 dpi image, "7" for a 300 dpi image, etc.). Now resize your image to the size needed for your project. If you find that you still need to correct the image after resizing, apply Effects >> Sharpen >> Unsharp Mask and modify the settings until you are satisfied with the clarity of the image.
Important things to know when working with .jpg images
The tips work with any images, not just those on our site and will help in modifying images so that their print quality meets your specifications.
Saving .jpg images:
When editing and saving .jpg images, always ensure that the jpg compression
rate option is set to it's lowest value to reduce the amount of artifact
(noise) that .jpg compression creates.
Image Clarity
Images that are saved in .jpg can contain "artifact" (noise) that occurs
even when the compression rate is set to the lowest setting. With the
majority of illustrative images, the changes are not discernable. In the
event that .jpg format reduces clarity which becomes noticeable with
printing, here are two quick steps to improve clarity to meet your
preferences. The settings provided are merely suggestions and should be
changed to meet your preferences.
In PaintShop Pro (for 300 dpi images):
Effects >> Noise >> Edge Preserving Smooth >> Amount of smoothing "4"
then
Effects >> Sharp >> Unsharp Mask >> Radius "1" Strength "250" Clipping "1"
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