An image that looks good on screen may not look good in print. If it appears sharp on your monitor but becomes pixelated when printed, the issue is usually the image resolution.

This guide explains resolution requirements for printing and how to avoid low-quality results.

Key Takeaways

• For most print jobs, prepare artwork at 300 PPI (minimum).
• PPI is for digital images; DPI refers to print output.
• Zoom your PDF to 300%–400% to spot pixelation before printing.
• Low-resolution images usually need replacing (they cannot be “fixed” fully).

What is image resolution?

Resolution describes image quality. A high-resolution image appears sharp and detailed, while a low-resolution image looks blurred or pixelated.

Resolution is commonly measured as pixels per inch (PPI) on screen and dots per inch (DPI) in print. The more image data available, the finer the printed result.

What resolution is required?

The industry standard for digital artwork is a minimum of 300 PPI. This provides enough image detail for high-quality print output (commonly equivalent to 300 DPI printing).

How to create high-resolution artwork

If you’re creating artwork in design software, set the resolution from the start. Most programs will ask for canvas size and X (horizontal) resolution and Y (vertical) resolution.

Ensure X and Y resolution values are the same (or locked) so resolution is consistent in both directions. Select the unit pixels/in (PPI/DPI), and for most commercial print work use 300.

If you’re not designing from scratch, always check the resolution of any images you place into your artwork.

How to check resolution

File size can be a rough indicator, but a practical method is to preview your artwork by zooming in. For example, view a PDF at 300% or 400%—this often shows how it may look once printed.

What if parts of the artwork are low resolution?

Unfortunately, if an image used in your artwork is low resolution, it is usually difficult to fix. A designer may improve an image slightly, but if there isn’t enough detail, it cannot become truly sharp.

The best solution is to replace low-resolution images with higher-quality versions. This may mean requesting a designer to recreate the image, or using high-resolution stock images.

If you need help rebuilding artwork, our in-house design team can assist. Contact us for a quote and we’ll help you prepare print-ready artwork.

Another option is to “risk it” and print as-is. This may be acceptable for very large items viewed from a distance, but we do not recommend it if you want a clean, crisp result.

What if some elements are vector but the rest is low-resolution?

This usually means the wrong export settings were used when saving to JPEG or PDF. For example, Adobe InDesign export settings may be incorrect, or the PDF may have been generated from an MS Word file.

Creating artwork in MS Word is generally not recommended. If exporting from InDesign, ensure export resolution is set to at least 300 PPI and compression is set to maximum quality.