DIGITAL IMAGINARIUM™

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Image Resolution Guidelines

In the many years that we have offered large-scale digital printing, the most notable concern encountered time and time again, is image resolution. When setting up your own files, we understand this part of the process can be confusing. Before you start creating your digital masterpiece, please reference the information below on how to get the best image-quality results to ensure the best print-quality results.

Hello & Welcome

There are 2 preferred types of programs used in large scale printing: Photoshop (raster file) & Illustrator (vector file).

File / Program Types

A raster graphic is an image made of hundreds (or thousands/millions) of tiny squares of color information, referred to as either pixels (when referenced on-screen) or dots (when referenced in printing).

Photoshop / Raster Graphics

PROS OF RASTER GRAPHICS

Rich Detail: The individual squares of color provide precise shading and detail in your photograph. The more dpi your image contains, the more subtle details will be noticeable.

Precise Editing: All of those individual pixels of color information can also be modified, one by one. So, the level of editing and customization available in a raster image is almost limitless.

CONS OF RASTER GRAPHICS

Blurry When Enlarged: The biggest downfall to raster images is that they become pixelated (aka grainy) when enlarged. Why? Well, there are a finite number of pixels in all raster images; when you enlarge a photo, the com-puter takes its best guess as to what specific colors should fill in the gaps. This interpolation of data causes the image to appear blurry since the computer has no way of knowing the exact shade of colors that should be inserted.

Large File Size: Your computer is processing a lot of data when using photographs at the scale (walls) we are printing for. This will slow down even the fastest machine. It is not unusual for a raster file to be over 100MB (megabytes).

COMMON TYPE

Photograph

PROGRAM PREFERRED

Photoshop

FILE FORMAT

jpg/jpeg, psd, png, tiff, bmp, gif

CONS OF VECTOR GRAPHICS

Limited Details: Because of the mathematical way that a vector remembers data, they are not practi-cal for complex images that require exact coloring.

Limited Effects: By definition, vector graphics are created from simple points and lines. This means they can’t handle certain styling effects, like blurring or a drop shadow, that are available with raster images.

A vector graphic uses math to draw shapes using points, lines and curves. A vector image will only contain four points, one for each corner; the computer will use math to “connect the dots” and fill in all of the missing information

PROS OF VECTOR GRAPHICS

Infinitely Scalable: Through the wonders of math, vector files can be scaled up or down as much as you want without losing any image quality. (we love vectors).

Small File Size: A vector file needs only four points of data to recreate a square. For simple graphics, like geometric shapes or typography, this means a much smaller file size and faster processing speed.

Edibility: Vector files are not “flat-tened.” When you re-open the file all of the original shapes exist separately on different layers; this means you can modify individual elements without affecting other objects in the image.

COMMON TYPE

fonts, logos, line art.

PROGRAM PREFERRED

Illustrator

FILE FORMAT

eps, ai, pdf

Think It. Make It. Live It. 800.433.0790 DLCouch.com

When placing photos into a Photoshop file (remember: file setup is at 75-150ppi), we recommend photos are at a high resolution (300ppi). This will help maintain quality results. It also depends on how much you are enlarging the photograph within the file (see artwork guidelines.pdf).

Placing Images In The File

Illustrator / Vector Graphics

A hi-resolution photo at 3in. x 8in. is then scaled to fill a wall that is 8ft x 22ft. This may not work even though the resolution is high. Why? Because you are asking that photo to fill an extremely large space it was not originally meant to fill, thus producing the blurry/pixelated look. If this occurs, we may need you to scale down the photo and add other photos to your design (so one photo isn’t “doing all the work”) or reselect the photo.

EXAMPLE:

crisp, clean image pixelated image