Print resolution in dpi
The term dpi is often used to describe the quality of printed documents and images. What is the meaning of this abbreviation? What does it have to do with resolution and how does it relate to the resolution of inkjet and laser printers? The answers to these questions can be found below.
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Definition: What does dpi stand for?
The acronym dpi stands for "dots per inch" and is a unit of measurement for image resolution. The amount of dots per inch plays an important role in printing and defines the print resolution of a printed product. The dot density is a measure of the level of detail in an image and is therefore important for the quality of the printout.
The right Print Resolution for each Printout
When it comes to choosing the right print resolution for a project, the distance between the printout and the person looking at it is probably the most important criterion. The basic rule is: The greater the viewing distance, the lower the print resolution. For brochures, documents, presentation folders and similar print products, the viewing distance is around 12 inches. In this case, the print resolution should be correspondingly high, at least 300 dpi.
For posters, billboards or banners in size A1 and A0, a viewing distance of at least two meters can be assumed. The print resolution should not be so high and can be set to about 50 dpi. Very larger posters look good with a resolution of only 20 dpi. However, if a large poster is viewed from close up, the individual dots (pixels) can be clearly seen. But this is not the case from a greater distance.
But there are also downsides to a high print resolution. Files with a very high resolution take up a lot of memory on the printer and longer waiting times may occure until the printing process starts. The printing process itself also takes longer. If the print job is outsourced to a third party company, the costs for the project may increase.
The right Print Resolution
Text documents:Photos and Images:
- A4 and smaller: 300 to 600 dpi
- A1 and DIN A0: 50 dpi
- Large format and super large format (larger than A0): 20 dpi
- A5 200 dpi (minimum 1166 x 1654 pixel)
- A4 150 dpi (minimum 1241 x 1754 pixel)
- A3 150 dpi (minimum 1754 x 2481 pixel)
- A2 100 dpi (minimum 1654 x 2339 pixel)
- A1 50 dpi (minimum 1170 x 1656 pixel)
- A0 50 dpi (minimum 1656 x 2341 pixel)
Inkjet Printer Resolution vs. Laser Printer Resolution
A printer at home or an office printer should be as inexpensive as possible, deliver high-quality printouts, work fast and be economical in terms of ink/toner and electricity. But not every printer can fulfill these requirements. Especially when it comes to high-resolution printing, many printers cannot keep up with others. If you want to print photos in very good, true-color quality, you should choose a inkjet printer. Inkjet printers offer a higher resolution than laser printers. In other words, the print quality with an inkjet printer is higher. This is particularly noticeable for printouts of photos. When special photo paper is used, the result of an inkjet printer is comparable to photoprints from a photographic laboratory in terms of vividness and depth of color - thanks to the high print resolution of the inkjet printer.
For text documents the print resolution of a laser printer is completely sufficient. When mainly text documents for private or business purposes are printed, the resolution of a laser printer provides very good sharpness and depth of color. Even high-quality graphics can be printed with a color laser printer in perfect color quality. But for photos the resolution of the laser printer is often not high enough. Whether the higher resolution of an inkjet printer makes the purchase of such a device worthwhile, should be considered before purchase. A cost-efficiency comparison of laser printers and inkjet printers shows that ink cartridges for inkjet printers are relatively cost-intensive. Anyone who wants to print more than 500 pages per year will notice the higher costs. On the other hand, if a lot of emphasis is placed on brilliant color photo prints, the costs of the inkjet printer could take a back seat. The decision whether to buy an inkjet or a laser printer depends on personal requirements and individual printing behavior.
How to tell which Print Resolution a Printer provides
Printer manufacturers provide a dpi value for each printer model they offer. This value indicates the maximum number of ink/toner dots that the printer can print per inch. Some manufacturers state two values for the print resolution (for example 5760 x 1440 dpi). These numbers mean that 5760 dots per inch (dpi) can be printed in a line and 1440 lines per inch (lpi) can be printed. This results in a maximum number of 8294400 dots in an area of one square inch. This high value results from a so-called interpolation (calculation by the computer) and has nothing to do with the actual print resolution on the paper.
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