Tag Archives: open image

While everyone has a camera and a computer, not everyone knows what is required to get images into print. Below are the main components that you need to know.

1. Resolution relates to the number of pixels that go to make up the image file and is measured in dots per inch (dpi). The higher the dpi, the higher the image quality.

2. ‘High Res’ generally means a resolution of 300dpi or greater, suitable for offset printing, brochures, photos and large wall prints. But this does not tell you the dimensions of the image.

3. ‘Low Res’ generally means a resolution of 72dpi, only suitable for the web and previewing. But again this does not tell you the dimensions of the image.

4. Image size refers to the actual dimensions of the image at a set resolution. eg A4 hi Res is 29.7 x 21cm @ 300dpi A4 Low res is 29.7 x 21cm @ 72dpi

5. File size is measured in kilobytes (kb) or megabytes (mb). But the file size does not tell you the dimensions or resolution of an image. (see image size)

6. File compression vs Open image file. As an example a 25mb Image file (photo) opened in your favorite image editor can be saved as the following file sized jpegs 5.8mb, 2.5mb, 1.4mb and 736kb. Size depends on the Jpeg compression used, the more compression the lesser the quality.

7. When requesting a digital image, you should know what the file is to be used for!

a) What size do you want the final image to be? eg A4, A3, wall size.

b) How is the image to be used? Will it be a photographic print, in a brochure or on a website? (This tells us the resolution and colourspace required)

c) What file format required – Jpeg, Tiff, EPS, PDF. Ask for Jpeg unless otherwise instructed.

Feel free to contact us for more information.