Tag Archives: resolution-for-quality-in-newspaper-advertising

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

To make it even more confusing, different resolutions are required for different purposes.

Web 72 dpi RGB

Brochure 300dpi CMYK

Newspaper advertising 240dpi CMYK

Poster (inkjet or offset) 300dpi CMYK

Wall prints (photographic or inkjet) 250-300dpi RGB / CMYK

On a computer screen, all that is needed to produce a large and clear image, is a resolution of 72 dpi (screen resolution).

Say your original file is 21 cm x 30 cm at 72dpi, it looks great on the screen.

But when it goes to print in a brochure, which requires a dpi of 300 dpi, the file will only print at ¼ of the original’s size.

This is why you sometimes run into the problem of the file looking good when viewed on the computer screen (which is essentially ‘low resolution’) and looking dreadful when it is run in print at the same dimensions, where it needs to be high resolution (300 dpi).