How large can I print?

WHAT IS MY FILE RESOLUTION?

The resolution of an image describes how tightly grouped the pixels/dots that form the image are. Resolution is expressed in either ppi (pixels per inch) or dpi (dots per inch). Although it is most accurate to describe digital images in ppi, resolution is typically expressed in dpi. The higher the number for the resolution the more crisp the image will appear. If the image is only ever going to be viewed on a screen or website a resolution of 72 dpi or 96 dpi is good as it will allow the image to load quickly for anyone who needs to view it. When printing an image a higher resolution is needed. There are limitations to how high a dpi a printer can print. For true to life images we recommend a dpi of 300 and we are not able to print above that. Images with a dpi of 180 will print well and images at 125 dpi  will print acceptably. We do not recommend a resolution lower than 125 dpi for printing. There are different steps to checking an image’s resolution depending on the operating system of the computer.

MAC

1. Open the image in Preview
2. Select Tools from the Markup Toolbar
3. Select Adjust Size 
• A popup should appear labeled Image Dimensions
4. Locate Resolution
• The number in the box is the current resolution of the image.

WINDOWS

1. Right-click on the digital file 
2. Choose Properties in the dropdown
3. Click on the Details tab 
4. Locate Horizontal Resolution and Vertical Resolution under the Image heading
1. The numbers next to Horizontal Resolution and Vertical Resolution are the resolution of the image and should match each other.

 

PIXEL DIMENSIONS

This is the low-resolution warning - If you are receiving this low-resolution warning, that is an indication your image file is not large enough for the print size you are choosing. Therefore, we highly recommend double-checking your image file specs: resolution, pixel dimension, and image size. Once you have this information, we recommend cross-referencing the data to our Pixel Chart.

Upon clicking this link, you will be shown the pixel chart. If you scroll to the bottom of the page, there is a link to a guide that instructs how to locate your file specs if you are unsure!

If you are still unsure how to locate this information manually, you will notice a section on the Pixel Chart page that allows you to upload your image! Our system will work for you and provide the image file's specs once uploaded!