Because vector graphics are derived from mathematical vector relationships, or relationships between points that create lines and curves, they appear clean and exact at any size. You can also visit our Contact Page for more information.Īs previously mentioned, scalability is the main advantage of vector vs raster graphics. Our team is more than happy to help in any way possible. If you’re needing to speak with a print professional today, feel free to call us locally at 60 or toll-free at 1-87. With this information, our hope is to clear up any confusion between the two and to assist you with your next digital design or print project. In this PRI Graphics article, we will try to break down each major component of raster vs vector graphics to better explain the differences and the best use cases for each. When it does come up in conversation, it usually does sound like babble to most. It’s the type of verbiage that most people aren’t too familiar with unless you’re in the industry or work with digital design daily. If you don’t have a full comprehension of the two, don’t worry, you’re not alone In the digital world of design and print, knowing the difference between raster vs vector graphics is a must. The Digital Battle That Can Be Difficult to Understand US Bureau of Land Management Training Center.

Direct Mail Printing – Mailers, Postcards.If you have questions about image resolution, whether your project needs vector or raster graphics or any other printing services, please contact our experts in customer service. This image can be printed up to roughly 8.5″ x 6.5″ at 300 PPI. To see what your image pixel dimension is, go to Image > Image Size. Graphic-editing software such as Photoshop will generally measure an image’s resolution by pixel dimension. For photographic images on canvas, 100 PPI is considered adequate. Line images that are 200 PPI work perfectly. For example, if an image is 4” x 6” on the printed page, 4 x 300 by 6 x 300 = 1200 x 1800 resolution.įor online printing services that offer large format jobs like banners and signs, there’s a little more flexibility when it comes to resolution. To calculate the desired file size, multiply the final printed size of the image in inches by 300. Format Recommendationsįor small format jobs such as brochures or booklets, it is recommended that images for print be saved at 300 PPI, as this will help achieve a high-quality print. When in doubt, always work with high-quality images.

A low-resolution image cannot be made into a high-resolution image – there is no way to add pixels to improve the quality of an image. It’s important to consider how large an image can be while still maintaining its quality and detail. This happens because there are not enough pixels per inch to maintain a sharp image.

Low-res images will appear pixelated and blurred after printing even though they might look perfect on your computer screen. Images below 200 PPI are considered low resolution or low-res. This is considered to be high resolution or high-res. At 300 PPI, an image will appear sharp and crisp. Increasing the size of an image will lower its final PPI. The best resolution for printing is 300 PPI with placed images at 100% or smaller. Raster images are composed of a series of pixels, and as mentioned above, the greater the PPI the greater the print quality. Image resolution refers to the level of detail in an image. At 72 or 96 PPI, you’ll see more pixelation on the final printed piece than is visible when viewing it on a screen. At that resolution, they don’t contain the amount of information you’ll need for the final printed piece. They are commonly created in 72 or 96 PPI, which is considered low-resolution. We do not recommend using web graphics for print projects. Printers reproduce an image with tiny dots, and the number of dots per inch affects the amount of detail and overall and the quality of the print. DPI primarily concerns the print format, not digital. In other words, it’s the number of ink dots on a printed piece. For an online printer, an image with a higher PPI tends to be higher quality because it has a greater pixel density.ĭPI (dots per inch) refers to the resolution value of a physical printer. This affects the print size of your design and the quality of the output. The density of pixels within a digital image refers to the amount of detail in an image, based on the concentration of pixels. PPI (pixels per inch) is the number of pixels contained in a digital image. The number of pixels makes a huge difference in the quality of your image resolution, as shown below. The more pixels contained within an image, the greater the detail and quality. Every digital image is made up of thousands or even millions of individual pixels. Pixels are the building blocks of an image. In online printing, image resolution plays a huge part in the final outcome of your project.

Vector vs raster format