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How Many Pixels are Enough for Printing
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 Pixel needs vary depending on what you plan to use your pictures for.
If you plan to use pictures on Web pages or computer screens only, you only need low pixel resolution settings. You just need to match the pixel dimensions of the picture to the amount of the screen you want the image to fill. In modern cases, 1680 x 1050 pixels is plenty. For most website projects, a fraction of that many pixels will work just fine.
If printing your photo, and you want a decent picture quality, you need enough pixels to enable you to set the output resolution in the neighbourhood of likely 300 ppi. This number varies depending on the printer; sometimes you can get by with fewer pixels. Check your printer manual for precise resolution guidelines. Many modern and modest printers can print much higher resolution
To determine the maximum size you can print a picture at a particular resolution, just divide the total number of horizontal image pixels by the desired resolution. Or divide the total number of vertical pixels by the desired resolution. So, if your camera captured an image at 1280 pixels horizontally and 960 pixels vertically, and your target resolution is 300 ppi, simply divide 1280 by 300 to get the maximum image width. This would be about 4 1/4 inches. Or to find out the maximum height, divide 960 by 300, which equals about 3.25 inches. So you can print a 4.25 x 3.25-inch image at 300 ppi.
As more pixels mean better print quality, higher resolutions that are easily produced with today's printers will usually offer better quality. However, exceeding 300 ppi for printing could degrade image quality, with smears, running ink, etc. Also, some printers will keep images set to a particular resolution, and when presented with an image file at a higher resolution, the printer may simply eliminate the extra pixels. Printers may also not always do a great job of slimming down the pixel population, resulting in muddy or jagged photos. You might see better printing results if you cut or edit the digital photo yourself in your photo-editing software, before printing.
Using Modern Digital Cameras | Benefits of Digital Cameras | How Digital Cameras Record Images | Digital Photo Resolution | Editing Digital Photo Resolution Outputs | How Many Pixels are Enough for Printing | More Pixels Means Bigger Digital Files | Screen Picture Quality Image Resolution
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