Emma Davis Print Production Specialist at 4OVER4.COM
Emma is our prepress and print production voice, built from the knowledge of our production team, with over 20 years in printing.
Question
What file resolution and quality do you need for printing?
Answer
Use 300 DPI (dots per inch) or more at the final print size. That standard keeps text crisp and images sharp across nearly every product. Files below that are held for review rather than pushed to press, so check before uploading.
| Resolution | Result |
|---|---|
| 300 DPI or greater | Recommended, sharp and clean |
| 100 to 299 DPI | Prints softer than ideal; may be held and need resubmitting |
| Below 100 DPI | May look pixelated and can delay the order |
- Build artwork at the same size as the finished product.
- Large format (banners, big posters): 150 DPI is fine because they are viewed from a distance.
- Web images are often only 72 DPI, which looks fine on screen but prints blurry, and stretching a low-resolution file cannot add detail it never had.
- If a file comes in low, send a higher-resolution version before production.
- Flatten and export as a print-ready PDF to lock the resolution in place.
For fine text, thin lines and detailed logos, 600 DPI gives even crisper results. As a guide, a 3.5" x 2" business card is 1050 x 600 pixels at 300 DPI, or 1125 x 675 pixels with 1/8" bleed on every side.
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