High Resolution Images ExplainedYour guide to sending print-ready, high resolution image files!

Want your images and logos to look flawless in print? Choosing the right file format and ensuring proper size and resolution can make a huge difference in the quality of your final print. If you’re sending photos, graphics, or logos to your designer, knowing how to supply images can prevent issues with blurry, pixelated, or low-quality output. In this guide, we’ll cover the best file types for printing, how to check and adjust DPI and resolution, and practical tips to make sure your images look sharp, clear, and perfect on every print project.

What Are the Best File Types for Print?

It’s important to use the right file types for print to achieve crisp, accurate imagery in your final product!

• Photos: The most common types to send are JPG and TIFF files.
  • PNG is primarily a web format, designed for crisp images with transparency. A PNG file can be high resolution, however designers typically prefer JPG and TIFF for print because those handle CMYK color and scalability better.
• Logos: Vector files are best: PDF, EPS, or AI (Illustrator) files. Vector files scale without losing quality, so you don’t need to check resolution.

Need a refresher on file formats first? You can find our companion image file guide here!

Recommended Image Sizes for Print

Sharing high-resolution images with your designer is essential to ensuring your print materials look polished and professional.

Wondering what makes an image “high resolution?” Here are the top things to check:

• Dots Per Inch (DPI): The number of individual dots of ink or toner a printer puts on paper in one square inch.
  • The higher the DPI, the more information there is in the photo to enlarge
  • High resolution images should be at least 300 DPI.

• Pixel Dimensions: The total number of pixels in an image’s width and height.
  • Full Page: 8.5″ x 11″ at 300 dpi = 2550 x 3300 px
  • Half Page: 8.5″ x 5.5″ at 300 dpi = 2550 x 1650 px

Remember: DPI and pixel dimensions directly affect file size and to print a large image, you need a large, high resolution file. As a rule of thumb, images over 2–3 MB are generally suitable for high-quality printing.

How to Check Your Image Resolution

No Photoshop? No problem! Here are some easy ways to check your images using simple tools on your computer.

On a Mac:

1. In Finder, locate your image file
2. Open your image in Preview
3. Go to Tools → Show Inspector
4. In the General Info window, it will list “Image Size” and “Image DPI”

• • Image size guidelines (based on an 8.5″ x 11″ page): 
    • Full page: ~2550 x 3300 px
    • Half page: ~2550 x 1650 px
    • Image DPI: 300 pixels per inch

On a PC:

1. In File Explorer, locate your image file
2. Right click and select “Properties”
3. In Details look for “Dimensions” and “Horizontal Resolution” or “Vertical Resolution”
4. Under “File Attributes,” the resolution should be “300 DPI”
5. Under “Units,” select either:

• • “Inches” and confirm the dimensions listed match the size you’d like the image printed at, or
  • “Pixels” and confirm the image size, based on an 8.5″ x 11″ page:
    • Full page: ~2550 x 3300 px
    • Half page: ~2550 x 1650 px

By following these steps, you can confidently prepare your images and logos for print, avoiding quality issues and keeping your project on track. Using the correct file formats and resolutions not only streamlines your workflow but also ensures your final print materials look crisp, professional, and polished.