Introduction
If you have been sent this sheet it is likely that there is a problem with pixilation on the design that you
have asked us to print. Hopefully this sheet will not only explain to you what the problem is but also how
to fix it.
Please note this is not a technical explanation and hence is not fully accurate in technical terms, we are
aware of this but have created this to simplify an otherwise very complex topic. A quick thanks to all
those designers emailing us!
What is the Problem?
Most pictures on a screen are made up from small dots of colour. Each picture is made up by a certain
number of dots or pixels. Quite simply the higher the number of pixels the higher quality the picture and
the larger it can be displayed or printed without distorting. If a picture is enlarged beyond a certain point
it will begin to distort and appear blurry.
But my Picture/Logo looks fine on screen?
A screen displays at 72dpi (dots per inch) where commercial presses print to 300dpi (Different type of
dpi compared to consumer printers!). To see how a press would print your logo or picture, zoom in to
400%, or display the image four times as large as you would like it to appear when printed. This will give
you an idea of how it would look when printed.
Example
There are three examples of the sample below, each is at a different resolution. At 100% zoom
all the logos should look clear, however when you zoom in you should see the differences.
If you zoom into this document to 400% you will be able to see:
• jpg at 72dpi is very distorted and if printed this would be very obvious. (Don’t believe us, try it yourself).
• jpg at 300dpi does not distort at 400% and would print well, however if made any larger would also distort.
• Vectored image is a vectored logo, meaning it is made up from a mathematical formula as opposed to dots.
Because of this it will never distort regardless of zoom.
Tip – If a picture displays clearly on a screen at 4 times the intended printed size it should print clearly.
OK, I understand the problem, what’s the solution?
1. Replace – The best solution is to replace the offending logo/picture with one that is a higher resolution
or vectored. If your looking for better resolution files good places to check are; you web designer, any
old proofs from printers and electronic versions of corporate documents what have been professionally
produced. Logos should usually be in an .ai illustrator file or .eps format.
2. Re size – You can sometimes get away by making a picture or logo smaller which can reduce pixilation.
Use the four times rule of thumb to check however this isn’t ideal.
3. Rebuild – This is by far the most complex and expensive option, pictures unfortunately cannot
normally be rebuild. With logos it is often possible to rebuild, however it is notoriously expensive as it
requires a lot of design time. If this is your only option we will be happy to provide a quote.
4. Risk it / Regret it – We can print your artwork as it is however we will need your signed consent to go
ahead with sending this down to print. Obviously we would not recommend this