Pixels per square inch measures the number of pixels used in a square inch of a digital screen — naturally, The greater the density of pixels, the clearer an image looks on a screen, with a lower number of pixels producing an image that is fuzzy or less sharp. While PPI is used to describe digital resolution, there are different recommended PPIs for digital and print media.
300 PPI is generally the recommended density of pixels for high resolution images in print — in fact, it’s extremely difficult for the human eye to identify an image printed at a PPI greater than 300. Images with a PPI less than 300 are likely to show some level of pixelation, producing blurry images.
Dots per square inch refers to the number of ink droplets per square inch a printer will lay down when printing an image. The more dots per square inch the press is capable of producing, the more detail you’ll see when the image is printed. DPI goes a long way toward determining the color quality and clarity of an image or design component.
300 DPI is the standard for creating images in design files that will result in the highest quality print, though there are instances where images with a different DPI is preferred. In some cases, print providers may require detailed images and barcodes to be delivered at 600 DPI. This is often the case if a job is fixed or has very few variable images and doesn’t have large
data requirements.
Digital inkjet presses also print at varying DPI, and the appropriate DPI can vary by the type of project. Most inkjet presses will print at 300 DPI, though larger commercial projects can require a much higher DPI. This could mean specifying certain inkjet presses that are capable of printing at a DPI greater than 300.
