Have you ever downloaded a picture off the Internet and printed it only to find it blurry and pixilated. Although using pictures found on the internet is easy and free, many people aren’t aware that it will not only result in poor quality but most of the time it is also illegal to download most images.
The main reason the images look so blurry is due to the low resolution (level of detail). In print projects, resolution is key. If the image that you use doesn’t have high enough resolution, they will appear fuzzy or blurry. Most professional printers require a minimum of 300 dpi for all images at the final print size. DPI, which stands for “Dots Per Inch”, is measured by the number of pixels or dots per the unit of printed size in the image. So basically, the higher the resolution of your image is, the better the quality of the image will be when printed.
To if you want to have the best possible picture quality for your printed marketing materials, make sure your images are set up as CMYK and are at least 300dpi at the actual size you want them to be printed at. And if you are ever unsure or need help with this, check with your local graphic designer and web designer for more information.