When it comes to massaging a file in the digital printing industry, there are a variety of digital printing solutions.  It is best, however, to begin with an optimal image file to obtain a high resolution digital print. Here is a brief “how-to” guide.

3   Shooting and acquiring an image is something you need to pre-plan.  Knowing the FINAL PRINT SIZE and FINAL PRINT PURPOSE before the photo shoot is key to obtaining optimal resolution.

2   INPUT  The resolution of the image file is measured in PPI (pixels per inch).  The relationship between PPI and the document size is critical to the resolution of the final output.  You can inspect your document size in Photoshop (under Image>Image Size) and enter the FINAL PRINT SIZE.   The PPI will proportion to your final magnification.   In order to maintain the PPI value, the image should not be resampled; do NOT check the “resample image” box.

1   OUTPUT (A) The front end of all professional digital printers is called a RIP (raster image processor).  A RIP will take any image you feed it and turn it into a bitmap image with the appropriate resolution.   If the input file is light on resolution, the RIP will simply process it anyway, giving you less optimal results.

A unique and superior output device is the Lightjet 430, an RGB (red, green, blue) laser imaging device that images directly to photographic paper.  This machine utilizes hardware interpolation on the fly, which means the missing pixels are inserted as the file is imaged.  This gives the Lightjet the distinction of producing the best quality print from marginal low resolution files.  Its hardware is superior at interpolation.

(Interpolation is when the values between two pixels are averaged, and the averaged value pixel is added between the two original pixels of the image.  This is important when resampling is necessary for changing pixel dimension.  Pixel dimension is the finite number of pixels in an image, and you never want to unintentionally change that amount.)

(B) The FINAL PRINT PURPOSE will determine print output.  Will the print will be hung indoors or outdoors?   At what distance will the graphic be viewed?  These factors will affect the final resolution requirements.   The resolution of the final print is measured in terms of DPI (dots per inch).  DPI refers to the output resolution of the printer.  For more information about print resolution, please press download!

photo credit: santyago.org