What Resolution Is Best For Large Format Printing?

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Many people are confused when it comes to resolution when providing images or artwork to a large format print service provider for canvas printing, poster printing, display stands and banner printing.

Resolution that is too small results in ‘pixelisation’ or blurry print output, making the image difficult to see and text hard to read.

Resolution that is too high results in a print output which will be clear and crisp, however leaves the designer having to wait for an excessive period of time for the file to save. 

Print service providers also have to wait longer than they have to while excessively large files are being processed ready for print.

Large format printer resolutions range from 150 dpi grainy output, to 2880 dpi photographic quality.

Regardless of the printer resolution, rules for file resolution remain the same and are applicable to both low and high resolution printers.

The reason for this is because artwork or image file resolution is defined as PPI (Pixels Per Inch) and printer resolution is DPI (Dots Per Inch) and are two different things.

If you have a low resolution image being printed on a high resolution printer, the end result will be a fantastic looking blurry image!

If you have a high resolution image on a low resolution printer, the end result will be a clear, crisp grainy image!

So, to get the best of both worlds and to define the most appropriate file resolution for large format printing, the following rules apply:

At 100% of the image dimension (meaning image has not been saved at 50% or 25%), resolution needs to be:

Minimum 85ppi Any lower and you run the risk of your images, text or logos becoming blurry or pixelated. Viewing distance: greater than 3 metres

Maximum 150ppi Any higher results in both you and the print service provider waiting excessively long periods of time for file to save and process ready for print. File resolutions higher than 150dpi do not improve the overall clarity of the image as a high resolution printer will print at a high res regarding of file quality. Viewing distance: less than 3 metres