: How to ensure that graphics from Photoshop imported to InDesign have an excellent resolution after printing? I'm new to Adobe Software. I'm wondering how I can ensure that graphics from Photoshop

@Kevin459

Generally, this is how I work it out.

If the document is to be printed, then I would rather have my raster images at betweeen 200 and 300dpi, for the size that they will be printed on the sheet. It's not enough however to specify the dpi alone, you also need to know the print size of the image.

So, for example, if you have an image which will appear on the page at 3" x 3", then the size of that image needs to be 900px x 900px (hint: 3x300=900), or 600px x 600px (for 200dpi output).

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@Twilah924

The short answer is this:

Anything that you want to print should have a resolution of 300ppi or higher.

Usually anything higher than 300 is not necessary and the only difference you'll notice is that your file size is massive.

Sometimes you can get away with 150ppi, but I wouldn't recommend it. It often doesn't yield great results. Especially if you're looking for "excellent resolution".

The long answer:

When you view items on your computer screen, your perception of "excellent resolution" is anything 72ppi or above. However, when you print at 72ppi you end up with a pretty low-quality image. That has to do with how printers work and how many dots-per-inch (dpi) they are printing.

In simple terms, a printer dot is not equal to a pixel.

That's why you need a higher resolution to obtain what appears to be the same quality as on your monitor when printing. If you want to learn more about this I would recommend this article. It's geared towards photographers, but it's relevant to what you're trying to do.

Even though 300ppi is standard for print, there are multiple factors involved when selecting the "correct" ppi for your file:


Medium (what is it being printed on)
Printer (professional/home printer)
View Distance


There are probably other factors worth naming, but that may be beyond the scope of your question.

If you want to delve further into the difference between dpi and ppi and why your settings matter, what changing the numbers actually does, etc. you should check out this article by 99 Designs.

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@Murray976

Check the images in Photoshop for a minimum of 300ppi...

Photoshop: Image > Image size : Resolution field.



You can also check using the Links panel in InDesign. (Window > Links) Select the image in InDesign and look at the panel...



Effective PPI: should always be a minimum of 300.

And never enlarge an image beyond 100% in InDesign (if you do Effective PPI will be reduced).

I, personally, prefer to use files which support CMYK color space for print projects. That means PNG would be unacceptable. I stick with .psd or sometimes .tif. If you use .png or .jpg, the color space is converted when you print or export to a press-ready PDF (PDF/X)... for commercial printing, that may mean you get undesired color shifts in the images.

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