A common mistake designers make is to order image sizes which are larger than they require for their print projects.  There is no reason to overpay for size you don’t need.  In this article I will show you how to easily determine the image size you need for your royalty free images.

Examples of print projects are brochures, magazines, billboards, and so on.  Many designers believe they need far more resolution than they actually require.

How Large will your Print be?

First we need to determine how large our final print will be.  In this case, let’s assume we need a picture for a 8×10 inch layout in a magazine.  That is a very large image for a magazine, so you might think you need a huge image.

Second we need to know the DPI (dots per inch) of our printer.  A common DPI is 300, though many tasks (for example billboards) require a much lower DPI.  For our example project, we’ll assume 300 DPI.

If you order a 4000×6000 very high resolution print, you will be overpaying for a size which is much larger than you require.

Very Simple Math 

The math we will use to determine the final resolution we require is very simple.  All we need to do is multiply the print size (8 x 10 inches) by the DPI (300):

8×300 by 10×300 = 2400 by 3000 pixels

The final size we require is 2400×3000 pixels, far smaller than a maximum size image.  And that is all there is to it!

Knowing the needed resolution you require will help you save a lot of money on royalty free images.  Don’t overpay for your images.  If you ever have a question about the resolution you require for a project, don’t hesitate to contact us!

Daniel Padavona, Warmpicture.com