DPI stands for DOTS PER INCH found with a magnifier on a photograph. The more dots per inch you have in a photo, the higher the quality.
Quite often, we request a photograph (head shot) of our clients to incorporate into marketing materials. Invariably, they ask us to “copy it off of our website”.
QUICK vs. QUALITY
That’s good in theory – and quick – but NOT GOOD for printing purposes. The dpi used on the web is typically 72dpi. For printed marketing materials, we request a minimum of 300dpi – some printing companies are now even asking for 600dpi. Granted, copying a photograph from your website may be QUICK, but our intent is to provide a QUALITY product.
Why is DPI so important?
If you try to print a 72dpi (lo-res) photo, it will come out grainy and difficult to see – not a good image to use as a first impression of yourself. We want you to look good in all media – web AND print. So, when someone asks you to forward them a photograph (perhaps even the media?!), remember to forward an original high-resolution photo – or give us a call and we’ll take care of that for you!