As a client, you may send a bunch of images over to your designer only to have them tell you they can’t use them because they “aren’t high res.” What exactly does that mean? What makes an image high res?

First, lets talk about resolution. Resolution refers to the number of pixels that make up an image. Image quality is directly related to image resolution. If an image has a higher resolution, it’s going to be better quality. Images that are used on the web are typically lower res images. Since a computer screen doesn’t require as high of a resolution as a printer does, web images can be lower res. Typically web images are 72, PPI meaning pixels per inch. Print images are generally 300 PPI and increase according to the quality of the print.

So why can’t they use your screen shot or other web image for print? Well, they can, but it’s going to be very tiny or very low-quality. The physical size of an image and the quality of it are limited by the number of pixels. You can’t increase the resolution without decreasing size. Your designer can either keep the image at 72, and it will print blurry and grainy, or bump it up to 300 and leave you with something clear but small.

So if your designer asks you for a high res image, it means they want something they can use for print. They’re looking for something that’s 300 PPI. If you don’t know whether an image is high res or not, check with your designer. If it turns out your image isn’t going to work for that printed piece you wanted to use it for, they should be able to suggest an alternative.

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