Jet Jaguar wrote:
>I have never had prints made but I've got a couple of images I'm
>thinking of having done, I'm curious to hear some opinions on what
>would be an acceptable resolution.  If Zazzle's 100 pixels per inch is
>considered low, what should I aim to render at?  200ppi?  300ppi?  How
>much does the print media affect resolution (i.e. glossy photo paper
>needs x pixels per inch, while matte photo paper needs y)?

The image, printer, and software all make a big difference, but generally
300 is great if you can afford it. People with good near vision looking
closely would appreciate the difference. 200 is a good practical number for
most people, generally looking very good. 100 is borderline; looking
closely will definitely show pixels (or it will appear blurry). 100 is fine
for images that won't be looked at closely, or where sharpness is not
required. It looks surprisingly good with some images.

Generally, glossy media will show more resolution, but some printers are
excellent on matte and art papers. If I had to guess I'd say glossy
typically gains around 50ppi resolution in display ability; glossy also has
slightly better blacks and saturation. Even so, I prefer the look of a
matte print.

For my printer, for an image I want to look it's best, I use 240 (partly
because it's an even multiple of the printer's actual resolution).

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