Digital image resolution: what it means and how it can work for you

Abstract

Image resolution can be a real headache. The image looks great on your screen but the minute it comes out of your office printer, it ends up in the garbage, or the image slows down your whole online project. What went wrong? We propose to unravel the resolution mystery so you can publish your images online, in print or on the Web painlessly. The quality of the end product depends on such things as understanding resolution and using the proper color depth. This paper sorts it all out for you so you can feel confident you are making the most of your images. Scanners, laser copies, computer monitors and professional printers measure the image resolution in different ways. What are the standards for professional-quality images? What the properties of color and how do they affect your image? We show how to use the proper color model for each type of image-printed, online or for the Web. How many colors do you need to use to keep quality up and file size down? An image file needs to be optimized for each application. Color depth is the key. All the steps needed to get a good image into your document are waiting to be revealed to you!.