Part Two of Two :: Digital versus Print

Both of the common examples, the last article and this, have issues caused by the discrepancy between digital resolution and print requirements. In other words, what print needs, in regards to resolution ( dots per inch dpi/pixels per inch ppi), to look good. In this article, we'll look at some requirements you need in place to have a good-looking printed logo.

Common Example #2
My digital logo looks fuzzy when printed.

A logo, without a doubt, will look poor (fuzzy and/or pixilated) if you are printing your logo from a file intended for web usage. Yes, it appears sharp on the screen, yet fuzzy in print. That is because the same low resolution file (72 dpi) you need for web use, is not best suited for printing. Files that are 72 dpi are really only suitable for powerpoint and web use.

A high resolution version (150-300 dpi/ppi, high quality) is always recommended for the best print results. Images less than 150 dpi typically will print out noticeably more poorly. Optimal printing results occur at 300 dpi and up.

You don’t have another version of your logo? It is preferable that you try and obtain (and any good designer should have provided you) a better version of your logo, instead of working with what you have. Ideally, you should have several versions of your logo in file formats that are raster based and/or files that are saved as high resolution vector artwork.

Simply enlarging a low resolution logo image file to a higher resolution for print is not usually recommended. It can be done, but even then the results probably won’t be great. If you need to make it work because you don’t have original logo files you can use the steps from Common Example #1 to “save as” a high resolution version. The result may suffice for your needs.

If you aren’t happy with the quality of the printed logo at that point, you have a couple of choices. One is to go back to the designer who created your logo and get the file versions you need. Ask for your logo in high resolution file, in both raster and vector file types. If you aren’t able to do this (or perhaps you designed your own not knowing you might need other file types) then if at all possible, recreate the logo yourself (or if you are willing to pay someone to do it for you) in high resolution or in a vector-creating application. This way you have a logo can be resized for various uses and also you are guaranteed to have a version that prints well.

That brings us to the subject of raster versus vector: what each file type is used for. A general description of each is provided below.

Vector Graphics
These file-types are created in drawing or illustrating programs (e.g. Adobe Illustrator) and are composed of geometrical shapes, lines, objects. Vector graphics are typically easily modified within their originating program. These graphics are typically easily scalable because vector elements are mathematically-defined. Scaling of a vector object simply requires modification of their mathematical properties. However, vector files do not support photographic imagery well and often can be problematic for cross-platform exchange.

Raster Graphics
This file format can be created in a variety of ways, through digital image capture devices such as a digital scanner or digital camera, or it can be created by digital editing program such as Adobe Photoshop. Raster images are made up of a grid/matrix of pixels. Pixels are typically squares colored black, white, gray or color. Raster images are easily shared across various platforms, but can be more difficult than vector graphics to modify because they are resolution dependent, which means they cannot increase scale without the loss of quality.

Image Conversion
Conversion from vector to raster is easily accomplished, the task of converting raster to vector is much more difficult (and in some cases not possible) because of the raster image’s resolution dependancy.