Digital File Lesson

Bitmapped Images (Raster)

Bitmapped images are made up of a series of pixels. Painting/image editing programs such as Adobe PhotoShop, Corel Photo-Paint, Metcreations Painter and Paintshop Pro create pixel-based images, also called bitmapped or raster images. A scanned image is also this type of file. The amount of pixels per inch(ppi) is determined at the time of scanning.

Most brochure images are scanned at 300 ppi. If you provide us with an image from your brochure, we can enlarge it 3 times the size it appears in your brochure. This will make it 100ppi when enlarged.

Images that appear on your website are 72ppi. We can't print these images any bigger than they appear on your site.

If you have a photo you would like to use and it is too small, it must be rescanned from the original at the correct pixels per inch (ppi).

DIGITAL CAMERAS
Below is a guide based on Canon digital cameras listing the max picture size we can print from the following mega pixel cameras set on HIGH RESOLUTION. Different manufacturers may vary. Check your camera's manual for more info.

3.2 mega pixel camera - 28x22 picture
4.0 mega pixel camera - 32x24 picture
5.0 mega pixel camera - 27x36 picture

If the picture was taken on low resolution (72ppi), we can only print it at 3x5".

All bitmapped images are printed with a resolution of 100 PPI at 100% of the actual printed size. In some cases 72 PPI will get by, but remember, it must be already  the size you want it to be when it is printed.

Vector Drawing

Drawing or illustration programs such as Adobe Illustrator and CorelDraw, all create vector art files. These programs use mathematical formulas to create shapes or objects. These shapes can be assembled to create a "drawing". Unlike bitmapped images above, these files are not resolution dependent (think dots per inch, here) and can be scaled up or down without any loss of image quality.

Logos and clipart are generally created in vector based drawing programs, thus enabling them to be used on everything from letterhead on up to billboards and beyond with superior image quality. In all cases, it is best to provide us with a vector version of your company logo.

Vector drawing files are typically saved as EPS files from their native application (ie, Adobe Illustrator) These file formats can be used in a number of software programs, both PC and Mac.

If you are going to create a logo in any of these programs, make sure to convert the fonts to outlines or curves.