Basic printers have a sufficiently high resolution that most documents look professional, while photo printers deliver great-looking prints.
Printer DPI Is Dots Per Inch
Printers print by applying ink or toner onto the paper.
Inkjets use nozzles that spray tiny drops of ink, whilelaser printersmelt dots of toner against the paper.
uanjo6560 / Pixabay
When more dots are squeezed into a square inch, the resulting image is sharper.
A 600 dpi printer squeezes 600 dots horizontally and 600 dots vertically in every square inch of the sheet.
Up to a point, the higher the resolution, the crisper the image on the sheet.
Optimized DPI triggers when the paper moves through the printer in one direction more slowly than usual.
As a result, the dots overlap somewhat.
The final result is rich.
However, this optimized technique uses more ink and time than the printer’s standard parameters.
More is not necessarily better.
For most daily uses, printing in the highest resolution is a waste of ink.
Many printers offer a draft-quality setting.
The document prints quickly and uses little ink.
It doesn’t look perfect, but it is clear and good enough to meet many day-to-day needs.
What’s Good Enough?
For a letter or business document with graphics, 300 dpi will look fine.
If it’s a handout for the board of directors, 600 dpi does the trick.
For the average photographer, 1200 dpi is excellent.
These specs are within reach of most printers on the market.
When a printer prints above 1200 dpi, it’s nearly impossible to see any difference in the prints.
Professional photographers who want a higher resolution should look at 2880 by 1440 dpi or higher.
Ink Makes a Difference
Resolution is more than DPI, however.
The kind of ink used can override the DPI numbers.
Plain copy paper works well for laser printers because nothing is absorbed.
However, inkjet inks are water-based, and paper fiber absorbs the ink.
If you’re printing an email, use cheap copy paper.
If you’re developing a brochure or flyer, it’s worth investing in the right paper.
