Resolution

On-Screen and Print Resolution
Printing requires a certain resolution to maintain a good quality result. While something may look fine on the screen, printing it is usually another story altogether. What most people don't realise is that the average monitor represents images at 72 pixels per inch, while our printers at The Photo Touch represent images at 300 pixels per inch (thats over 4 times the resolution!) Because of this difference, it is not always possible to print any image at any size. Fortunately for you the customer we utilize industry leading software to increase the resolution of your images in order to offer you a wider range of size options for your photo prints and presentations. We can reach print resolution (300 pixels per inch) from prints containing as little as 150 pixels per inch, allowing you twice as many size options from your images. This means that from the newest iphone (~5 megapixels), instead of being stuck with 11x14 as your largest size, you can go to 16x20. For a list of MegaPixel requirements for common print sizes, See Below.

Warning: Using Images from Facebook
Most Social Media sites, including Facebook, will automatically reduce the resolution of any images added. Because of this, you should watch out when submiting facebook or other social media images for print. There are a couple of things you can do to avoid this issue. First, always keep a copy of the full-sized image. Treat this as your Digital Negative. Second, check that the resolution meets the minimum requirements using the Table Below before uploading it for print.

How to check image Resolution
Unfortunately, image resolution is represented in several different ways. It can be represented as a MegaPixel count (ie 5MP), Pixel Dimensions (ie 1200x1800), or Inch Dimensions with a Pixels Per Inch noted as well (ie 4"x6" @ 300ppi). The MegaPixel count is often advertised by the camera manufacturer, and can probably be found on their website or in the manual that came with your camera. You can check the Pixel Dimensions by:

• Windows XP: Right Clicking on an image and selecting Properties and browsing to the Summery Tab, then clicking Advanced. The pixel dimensions are under the Width and Height sections.
• Windows Vista / 7: Right Clicking on an image and selecting Properties and browsing to the Details Tab. The pixel dimensions are under the Dimensions section, as well as the Width and Height sections.
• Photoshop CS2-CS5: Open your Image, go to the bottom left, just left of the bottom scroll bar. Click the black arrow, and select Document Dimensions. Click and Hold down on the box just left of the black arrow.