I have recently been asked a few times by printers to supply higher than standard quality files without a good explanation to why (aside from saying that the file size seems too small – but we all know file size is not always a good indicator of quality).
Here are the standards I go by:
Photography on photoprinter – 600ppi
Print for digital or offset printing – 300ppi
Large Format Print (close up viewing) – 100-150ppi
Large Format Print (6 feet+ viewing) – 80ppi
Billboard – 30ppi
Photography files I leave in RGB, all other print files for digital or offset printing I work in CMYK.
Are these still the standards? Has anything changed?
My understanding is that output dpi of the printer is the maximum quality possible, so a 600ppi file will not produce a better print than a 300ppi file if the output is 240dpi?
Answer
There are no specific standards, just general rules of thumb, and they will vary wildly based on specifics.
I’d say all of the ones you list are pretty much in the ballpark. The only one I think that is off is the first one…600ppi seems overkill for even the best photo printers.
Attribution
Source : Link , Question Author : user58281 , Answer Author : DA01