Archived from groups: comp.periphs.printers (
More info?)
Thanks for the explanation. Not too long ago, 600dpi printers were
out-performing 2400 (and higher) Epson printers. Epson was touting XXXX
dpi. "It must be better! ..." HP was touting 600 dpi with drop overlaps.
Putting pictures side-by-side and visually examining them (without a loupe)
showed they were nearly identical. But, HP was loosing sales to the
"higher" dpi crowd. Now HP has joined the "others" with the 2400/3600/4800
dpi to sell to the person who looks just at the dpi ratings.
Examining printouts from Epson, HP, and Canon in the $150-$200 range all
appear to be similar. Printers with 6 ink colors appear to be better than
those with 3.
"Arthur Entlich" <artistic@telus.net> wrote in message
news:5qGad.11536$qU.5806@clgrps13...
> This is a continually confusing area for most people, and the
> manufacturers, rather than making it easier to understand, seem to add to
> the confusion because people are always impressed with big numbers.
>
> Before going any further, let me just say, that if at all possible, allow
> your eyes to make the decision. Try to look at samples of the printer
> output. Most companies provide free samples if requested. You will note
> that most companies tend to NOT print the image at the highest resolution
> the printer is capable of. The reason is the printer speed is quite
> reduced when the printer is used in it's very high resolution modes, and
> the quality is only slightly improved. In general, any printing mode over
> 1200 dpi is barely visible on the output.
>
> OK, now to try to help regarding input and output resolutions.
>
> The input resolution, is the resolution of the image you are getting ready
> to print, which is identified as XXX ppi or dpi at the final printing
> size. So, if one is to use 300 dpi (which is most adequate for even
> smaller prints which you will view quite closely), a 8" x 10" image should
> have the total pixel dimensions of 300 x 8" or 2400 pixels by 300 x 10" or
> 3000 pixels, or 8" x 10" x 300 ppi/dpi.
>
> Input resolutions of between about 250 and 350 ppi/dpi provide
> photographic quality for even smaller closely viewed prints. The average
> one hour lab image is about 200-250 dpi equivalent. A custom color print
> is typically between 300-350 dpi. A very high quality large format print
> may be up to 400 dpi.
>
> ALso, keep in mind that the larger the print is, and therefore the further
> away you will view it, the lower the input resolution you can use.
>
> Now, as to output resolution. This is the resolution the printer
> uses to create the image onto the paper.
>
> Each printing technology requires differing resolutions depending upon the
> mechanics of how the image is created. A dye sublimation printer, which
> usually can produce millions of colors per "dot" can represent an image
> pixel with just one dot. After all, any pixel in an image is only of one
> luminosity and one color. Dye sub printers, use three of four "layers" of
> transparent dye "vapor" that are transferred onto a special receptor
> paper. Most have at least 128 different density levels for each of dye
> colors, making literally millions of colors for any one dot.
>
> Inkjet printers don't work the same way. They typically have only one, or
> maybe two levels of any ink color, so even if they were completely
> transparent colors and overlaid perfectly, they may be able to create
> anything from a few dozen to maybe a hundred color combinations with all
> the inks. That's not enough to make a photographic-like image.
>
> So the way inkjet printers create colors is by a process of placing a lot
> of very small dots near one another. That, mixed with the background
> paper white, provide an illusion of hundreds of thousands or even millions
> of colors. In order to do this, the addressable position density for any
> one dot has to be much finer, and so, these printers need over 1000 dpi
> and more importantly very very small dots, to get photo-like results.
>
> When a printer claims 4800 dpi, or even high as some do, that's the
> potential number of addressable places a dot can be positioned on the
> paper, but if the printer actually printed 4800 or more dots right next to
> one another, they would overlap each other, because the dots are still
> larger than 1/4800th of an inch.
>
> In general, 1200-1500 dpi is just about the maximum that your eye will
> call photographic, and going higher will mainly just slow the process
> down, with little improvement, it also requires more memory for the
> spooler process.
>
> If the dots finally get small enough, there may be some advantage to
> slightly higher resolutions, but the question comes down to if you will be
> viewing your images with an unaided eye or with a photo loupe.
>
> Art
>
>
> Pper wrote:
>
>> In the past, I have printed color photos at 300dpi. This has worked
>> well. I am going to upgrade my old HP color printer to something newer.
>> Looking at the market, the newer printers print at higher dpi. Most
>> state 4800dpi. When I print at 300dpi, I get a really nice looking
>> picture. What's with the 4800dpi printers? These should look better?
>>
>> Assuming I have a jpg that has 2400 (or higher) dpi, will I get a
>> significantly better picture printed from the newer printers?
>>
>>
>
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