A somewhat stupid DPI question in regards to getting artwork printed

[ragnar]

This is kinda silly, but I have to figure this out sooner or later.  Maybe even for tonight!

So, when we say 300 DPI, does this mean a grid that is 17.32"x17.32" when we are creating artwork?  Where 17.32x17.32=300?  So, a marquee that is 24"x8" in size would need a PNG file that is 416x138 pixels?  The numbers alone say no to me.

Or would that 300 dpi mean that a 24"x8" marquee needs to be 7200x2400 pixels in size?

I think I answered my own question but I'll post what now seems to be a stupid question anyway.

[MonMotha]

DPI = Dots Per Inch

Hence, a 1x1" graphic would be 300x300 pixels (a pixel is a dot).  A 6x2 would be 1800x600.  Etc.

[JustMichael]

So, when we say 300 DPI, does this mean a grid that is 17.32"x17.32" when we are creating artwork?

No. DPI is Dots Per Inch.  It is simply a measurement of resolution.  The more dots per inch, the finer detail you can have in an image.

Where 17.32x17.32=300?

Huh??

So, a marquee that is 24"x8" in size would need a PNG file that is 416x138 pixels?

You could make one like that but each dot would not be tiny and in fact would just be slightly smaller than 1/16" square.

Or would that 300 dpi mean that a 24"x8" marquee needs to be 7200x2400 pixels in size?

A 24"x8"x300 DPI marquee would be 7200x2400 pixels (See how DPS is part of the measurements?).  A 24"x8"x100 DPI marquee would be 2400x800 pixels.

[jennifer]

     Don"t forget though.... when creating art in a program [on a computer] 300dpi will appear huge, because most monitors only display
around 96dpi..... It prints just fine however,

[ragnar]

     Don"t forget though.... when creating art in a program [on a computer] 300dpi will appear huge, because most monitors only display
around 96dpi..... It prints just fine however,

I've been experimenting with Paint.Net.  A free program that only does bitmaps (no vector graphics), but for what I want to do, that is more than sufficient.  It is fast with larger image files (20 GigaPixel) and supports layering.  It has basically been written as an upgrade to the Microsoft supplied paint program.

I'll be using it to create my marquee and CP artwork.

[lilshawn]

     Don"t forget though.... when creating art in a program [on a computer] 300dpi will appear huge, because most monitors only display
around 96dpi..... It prints just fine however,

I've been experimenting with Paint.Net.  A free program that only does bitmaps (no vector graphics), but for what I want to do, that is more than sufficient.  It is fast with larger image files (20 GigaPixel) and supports layering.  It has basically been written as an upgrade to the Microsoft supplied paint program.

I'll be using it to create my marquee and CP artwork.

be sure to give us an update on that program and let us know how it works out.

[ragnar]

     Don"t forget though.... when creating art in a program [on a computer] 300dpi will appear huge, because most monitors only display
around 96dpi..... It prints just fine however,

I've been experimenting with Paint.Net.  A free program that only does bitmaps (no vector graphics), but for what I want to do, that is more than sufficient.  It is fast with larger image files (20 GigaPixel) and supports layering.  It has basically been written as an upgrade to the Microsoft supplied paint program.

I'll be using it to create my marquee and CP artwork.

be sure to give us an update on that program and let us know how it works out.

I used it two nights ago for about an hour.  It was very intuitive and simple to use.  The cons are, that it is a bitmap based program.  So once you write text, you can only undo.  If you don't liek the text color, there is no "edit text" option like other programs would have.  But so long as you use layers, that text layer can be deleted and recreated as a new layer with the new color.

I'm sure it will not be as efficient but the simplicity is amazing.  As I get more used to it, I'll review it in a dedicated thread.

[EvilNuff]

I've used paint.net for a while and its fantastic for a free program IMO.  If you want a freeware vector graphics program check out inkscape.

[RayB]

Don't use PNG. Use a format that supports DPI data. Photoshop PSD for example retains the DPI setting. This way when it goes to the printer, there wont be any misunderstandings.