Print quality / pixelation

[matthews82553310]

my document is 19 x 12cm... during editing the document is at a resonable quality then after i save the image the quality is perfect! However when I print the document the quality is awful and quite pixelated... I've tried changing a few things to no success

[Hans Martin Kristensen]

have you changed the ppi to 300? when you print you always have to keep it at this to have the best detail. to change this you go to IMAGE > Image size,  and then change the ppi from what ever it is to 300. (remember to have resample unchecked).

if this doesnt work/if you already had it at 300 it could be that you scaled it over 100% when you printed it. then it will alway be more pixelated.

[Per Berntsen · Accepted solution]

The important numbers here are the pixel dimensions.

To print 19 x 12 cm at 300 ppi, you need 2244 x 1417 pixels. If the image was smaller than this originally, Photoshop will have to create the missing pixels when you resample, and this will lead to bad print quality.

Here's the math behind this:

19 x 12 cm equals 7.48 x 4.723 inches.

To find out how many pixels you need to print this image at 300 ppi (pixels per inch), multiply the ppi with the dimensions in inches.

7.48 x 300 = 2244

4.723 x 300 = 1417

So to get good print quality, start out with an image that is at least 2244 x 1417 pixels.

See also What is a digital image?