Does DPI matter when the images your printing will be the same size anyways?

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nishigonzales

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So let's say I want an image to be 5"x8". I have one file that's 72dpi, and I have to shrink it down so that its size is 5"x8" in InDesign (or whatever program). Is that going to print any different from a 250dpi picture shrunk down to 5"x8"? I printed some samples so I think they're both the same, but one of my friends tried to tell me otherwise, I think.
 
Higher DPI = less jagged edges and a sharper image.

HOWEVER with todays compression techniques it is possible to have a low resolution picture that prints in good quality. See .jpg formatting.
 
As the image's DPI (Dots Per Inch) is 72 and the printer's DPI is higher than that, it will not make any difference. The image does not have great quality to begin with, but that quality will not be made any worse by the printing.

You will get poor print quality if you try to print a low DPI image at larger than its original size, however if you are printing an image at or below its original size, the printed result should be no worse than the original image you saw on the screen.

You will also lose some quality if you try to print an image file which is over 250dpi (as your printer can only do up to 250dpi) but a 250dpi image is still fairly high quality and it shouldn't look much different from the original.
 
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