Support | Learning Center | Tips

Imaging Questions

WHAT IS RESOLUTION?
Resolution is the amount of information an image contains. It is also the number of pixels per inch or centimeter in an image. Pixels appear as tiny dots, which, when placed closely together create the illusion of continuous colors and shades to give shape to your image. Although it is usually not an issue for screen images, it can be important for printing.

WHAT IS SCALING?
Scaling refers to the physical size of your image, in inches or pixels, not to its resolution size. A small image requires less disk space and processing time than a larger image, but a high-resolution (DPI) scan increases your file tremendously.

WHAT IS DPI?
DPI is the number of dots of ink per inch for an image printed on paper. The DPI of the printer has a direct affect on the image quality. Most laser printers can print between 300 and 1,200 DPI, depending on the quality of the printer. In general, however, you should choose an images' resolution to be lower than the printer's in order to maintain a good level of grays across the printed image.

WHAT IS TONE MAPPING?
Scanned images often appear different from the original due to bad color calibration, which is also known as tone mapping. Tone mapping compensates for the different ways scanner types reproduce color. The tones of the original image are mapped to the tones of the scanned image.

Back to Tips