What are print resolution and print quality? How crucial are they for printers?

When selecting a printer, print resolution is the top criterion to make a decision. So what are print resolution and print quality? How important are they for printers? This article will provide answers for you.

1. What are print resolution and print quality?

- Definition

To achieve a beautiful, high-quality print, you need to pay attention to print resolution (measured in DPI - Dots Per Inch).

DPI (Dots Per Inch) is the unit used in printing, representing the number of dots a printer can produce in one square inch. A higher DPI of the printer means it can generate high-quality prints.

- Types of print resolutions

Currently, printers come with various print resolutions. For basic products suitable for households and small offices, the print resolution is typically around 600 x 600 dpi.

As mentioned earlier, the print resolution of a printout is displayed in numbers like ABCD x XYZW dpi (for example, 600 x 600 dpi, 9600 x 2400 dpi).

Here, ABCD represents horizontal resolution while XYZW represents vertical resolution. The number of dots horizontally and vertically can be equal or different, depending on the arrangement and technology implemented by the manufacturer.

If you only need a printer for printing price lists, inventory, employee documents, texts, etc., printers below 600 x 600 dpi are sufficient.

Printers with around 600x600 DPI will help you print sharp images or texts, serving well for office tasks.

Some office printers you might consider: HP LaserJet Pro M15a, Canon LBP 6030,... offering print quality of 600x600 dpi.

For printing photos, magazines, or artistic works requiring sharpness, smoothness, and authenticity, you need a higher resolution, around 1200 x 600 dpi.

High DPI printers you can consider include: Canon Laser MF241d (1200x1200dpi), Canon LBP214dw Wifi Laser Printer, Brother HL-L2366DW Wifi,... providing print quality of 2400 x 600 dpi.

2. Is print resolution important for printers?

- Is print resolution crucial?

Print resolution is crucial for printers, determining the quality of printouts—whether they are sharp, clear, with smooth images, etc.—based on DPI. Depending on usage needs, different printers with varying resolutions should be chosen. The higher the DPI, the better the print quality, but also the higher the printer cost.

For basic purposes, serving office tasks, studying, personal use at home,... choosing a printer with a resolution of around 600x600dpi or 1200x1200dpi is sufficient. Ensuring beautiful, clear, easy-to-read printouts while saving costs.

If your job involves printing artistic photos, advertisements, magazines,...then choose a printer with DPI of over 1000 for the best image quality.

- Other factors affecting print quality

However, resolution is not the sole determinant of print quality. Besides DPI, there are other factors that affect print quality that you should consider when choosing such as:

Color also has a significant impact on print quality. Common printers typically come with 4 color cartridges, while some high-end printers support 6 or 7 color cartridges, resulting in higher quality, more beautiful prints.

Typically, inkjet printers propel liquid ink droplets onto paper so print quality heavily depends on the type of paper used. Thin paper can lead to smudging or blurring at corners. Laser printers, however, offer much sharper corner prints as the laser beam projects the necessary information onto the drum, which rotates to transfer toner precisely before the paper passes through, fusing the toner onto it.

Manufacturers equip printers with technologies and printing techniques to enhance print quality by making the printhead traverse the same spot multiple times. While this approach improves print quality, it also increases ink consumption, resulting in higher printing costs.

Print speed also affects print quality; slower speeds produce better, sharper prints. Moreover, excessive usage over extended periods can reduce machine efficiency, affecting print quality.

Hope this article helps you understand the importance of DPI on print quality as well as other factors affecting print quality. See you in future articles.