Revolutionize Your Digital Prints with 1200 DPI Quality

1200 DPI Digital Printing Upgrade

Revolutionize Your Digital Prints with 1200 DPI Quality

Written May 13, 2025
By Kraig Downham, Marketing Director, Printing Partners
We’re excited to announce that our two new Canon imagePRESS V1350 now allow us to offer digital prints at 1200 DPI for stunning clarity and detail — even though this difference might be hard for the untrained, naked eye to spot. Please note: This upgrade applies to digital printing only. Our offset printing standard remains at 400 DPI, which is 100 DPI higher than the typical high-quality PDF output of 300 DPI—be sure to check your PDF settings to match.
Placeholder Image

Understanding the Jump
from 400 DPI to 1200 DPI

Previously, our digital printing standard was 400 DPI, which still delivers excellent quality for most projects at normal viewing distances. The jump to 1200 DPI offers sharper details, especially for close-up viewing, ensuring fine elements like textures or small text remain crisp. For most standard applications, 400 DPI is sufficient, and we’re happy to guide you on the best resolution for your needs.

Why 1200 DPI Matters for Digital Printing

Printing at 1200 DPI delivers exceptional detail and sharpness, making it ideal for photographic prints, graphic designs, and technical documents where nuances like textures, vibrant colors, and fine details are crucial—especially when viewed closely.

Revolutionize Your Digital Prints with 1200 DPI Quality

Optimizing Your PDFs for 1200 DPI

To take full advantage of our 1200 DPI digital printing, ensure your files are prepared correctly. PDF settings will downsample to the highest resolution your image supports (up to 1200 DPI), ensuring optimal quality while keeping file sizes manageable.

Here’s how to adjust your PDF settings in Adobe InDesign:

  1. Go to File > Export.
  2. Choose Adobe PDF (pdf) as the format.
  3. Select the PP Digital COATED preset (or a similar high-quality preset).
  4. In the Compression tab, configure the following settings for all image types (Color, Grayscale, Monochrome):
    • Bicubic Downsampling to: 1200 pixels per inch
    • For images above: 1800 pixels per inch
    • Compression (Color/Grayscale): Automatic (JPEG)
    • Compression (Monochrome): CCITT Group 4
    • Image Quality (Color/Grayscale): Maximum
  5. Ensure that Compress Text and Line Art and Crop Image Data to Frames are checked.

Important Note: If your original image has a resolution lower than 1200 DPI (e.g., 300 DPI), the PDF settings will not increase its quality. The output will be limited to the resolution of your source image.

Digital PDF Settings

Why Resolution Matters:

A Deep Dive into Image Quality
Resolution determines image detail—higher resolution means more pixels and finer details. Increasing resolution in software like Photoshop won’t add detail; it just stretches existing pixels, often causing blurriness. Professional photographers use high-resolution cameras to capture fine details, which our 1200 DPI printing can fully showcase. Start with high-quality images to get the best results.

Bonus Tip: Ensure Your Images Are Ready for Print

Verify the effective resolution of your images in Adobe InDesign using the Links panel to ensure they meet the requirements for high-quality printing.

Here’s how to enable the "Effective PPI" column:

  1. Open the Links panel (Window > Links).
  2. Click the hamburger menu in the top-right corner of the Links panel.
  3. Select Panel Options.
  4. In the Panel Options dialog, under Show Column, check the box for Effective PPI.
  5. Click OK.

Once enabled, the Links panel will display the effective PPI for each image, helping you confirm they’re scaled correctly for printing. In the example screenshot you will see the top image has 1200 dpi, the second image is 882 dpi, and the third image is 414 dpi.

Bonus Tip Effective PPI in Indesign
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Experience the Difference Today

Elevate your digital projects with 1200 DPI quality. Contact us to learn more or place your next order—we’re here to bring your vision to life.

Visit https://www.printingpartners.net/request-a-print-estimate/ to get a quote.

Kraig Downham - Marketing Director - 2023 Headshot

About the Author

Kraig Downham is the Marketing Director at Printing Partners, a key player in offset commercial printing. Since 2005, he has contributed to marketing, design, and technology at Printing Partners. As a color expert, Kraig ensures high-quality prints. His work ethic and dedication come from a 10-year journey with 4-H. Learn more about Kraig's work at Printing Partners.

  • Article Written May 13, 2025