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File Size & Resolution for Digital Printing

File Size Formula

This file size formula is used to determine the file size per square foot for a given output resolution.

resolution
100 ppi
150 ppi
200 ppi
300 ppi
  
RGB file size   
4.0 MB per sq. ft.
10.0 MB per sq. ft.
16.0 MB per sq. ft.
38.0 MB per sq. ft.
  
CMYK file size  
5.5 MB per sq. ft.
13.0 MB per sq. ft.
22.0 MB per sq. ft.
50.0 MB per sq. ft.

Output Resolution

To reach a balance between file size and good resolution for printing, output file resolution at full size output dimensions can vary depending upon the application and the viewing distance to it.

resolution
72 ppi
50-75 ppi
100 ppi
150 ppi
200 ppi
300 ppi
   Viewing Distance
web or monitor
greater than 10 feet
5 - 10 feet
less than 4 feet
less than 1 foot
offset press, handouts, etc.

Example

For example, when applied to poster & light box applications to be viewed from an average of 5 - 10 feet, the resolution of the image at final size for this application would be 100 ppi (pixels per inch).

The basic formula would be: 4.0 MB per sq. ft. in RGB color space

For a 24” x 36” lightbox (6 sq. ft.) with a final output resolution of 100 ppi, the full size image would be scanned so that the resulting file would at least 24MB.

                           6 sq. ft. X 4 MB = 24 MB (RGB mode)


Print File Size (RGB)

The following chart shows the acceptable digital file size for an indicated print size at a desired resolution in RGB color mode.

Example:

The required digital file size for an 8” x 10” print at 300 ppi would be 7.2 MB.

Print Size
in Inches		 Web
72 ppi		 Min
100 ppi		 Good
150 ppi		 Better
240 ppi		 Best
300 ppi
3.5 x 5 0.09 MB 0.18 MB 0.4 MB 1.0 MB 1.6 MB
4 x 6 0.12 MB 0.24 MB 0.5 MB 1.4 MB 2.2 MB
5 x 7 0.18 MB 0.35 MB 0.8 MB 2.0 MB 3.2 MB
8 x 10 0.41 MB 0.8 MB 1.8 MB 4.6 MB 7.2 MB
8 x 12 0.5 MB 1.0 MB 2.2 MB 5.5 MB 8.6 MB
10 x 15 0.78 MB 1.5 MB 3.4 MB 8.6 MB 13.5 MB
11 x 14 0.8 MB 1.55 MB 3.5 MB 8.9 MB 13.9 MB
12 x 18 1.3 MB 2.2 MB 4.9 MB 12.4 MB 19.4 MB
16 x 20 1.7 MB 3.2 MB 7.2 MB 18.4 MB 28.8 MB
20 x 24 2.5 MB 4.8 MB 10.8 MB 27.6 MB 43.2 MB
20 x 30 3.1 MB 6.0 MB 13.5 MB 34.6 MB 54.0 MB
24 x 36 4.5 MB 8.6 MB 19.4 MB 49.8 MB 77.8 MB