Demystify the Definition of Resolution and Learn The Best Way to Set Up an Ideal Digital Drawing Canvas!

The definition of resolution can vary when you talking about screen resolution or printer resolution. This guide will help you define resolution better so you can set up a canvas for painting and drawing successfully!

Why is it important? For starters, learning the proper print and screen resolutions will reduce problems when it comes down to printing it out onto physical form!

This benefits you because it means you will save a lot of time painting on the correct sized canvas that is flexible enough to print out with excellent quality but will not hog your computer's resources during the painting phase!

After all, you have better things to do than to wait for minutes on end just to save a file!

1. Define of resolution: aspect ratio

Most printers have a set size or shape that can be print out. The shape of the paper will be your aspect ratio. Basically, it's a measurement that divides the length and the width to form a rectangular or square ratio.

For example, if a piece of paper is 10 x 10 inches, it would have an aspect ratio of 1.00. If a piece of paper is 8 x 10 inches, it will have a ratio of 1.25 and so for and so forth.

There are a few common aspect ratios that most companies use:

Ratio	1.0	1.20	1.25	1.27	1.29	1.33	1.40	1.43	1.50	2.0
Inches	5 x 5	10 x 12	4 x 5	11 x 14	8.5 x 11	9 x 12	5 x 7	3.5 x 5	4 x 6	4 x 8

Of course, different companies give different sizes depending on its format. Just use this as a general rule of thumb when you want to start painting.

The next step is to convert your aspect ratio to the proper size on your monitor screen. While it may sound simple, converting from inches in the proper pixel size requires a little bit of math!

Excellent resource:

Definition of resolution: measuring pixels

There are so many print resolutions and resolution properties that it's not always easy to figure out the best quality control when it actually goes to the printers!

One possible way is to use screen resolution pixel measurements. Since monitor sizes can offer the same resolution (24 inch monitors and 27 inch monitors both offer 1920 x 1080 pixel resolution), having pixels as a constant measurement can be an asset.

This is where a bit of math comes in. For example, I would like to have a 16 x 24 physical poster type size canvas. That means I will take the 16 x 24 and multiply it with the minimum recommendation of 150 DPI from the printers.

This will give me an absolute screen resolution of 2400 x 3600 screen pixels!

Obviously, this is higher than what most monitors can cover. However, working with resolution using this simple multiplication rule can guaranteed that you the proper sized digital canvas.

For more information on minimum sizes, visit Deviant Art's FAQ on print resolutions here.

Definition of resolution: DPI

As we just touched on, printers will print using print resolution DPI (dots per inch), which means how many dots can be printed out physically on a piece of paper.

For every pixel of color, you may find multiple dots on paper just to create that color. Good commercial printers will fit as many dots as it can onto the printing process so that it's invisible to the naked eye.

That is why you want to maximize the pixel resolution of your drawing so it has more pixels to work with!

In most programs, all you have to do is set your canvas to the correct measurements in inches, with the correct dots per inch, and it will do the rest!

My recommendation is multiply your aspect ratio with 300 DPI to get the absolute best quality for the file size it will create without slowing down your computer.

Excellent resource:

Definition of resolution: setting up the canvas

When you set up a your digital painting canvas for the first time, you will see a number of 96 or 72 DPI. I find it confusing because this definition of resolution actually refers to monitor PPI (pixels per square inch).

The 96 number is designated for most monitors while 72 is designated for Apple products. Regardless of how you change the number, you will notice that the pixel resolution doesn't change.

It is because the program is creating virtual inches on your screen! In other words, an inch on the screen could be several inches in reality depending on how high that number is.

Just remember that the inches you see on your monitor is only relative. You can have 5 inches or 10 inches on your ruler but the pixel resolution is still the same. It is the absolute pixel size that will make the difference in quality!

Another note about quality is to make sure you are outputting your art into a file format that retains the quality. A lot of new artists will make the mistake of importing it as a JPG file. While this format is perfect for the Internet, it is lackluster for actual printing.

While it is dependent on the printing company you are going to, most will accept the following file formats: TIFF, PDF, or PNG.

These file formats will ensure that color quality is maintained for printing. As well, depending on the requirements, you many need to switch between CYMK color mode (printing) and RGB color mode (monitor colors).

Luckily, it shouldn't matter that much because it is the printer company's job to make sure that the printing comes out right for you! They will have their own definition of resolution to go by.

But you can always make is easier for yourself and the printers by using pixels as the absolute measurement for all your drawings. After all, don't you want to see your artworks with the best clarity and quality possible?

 

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