Gimp question concerning quality...

[tmurph01]

So i created my labels using Gimp. Upon printing them they become blurry/fuzzy and not at all as clear as the look in the program. Thought this was a printer problem, but realized it prints photos crystal clear.

I have tried printing directly from Gimp, as well as as pasting/opening the image into Microsoft Word. Both of these yeild the same results. I tried printing it as a JPEG file as well as the standard Gimp editing file.

What am I doing wrong? Any suggestions?

 

[jamesnsw]

What's your DPI? You should have it set to 300. Basically, the printer needs more resolution than a computer screen to look good. I'm not familiar with how to change the DPI in GIMP, but you should be able to find how to do that online.

 

[Hermit]

I run GIMP in Linux and it generally has its own print drivers.

 

[riromero]

I use 300 dpi in Gimp too and it prints fine. On the menu bar chose
"Image"->"Scale Image...". Then set your Width and Height (in inches or mm makes it easier). The X resolution and Y resolution should each be 300 pixels/in. The resulting image should print well from any program provided your printer driver is set to high quality.

 

[tmurph01]

Thanks for the suggestions guys! I will have to try that out when i get home.\


Cheers!

 

[anchorage42]

If I may make a recommendation to hopefully save you many future headaches:

Learn to use Inkscape (the free Illustrator analogue) instead. Inkscape uses vectors which are infinitely scalable "maps" of the outline of an image. For our purposes this means that you can make one file and have it print both monstrous poster size and also 200px squared without losing any resolution. Many times I made graphics in photoshop/gimp only to realize that they were too small and, upon trying to enlarge them, they got blurry. I don't know if you ever intend to make larger copies to print out but I would love to save you the headache of having to redo things.

This won't apply for photographs that you import unless they're simple and you bitmap trace them.

Hope this helps!

 

[Schnitzengiggle]

Many times I made graphics in photoshop/gimp only to realize that they were too small and, upon trying to enlarge them, they got blurry.

FWIW, if you are scaling bitmaps/jpegs etc to a larger size using Ginp, you will lose resolution quality. Vector programs like Inscape and illustrator will not create the image quality probems that occur when scaling, however, there are limitations to vector programs as well, especially if you want to import a jpeg image and scale it, it does not automatically become a vector image.

 

[bonsai4tim]

I've had the same problem, new to Gimp (no photoshop experience either).

I found that changing the image size using the "image"->"scale image" setting the size by inches doesn't changes the pixels/inch.

Try scaling the image by changing the pixels/inch to get the size you want: For example, if your image is 2000 x 3000 pixels, if you do "image"->"scale image" and change the pixel/ inch count to 1000 px/inch, you will end up with a 2 in x 3 inch image, with no loss of resolution.



tim

 

[Edcculus]

Although the program will LET you increase the size and resolution of a picture, that doesn't mean you actually increased the resolution. Lets say you download a 3X3 picture with a resolution of 100ppi (pictures from the internet will range from 72-100 pixels per inch). You want that picture to be 6x6, so you just increase the size. You have effectively decreased the resolution to 50 ppi. Some programs will let you change the resolution. What happens here is the program looks at adjacent pixels and guesses what should be put there. This really isnt a good way of doing it, although the program will let you.

On the other hand, you can decrease a pictures size to increase resolution. If you have a 6x6 picture @ 150lpi and decrease it to 3x3 without resampling the image, it will give you a 300 ppi picture.

To put it simply, if you can't find a high resolution version, just don't use that picture. A general rule of thumb is that you need 2 times the output resolution of your printer. If your printer has a resolution of 150 lpi (lines per inch), you need a 300 ppi picture.

 

[anchorage42]

FWIW, if you are scaling bitmaps/jpegs etc to a larger size using Ginp, you will lose resolution quality. Vector programs like Inscape and illustrator will not create the image quality probems that occur when scaling, however, there are limitations to vector programs as well, especially if you want to import a jpeg image and scale it, it does not automatically become a vector image.

Totally agree with you. That's why I was suggesting the OP use Inkscape instead, so he didn't have to fret later on.
Inkscape has a feature like Illustrator's Live Trace called "Trace Bitmap" and it can do some pretty solid work when used correctly (dependent upon the complexity of the jpeg).

 

[Josh]

Hey Travis - just sent you an email. The .eps version of the logo should scale perfectly. As suggested, you might want to check your document dpi size. OR - just send me the finalized file that you're trying to print and I can take a look at it.