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General Computers

Scanning Resolution Questions

When scanning photos for use on computer screens (not for printed output), there are two schools of thought. One school says to scan images at a lower dpi setting. This way, the file sizes are small, and the image quality is relatively nice enough for the screen when you use 75-125 dpi. Another school of thought, one which I recommend, is to use a larger scan setting if possible. Yes, 200-300 dpi may seem overkill, but the extra detail will be worth it if you can stand the larger images and longer scan times. My experience has shown the larger images to resize very well to the screen, creating better images that those resulting from scanning at a lower dpi. Your results may vary, but if you have a good scanner, plenty of hard drive space, plenty of memory, and a good bitmap editor, go for the higher dpi and create some sharp images for use on your computer screen.

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The MalekTips website was created in 1998 by Andrew Malek of Envision Programming. The page's goal is to freely disperse computer-related tips, hints, and informative articles. Tips are organized to be easy to find, and are presented clearly, in easy-to-understand language. MalekTips also provides information and links to public-domain, open source, freeware, shareware, and commercial software available for download. < more >