Pictures are the focal point of printed material and therefore the scanning of your images is an integral part of a quality result.

The following factors will govern the quality of your printed image:

(1) Sharp original slides (transparencies) and photographic prints reproduce better than duplicates which are normally softer and more grainy. Original hand drawn art also reproduces well.

(2) Enlargement factor - Scanning from the largest possible original print will reduce the enlargement percentage and therefore produce a more pleasing result. E.g. a 5" x 4" transparency enlarged to 1000mm will look sharper and less grainy than enlarging a 35mm slide to 1000mm.

(3) Resolution - Scan or image resolution is usually expressed as a number of pixels per inch (PPI) or dots per inch (DPI). If the resolution of a given image is too low in comparison to the output resolution of the printer, it will cause the image to print with jagged edges (also known as pixelation). It is advisable to check the resolution requirements with any output bureau before scanning or creating artwork in photoshop.