This is because when the scanner scans, it shines a light, and that light reflects off of the grooves and textures of your painted piece.

If you are scanning artwork that has a shiny surface, like acrylic or oil paintings, you might notice the scanned version appears to have some glare. Getting the perfect scan can sometimes be a little tricky, here are some helpful tips: A TIFF will retain the integrity of your artwork’s image data when working with it in different applications. A TIFF can also support transparency, like a PNG can. Unlike a JPEG, which changes the data every time you open and close it, thus losing quality. The colors shown on your computer, tablet, and phone are RGB colors.Ī TIFF compresses image data, but doesn’t change it. RGB: Red, Green, Blue: These three colors are used to make all the colors for screen viewing. In printing, we use CMYK to create the colors.ĬMYK: Cyan, Magenta, Yellow, Black: These four inks are used to make all the colors in color printing. A JPEG on the other hand is best for RGB color data, which is the color mode that all digital formats use. Why use a TIFF instead of a JPEG or PNG? A TIFF file is your best option for saving CMYK color data and getting the most accurate printed color results. TIFF or Tag Image File Format: A type of format used for moving raster graphics (bitmap) images between different programs, such as Illustrator, InDesign, and Photoshop. There should be an option to change it if it is not. Now, do you scan it as a JPEG, PNG, or TIFF for print? An image at 72 PPI has a lot less pixels than an image at 300 DPI and that difference plays the main role in how crisp and clear your image will print. With that in mind, when using a scanner, make sure your image resolution is set to at least 300 PPI. Now that we know images from the web have a resolution of 72 PPI, the typical minimum image resolution required for printing is 300 DPI. PPI translates to DPI (Dots Per Inch) once you go from digital to print.ĭots Per Inch are actual drops of ink on the printed sheet PPI or Pixels Per Inch: The amount of pixels present within a span of 1 inch. On the internet and computer, images tend to have a image resolution of 72 PPI. To get a high quality, high resolution image of your artwork, your best bet is to use a scanner, especially if you’re planning on printing it.īefore we scan, let's talk image resolution. Have you ever tried to print an image from the internet only to have it come out blurry and pixelated? This is because of image resolution. Acrylic, oil, and watercolor paintings, pencil or pen sketches, magazine collages, and wood cut prints are just a few examples. Converting your artwork to a digital format will allow you to sell prints, design greeting cards, create t-shirts, and more. Traditional artwork is anything created in the physical world with your hands. Knowing how work with your artwork digitally is really important, this blog post will give you some tips on how to take your traditional artwork and bring it into a digital format to reproduce with ease. Artists especially have really benefited from the internet, their work can now be shared with and sold to an enormous audience. Having an online presence today is essential for almost any business.

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