Will My Logo Print Sharp?

A logo is high enough resolution to print when its pixel width divided by the imprint width in inches comes to at least 300. PPI's artwork resolution checker does that division for you: drop the file in, type the imprint width you need, and it reports the exact DPI you land at along with a pass, marginal or fail verdict.

DPI means dots per inch, the number of dots of ink packed into every inch of a print. 300 DPI is the point at which a normal eye stops seeing individual dots at reading distance, which is why it became the print standard. Below it, edges soften and small text starts to fill in.

The largest size a logo prints sharp at is its pixel width divided by 300. A 3000 pixel wide file prints sharp up to 10 inches wide; a 600 pixel wide file prints sharp up to 2 inches. PPI's artwork resolution checker reads your file's true pixel dimensions and shows both that 300 DPI size and the looser 200 DPI large-format size.

200 DPI is good enough for large-format work that is read from a step back, such as a banner, a table throw or a tote carried at arm’s length. It is not good enough for fine lines or small text on something held in the hand, like a pen or a badge. That is why this checker reports both numbers instead of one verdict.

Enlarging a low resolution logo does not fix it. Resizing stretches the same pixels across more space, so the file gets bigger while the detail stays exactly where it was, and the print looks softer rather than sharper. The only real fixes are a file with more original pixels or a vector file.

A vector file stores a logo as shapes and math rather than a grid of pixels, so there is no fixed number of dots to spread over an inch. It is redrawn at whatever size a printer asks for, which is why this checker reports vector files as sharp at any size instead of computing a meaningless DPI for them.

AI, EPS, SVG and most print-ready PDFs are vector formats. PNG, JPG, GIF, WebP and screenshots are raster formats, meaning a fixed grid of pixels with a real resolution limit. A PDF can contain either, so a PDF exported from a photo is raster in a vector wrapper.

Ask your designer for the logo as a vector file, an .ai, .eps or .svg, with the fonts converted to outlines. When only a raster file exists, ask for one at least as many pixels wide as the imprint width times 300. This checker writes that exact sentence with your number in it, ready to copy into an email.

This checker never uploads a logo. The file is read and decoded entirely inside your own browser, and it is gone the moment you close the tab or choose a different file. Nothing is stored, emailed or sent to Promotional Product Inc unless you choose to send it yourself afterward.

Design software often reports a size that assumes a resolution already set in the file, such as 72 DPI for something built for the web. This checker ignores that stored assumption and measures the only thing that decides sharpness, the true pixel dimensions, then works out the size at 300 DPI and at 200 DPI.

The imprint method changes how much fine detail survives, not the arithmetic. 300 DPI is the target across methods, but a screen print on fabric closes up thin lines that a laser engraving would hold, and embroidery reproduces shapes rather than pixels. Send the highest resolution file you have and we will tell you what the method can carry.

A failing result is a warning, not a refusal. Promotional Product Inc can often print a marginal file at a smaller imprint size, and our art team can frequently rebuild a logo that has no usable original. Send us the file you have and we will tell you honestly what it can carry before anything goes to press.