# GIMP overly pixelated images



## V-ronn (May 14, 2011)

I use the program GIMP2 for graphic design, editting pictures, etc. Recently I was hired to create graduation announcements for my friend. I had to resize her senior pictures a lot, because of their high resolution. I finished the announcement and sent her the files. However, when she downloaded them somewhere to get printed, the people told her that the pixelation was only 72%, as opposed to the 300% they should be. Is there any way I can change the pixelation to a better quality while keeping the images small? 
Thank you!


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## koala (Mar 27, 2005)

It sounds like you've saved the images with a 72dpi setting instead of 300dpi.

72 is used for monitor displays, 300 is used for print.

Open the original pictures again in GIMP, set the resolution to the size you want, and make sure the dpi (dots per inch) setting is 300 before saving.


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## V-ronn (May 14, 2011)

Where would I go to change the dpi?


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## koala (Mar 27, 2005)

I don't use GIMP, but the dpi option should be in the Scale Image window.

After you've opened the original high resolution image and resized it, it will display a window where you can enter the Image Size (width and height, pixels) and the X/Y Resolution (dpi, pixels per inch).

Set the image width/height to whatever is required for your project, and set the X/Y resolution to 300, then click the Scale button to resize the image.


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## V-ronn (May 14, 2011)

Thank you SOOO much!
is there any way i can change the text's dpi as well?


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## koala (Mar 27, 2005)

I'm not sure how GIMP handles text. If it's still in its original vector state, it should scale properly. If you've rasterized the text, it will be stuck at 72dpi, so you might have to enter it again into a new 300dpi document.


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