How to improve the resolution of an image with Paint.NET
When we talk about image resolution, we usually express it in terms of DPI. DPI refers to the physical printing of an image; If your image is 800 pixels by 1100 pixels and is scaled to 100 DPI, printing the image will produce an 8 ″ X11 ″ print.
The image shown on the screen is usually presented in its original size; that an 800 x 1100 pixel image will take 800 x 1100 pixels on the screen (or only a part will be shown if it is larger than the screen in one or more dimensions).
You cannot really increase the resolution of the image files that are in Paint.NET (or in other image editing programs). After creating the image, the detail and resolution are as high as possible.
Unlike “Star Trek”, we still don’t have the magic “enlarge and improve” technology that allows the screen to take small gray spots of four pixels on the screen and somehow turn it into a slightly blurred but still very detailed Klingon . explorer, or whatever.
We can reduce the image file and make it less high resolution, but we cannot increase the resolution … at least not yet.
What we can do is change the print resolution of an image so that it is printed at the highest level of detail.
This article will show you how to do it with Paint.NET freeware, Free photo and image editing software that runs on Mac and PC.
First, open Paint.NET and then select a photo to edit by clicking File and Open. Then click on Image and select Resize from the menu. Open a snapshot window directly below.
The window includes a Resolution box that indicates the resolution of the image as dots per inch or per centimeter. Select pixels / inches from the drop-down menu. That will also change the Print Size value below that to inches.
Now enter a higher value in the Resolution box to increase the DPI resolution. Note that expanding the resolution also reduces the Print Size value directly below it. Now the image will print more dots per inch. Therefore, increasing the resolution also reduces the dimensions of the image when you print it.
Most inkjet printers can have a DPI of around 300 to 600. Check your printer specifications for DPI details. Then configure the resolution to match the maximum DPI value of the printer to get the best quality prints of your Paint.NET document.
Adjusting the resolution will not affect the images opened in Paint.NET. The dimensions will remain exactly the same. To adjust the image dimensions in the Paint.NET window, you must change the Pixel Size value.
Click on all right to close the window then press Ctrl + P on PC or P-command on a Mac to open the Print dialog box, then click To print to print Paint.NET documents.
With a maximized resolution, the images will be printed at a smaller scale and are becoming sharper than the lower resolution images.
Then, you can now increase the resolution of the image in Paint.NET to get the best print quality. If you can, print images with high resolution photo paper to further improve the quality of the final print. It is important to use high resolution photo paper if you are printing photos that you want to frame.
If you want to learn how to use Paint.NET, a free image and photo editing software package, you can take a look at some TechJunkie Paint.NET tutorials, which include the following:
Do you have tips and tricks to use Paint to prepare photos for printing? If so, leave a comment below!
