Why can't I use that photo I grabbed from the internet on my leaflet?

Here's a common question I see: WHY CAN'T I USE THAT PHOTO I GRABBED FROM THE INTERNET ON MY LEAFLET?

Aside from the obvious copyright issues which would arise from just randomly using someone else's photo from Google, or any website for that matter, have you ever tried to use a photo grabbed from the internet, only to be told it's too low quality?

"BUT IT LOOKS MASSIVE ON MY SCREEN" I hear you cry!

Here's why.

Resolution.

So, here's a nutshell guide to why that's happening.

You know that the image on your screen is made up of lots of little dots of light, or pixels. There are 72 dots in every inch in fact. (72dpi).

You probably also know that the printed things you see are also made up of lots of little dots of printed ink. The fine detail involved means there usually needs to be at least 300 dots per inch (300dpi), but it is often more.

So. . . That's almost 4 times the size needed to print compared to what you see on screen. So as a general rule, if you grab it from online, it will be about a quarter of that size in print. Ish.

If you're buying stock images online, always try and get the largest one you can and you should be OK.

I hope that explains it... Any questions, let me know!