IMAGE RESOLUTION
- Image resolution refers to the number of pixels in a linear unit of the image, which is usually in inches.
- Dpi or ppi refers to dots or pixels per linear inch.
- Images are made up of little dots called pixels. Pixel stands for PICture ELment. Put enough of them together and you have a picture.
SCREEN RESOLUTION
- Screen resolution is the number of halftone dots in a linear unit.
- Halftone dots are used in the printing process to simulate tonal values of the image. Larger dots for darker tones and smaller dots for lighter tones.
- Indicated by lpi (lines per inch) or lpm (lines per millimeter)
OUTPUT DEVICE RESOLUTION
- Refers to the number of exposure or printing points per linear unit used by an output device to transfer an image to the output material.
- Indicated by dpi (dot/inch), ppi (points per inch), dpm (dots per millimeter) or ppm (points per millimeter)
The above is basically an outline answer to your question. In my seminar titled "Answers to FAQ’s on Digital Prepress", one of the faq's is "Dpi, megapixels, lpi, ppi – what do these all mean?". It takes about 15 minutes plus Powerpoint to discuss this topic. If you need more explanation, call me at 7190892.