Wordmans Production Corner

The PPI Perspective

How to correctly set bitmap resolution to minimize file size, maximize editing and printing speed, yet maintain quality
The Problem
I often receive a Word document by e-mail that is several hundred kilobytes (KB), yet only comprises one page with a small, embedded bitmap, such as a rsum photograph or a company logo. The larger the document size, the longer it takes Word to repaint it while editing or viewing, the longer it takes to print, and the longer it takes to e-mail or download from a web site. Whereas I probably would not notice any appreciable delay with a 1-page document, I would notice the difference with a typical proposal document of several tens of pages, each with an embedded graphic of some kind. For example, suppose you take a picture with a digital camera of a new employee to add to their rsum. A 1-megapixel camera produces a portrait bitmap image of, typically, 864 pixels by 1152 pixels. This results in a JPEG file of around 240 KB. Now, you insert this picture into a Word documentthe employees rsum. The picture is initially very large, so you grab the corner of the picture and shrink it down to the required size, say, 1.5 inches wide on the page, and you might crop some unwanted areas off the picture. Happy with your results visually, you save the document. The document now only contains a small picture, right? Sorry, youre wrong! You have not compressed the picture, merely squashed it. The file will be around 240 KB larger than before you inserted the picture. That probably takes a 1-page Word document up to
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around 300 KBor around a minute of download time over the Internet on a 56K dial-up modem. Extrapolate those figures to a typical proposal document and you can end up with some enormous file sizes, and corresponding long download and printing times. Large bitmaps also slow down editing, because it takes Word longer to repaint the screen when you scroll the document. But, I hear you say, I want the highest quality for my printed documents! Dont we all, but we dont need huge bitmaps to achieve it. In fact, printing a bitmap at a resolution of more than 150 to 200 pixels per inch (PPI) achieves no noticeable visual increase in quality. Even high-end laser printers, such as

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the Xerox DocuColor, rarely print at resolutions above 400 PPI. Thanks to the characteristics of the human eye, the printer needs this resolution for crisp black and white text, but not for color pictures. (Note that PPI and DPI (dots per inch) are virtually interchangeable for the purposes of this discussion.) Alternatively, go to Format > Picture, and then click on Compress on the Format Picture dialog. Either of these routes will display the Compress Picture dialog: 7. Click on OK. The picture is now at the optimum resolution for Word 2002. 8. Note that once you save and close the document, you cant undo the compression!

The Solution
Using Word

So, how do we optimally change the resolution of the bitmap? If you are using Word 2002, part of Microsoft Office XP, you have a built-in tool. Those of us who are long-time Word users waited years for this obviously needed feature. 1. Size the picture how you want it to look in the document. Using our rsum example, this would be 1.5 inches wide. 2. With the picture selected, click on the Compress Pictures icon on the Picture toolbar:

4. Note that you can compress All pictures in document or just the Selected pictures. 5. Select Print under Change resolution. This will result in a resolution of 200 PPI. 6. Ensure that the Compress pictures and Delete cropped areas of pictures boxes are checked.

Using Older Versions of Word

What if youre using Word 2000, or even Word 97? Well, youll have to use a separate bitmap editor such as Adobe PhotoShop, JASC Paint Shop Pro, or Microsoft Photo Editor. If you have a rsum photograph that you want to print at 1.5 inches wide on the Word page, refer to the steps on the following page to change the resolution using each application:

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Wordmans Production Corner

Using Photoshop

5. Click on OK and save the picture under a different file name (Youll probably want to go back to the original in the future).

Using Paint Shop Pro

1. Open the picture, then go to Image > Image Size. This will display the Image Size dialog:

1. Open the picture, then go to Image > Resize. This will display the Resize dialog: 2. Click on Actual / print size.

2. In the Document Size: frame, set the resolution to 150 pixels/inch. 3. Make sure that the Constrain Proportions and Resample Image boxes are checked. The default of Bicubic resampling is fine. 4. Now set the Width to 1.5 inches. The Height will automatically change to maintain the original aspect ratio.

6. You can now insert the new bitmap into Word. Note the Pixel Dimensions at the top of the dialog. This indicates the uncompressed file size, not the file size after youve saved it. The JPEG file format has inherent file compression and the final size, in this example, ended up at 11 KB! 3. Set the Resolution to 150.00 Pixels / inch. 4. Make sure that the Resize all layers and Maintain aspect ratio boxes are checked. The default of Smart size resize type is fine. 5. Now set the Width to 1.500 inches. The Height will automatically change to maintain the original aspect ratio.

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6. Click on OK and save the picture under a different file name. You can now insert the new bitmap into Word.
Using Photo Editor

4. Make sure that the Smooth box is checked and the Allow distortion box is not checked. Set the Units to Inches. 5. Now set the Width to 1.500 inches. The Height will automatically change to maintain the original aspect ratio.

1. Open the picture, then go to File > Properties. This will display the Properties dialog:

Note that the opposite is also true bitmaps with resolutions less than 150 PPI will show poor quality. This is why most graphics captured from web pages are not suitable for printed images. Web pages are generally set for 72 to 75 PPI. Also, note that these techniques apply equally well to PowerPoint. However, if you are primarily producing PowerPoint slides for electronic presentations using a projector, optimize your bitmaps to 75 PPI. Use 150 PPI as described above for printed slides. Trivia Time: Did you know that pixel is a contraction of picture element? Look out for more production tips from Wordman in the next issue!

2. Set the Resolution to 150 Pixels / Inch. 3. Click on OK, then go to Image > Resize. This will display the Resize dialog:

6. Click on OK and save the picture under a different file name. You can now insert the new bitmap into Word.

You can reach Wordman via Dick Eassom, Director of Product Development at SM&A, Newport Beach, Californiae-mail Dick at dick.eassom@smawins.com. Thanks to Sean Jones of SM&As Art

Summary
So, changing the resolution of your bitmaps is easy, does not reduce quality, but does minimize file size, improves printing and download time, and optimizes file editing. The minimum resolution should be 150 PPI, with a maximum of around 200 PPI. Happy resizing!

Department for bring Wordman to life. Wordman is 2001-2002, SM&A, and used with permission by APMP.

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