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Printing Architectural CGI

Printing Architectural CGI and ensuring your image is a suitable resolution and size for its use.

Quick Overview of how Digital Printers work

Being very simplistic digital printers add toner or ink to paper. Lazer printers melt very small dots of toner against the paper. Inkjet printers spray ink (in minute drops) onto paper through inkjet nozzles.

Quick Overview of how Lithographic Printers work

Lithographic printers use a printing plate with images and text etched onto it. As the plate is passed through the rollers of the litho press, it collects ink in layers which combine, producing the full-colour print. This process produces a very high-quality image.

If you’d like to find out more about the differences between digital and litho printing, click here to read the article we found on the web.

What is DPI, and why is it important? 

DPI stands for Dots Per Inch. Simply put, this refers to the print quality that can be achieved. The more dots in an inch (or 2.54cm for us metric users), the higher the quality of the print. The sharpness and detail of an image will increase with the number of dots per inch. 

Standard DPI

The print industry standard resolution is 300dpi. However, depending on how an image is being used and printed, 150dpi can be acceptable in certain circumstances. If in doubt, ask your Print supplier or print a test print and see if the results are satisfactory.

Photograph of a large format printer that can be used for printing architectural cgi

What sizes does CGi Builder offer for printing architectural CGI?

Our computer-generated images are produced at 300dpi in three different sizes:

Standard Size CGI
Our Standard size images are created with a resolution of 2800 x 2000 pixels which is higher resolution than Full HD (1980 x 1020 pixels). So our standard CGI will look good on any HD screen (such as a High-Definition TV or computer monitor/laptop). 

Standard size images will print 237 x 169mm (within A4) at 300dpi.

Our fixed-priced Architectural CGI includes one standard-sized view.

Large Size CGI
The resolution of our Large size images is 4200 x 3000 pixels and will be a larger download file size than our standard-sized CGI. Large-sized images will print 356 x 254mm (within A3) at 300 dpi.

All our Large Size CGI includes a standard-sized view (available from Downloads in the Customer Area).

Max Size CGI
The highest resolution images we offer are 7000 x 5000 pixels (extremely large downloadable file size). Our Max images will print up to 593 x 423mm (within A2) at 300 dpi.

All our Max Size CGI includes a standard-sized view (available from Downloads in the Customer Area).

For pricing information, click here >>

How to choose which of our sizes for printing?

When it comes to printing architectural CGI, it simply comes down to the finished printed size you need. If you just want an image that sits within an A4 (297 x 210mm), then our Standard sized image will suffice. However, for brochures or adverts where the image needs to be more prominent in print, then our Large sized images will be a suitable choice. If you want to use an image on a hoarding or signage, then our Max sized image will be required.

If you need a specific size of print, please contact us >>

How to select print sizes using our website 

When selecting your views for your CGI during Step 2 of our Process >>, you can also choose the size of print you require.

You can also return to the Downloads section of your Customer area once your project is complete and order a different size view.

Best practices for home printing architectural CGi

photograph of a home printer which can be used for printing architectural cgi

If you are using a home printer for best results:

  • Do not scale the CGi to fit media; this will reduce the print quality (which may be acceptable). You should print a test and decide if the print quality is satisfactory.
  • Ideally, use photo print paper which will give you better print results.
  • Check your settings and ensure your printer is set to the highest quality and that you have specified the type of paper you are printing on.

Using a professional print company

Photograph of a large format printer which can be used for printing architectural cgi

You can supply your downloaded CGI direct to a professional printer. When speaking to a print company, ask what paper they offer/recommend and which size they require the CGI.