Problem
- Images are clear in the Editor, but are blurry when printed.
- Some general information about printing from Snagit on macOS.
Displays and DPI
Computer screens and images are measured in pixels and Snagit (Mac) captures the screen at actual pixel size. When an image is printed, those pixels are divided across the print area that are measured in inches. The result is known as DPI (Dots per inch).
Most displays have a lower DPI than a printed page. Older computer screens are between 72 or 96 DPI range, while modern LCD screens are between the 120-140 DPI range. A standard print resolution for a letter-sized page is 300 DPI.
An example of this is a 13" MacBook Pro that has a screen size of 1280 x 800 pixels. A fullscreen capture printed at 300 DPI (4 1/4" x 2 2/3") is much smaller than the physical dimensions of the screen. A US Letter sized paper at 300 DPI (8 1/2" x 11") requires an image of 2550 x 3300 pixels, much larger than most computer displays.
Resizing and Converting
If you are preparing images for printing, you may need to set a specific resolution such as 300 dpi. To prepare images for printing, set the resolution to 300 DPI. Snagit (Mac) can resize images but cannot set the image DPI. Other imaging editors like Apple Preview or Adobe Photoshop can set a DPI.
To enlarge a screen capture in Snagit (Mac), select Image > Resize Image. This resizes the image to a specific dimensions or percentage. Resizing a screen capture can result in a blurry or pixelated image so we recommend testing your output for quality.
To set the DPI, follow the steps below.
- Select File > Save As.
- In format, select a new file. TIFF or JPEG are used for printing.
- Open Preview or Photoshop
- In Preview, select Tools > Adjust Size.
- In Photoshop, select Image > Image Size.
Images intended for offset press printing need to use the CMYK (Cyan, Magenta, Yellow, Black) color model than RGB (Red, Green, Blue) model which is used for computer displays. Snagit (Mac) and Preview cannot convert images from RGB to CMYK except Photoshop.
Printing with Snagit
Snagit can print captures as well. Since Snagit (Mac) is not a page-based program, it does not have a page layout or size controls. Some printers will have sizing options such as Scale or Fit to Page in the Page Setup or Print dialog. This depends on what the printer manufacturer included in their driver. For better control over print layout, print capture from a page-based program such as Word, Pages, or InDesign.
