Why did my print come out pixelated?
The file did not have enough pixels for the size you printed. Either it was enlarged, it was a screenshot or a web-sized copy rather than the download, or the printer setting was draft. Apex files ship at 300 DPI for the sizes on their product page; printed within those sizes from the original download, they are not the cause.
- 01
Find the file you actually printed
A file forwarded through a messaging app, saved from a browser preview, or copied from a thumbnail is a downscaled copy. Check the pixel dimensions against the download.
- 02
Check the size you printed at
Pixels ÷ inches. Under about 200 DPI on paper, edges go soft; under 150, they go blocky. The wall-art file covers 8×10 to 24×30; beyond that you are enlarging.
- 03
Check the printer
Draft or 'fast' mode dithers heavily and looks pixelated even with a perfect file. Set the highest quality and the right paper type.
The print looks blocky only in one area — why?+
Enlargement shows first in fine detail: whiskers, text, thin lines. The rest may look fine while those areas reveal the stretch.
My phone shows the file sharp but the print isn't.+
Phones display a fraction of the pixels. A 1200-pixel image looks perfect on a phone and prints at 4 inches.
Is a pixelated print covered by the guarantee?+
If the original download is below the resolution the product page states, yes — that is a wrong file. If the print was made from a copy or enlarged, no.
- —Apex cannot fix a print made from a re-saved, forwarded or screenshotted copy.
- —It does not test sizes beyond those listed on the product page.
Print resolution, from the download.
300 DPI at every listed size. Print the file you downloaded, not the preview.