How fuzzy is it?

[tngcas]

Is there a scale somewhere that people use to send to their customers to explain how "fuzzy" something is.
Like... how do I objectively explain how fuzzy something is going to print to a customer who does not have the ability to come in and look at a print in-person. Mobile devices do not do a good job expressing how fuzzy something will print.


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Fuzzy Wuzzy was a Bear, Fuzzy Wuzzy had no hair, Fuzzy Wuzzy wasn't very fuzzy was he.

 

[jwheeler]

Mail them a sample!

 

[tngcas]

If that was an option I would but the timeline is too tight. I wasn’t really seriously asking I was more finding the whole concept trying to explain “levels of fuzziness” humerus.

 

[gordo]

Your post question is rather fuzzy.
What do you mean by fuzzy. Can you post an image that exemplifies what you mean?

 

[keith1]

What do you mean by fuzzy.

I'm presuming he means pixelated, as in low resolution raster.
Mini rant: I've had many tell me proofs 'don't look right'. Turns out they're looking at what might be a 30" sheet on a bloody telephone screen.

 

[PricelineNegotiator]

It's about a 5/7 on the fuzziness scale.

 

[Ynot_UK]

I try to refer to image file sizes as this is easy to understand.
If you send me a JPG at 30KB it is going to be useless.
If you send me the same image at 1MB or above, it should be good.
So, when emailing photos from your phone, always send to me at the original native resolution.

 

[tngcas]

Fuzzy is what happens when you tell someone their image is pixelated and they go in and try to create more pixels by using photoshop or something else to change the resolution without actually going back to the source of the file and getting a higher resolution file. Yes, it's no longer pixelated but now it's fuzzy (or blurry). IE Taking an image that is 300 pixels by 300 pixels and using photoshop and resizing it to 2000 pixels by 2000 pixels.

 

[Rick]

I tell them to view it at 100% onscreen for an idea..
or to print out on a home printer

 

[chriscozi]

Is there a scale somewhere that people use to send to their customers to explain how "fuzzy" something is.

Do we have a standard for 'fuzzy'?
NO.
We DO have a 'resolution' standard.

Most modern non-professional digital cameras 'sharpen' images as they are captured.
This limits image 'enlargement' options as to quality of the result.
When you increase the resolution of a photo (enlarge) and don't improve the 'sharpness' you may get a subjectively 'fuzzy' image.

So to solve problems up front:
Check image resolution on file submission.
Any 'low res' image is flagged.
Customer is told higher res or not responsible for quality.
- or spend your time educating the customer to modern image reproduction realities.

 

[WiseGuy]

I'm guessing many print buyers won't understand the technical explanations. I saw with one printer they had a short animated video that explained image resolution, why it's important for print and ways to correct it. But also mocking up a side by side example might do the trick too? An example where you have a representation of the image at 300ppi, 150ppi and 72ppi. Of course, it would have to be exaggerated if it's something you'd email to them, but at lease they might get the idea. Good Luck!

 

[YourCastle]

I tell them to view it at 100% onscreen for an idea..
or to print out on a home printer

no to both.

if it's important, i tell them to view my PDF at 300%. If it's not crisp and clean, then we need to talk. If it's less important, then 200% is fine. And never let a client proof a hardcopy of something not close to the quality of the end printer.

 

[anthonyminchinton@yahoo.c]

I'm presuming he means pixelated, as in low resolution raster.
Mini rant: I've had many tell me proofs 'don't look right'. Turns out they're looking at what might be a 30" sheet on a bloody telephone screen.

Interesting, I had the converse: client had zoomed in to the maximum in Acrobat and said his logo was pixelated - wanted another proof that would allow them to zoom in all the way to check quality. Tried to explain, client could not get their head around this even with a hard copy proof as they used a loupe to show that the printed copy also had quality problems. We explained that we could only offer the hard copy printed quality. This client has been to several printers, some of whom told me. I wonder who set these expectations?

 

[Craig]

I wonder who set these expectations?

Colleges and trade schools taught by someone with no real world experience. You know, the same ones who don't teach what a bleed is!

 

[Possumgal]

I worked for a tee shirt printer, and one design a customer got from the internet and wanted on a shirt was less than 1/2 inch tall and wide. I couldn't even tell what it was to recreate it. I blew it up to 12 inches wide to show them how it would look. I couldn't resist that one.

 

[YourCastle]

Colleges and trade schools taught by someone with no real world experience. You know, the same ones who don't teach what a bleed is!

yup!

The receptionist at my work is learning graphic design from us on the marketing team. She asked if she should go to college for it...

lol, no

(she'll learn from us... while collecting a paycheck and not racking up student loans)