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December 7, 2010 10:50 AM

What pixel dimensions are optimum for either a flat jpeg or PDF file meant to be circulated as a Christmas greeting card image, attached in email to a wide variety of recipients?
posted by zadcat to Computers & Internet (9 answers total)

It depends on the picture but for a general picture of say a couple, 800x600 should be fine as a jpeg at 75% compression.
posted by JJ86 at 10:54 AM on December 7, 2010

Response by poster: A couple of what?

This is professional illustration work – I'm just curious what people find to be the optimum size on their screens.
posted by zadcat at 11:12 AM on December 7, 2010

I wouldn't go over 800x600 on anything I was sending out to be displayed in an email window. People still use netbooks and most people I know do most of their email reading on phones these days.
posted by pjaust at 11:15 AM on December 7, 2010

what pjaust said. While most people larger screen resolutions, the window in which they view their email is much smaller. And yes, iPhones.

Also keep in mind your file weight. Don't want to ram a 1M file through the pipes if you don't have to.
posted by jlunar at 11:32 AM on December 7, 2010

zadcat: "A couple of what?"

I assume: a couple as in a couple of people.

Don't send it as a file attachment (this is not what email's for), send a link (you could even offer different resolutions) to a file on your server (or something like a Dropbox link).
posted by turkeyphant at 11:48 AM on December 7, 2010

Response by poster: It's not up to me how it's sent. I just make the picture.

Thanks all. As a graphic designer I think in terms of BIG MONITORS so it's good to be reminded of netbooks and other small-screen real estate.
posted by zadcat at 11:49 AM on December 7, 2010

Campaign Monitor provides excellent guidelines on email design standards. Generally, designing to 600px - width - will be accessible to most.
posted by kellygrape at 12:21 PM on December 7, 2010

I was just trying to read between the lines of your succinct original message and assumed a typical family holiday greeting card with a portrait of two or more people. Still making assumptions about your motives being commercial, don't clog up anyone's inbox with hi-res pictures. Few people are ok with unsolicited emails with big attachments. PDF's would rarely be appreciated. Most businesses are starting to impose size limits on company inboxes.

turkeyphant's idea of linking would be optimal but even then you still want to stay small. While broadband connections help to easily access most huge files, email is being accessed more and more by mobile devices, professional illustration work not withstanding.
posted by JJ86 at 12:44 PM on December 7, 2010

Response by poster: Oh no, no family fromage. Various people want visual "cards" to send around, this time of year. I'm always trying to lighten the load, but some people like to send hefty high-rez PDFs... always a struggle. I will remember to argue for the mobile device crowd.
posted by zadcat at 7:41 PM on December 7, 2010