Print resolution — 300 DPI for theatrical assets, 72 DPI for screens. Higher values eliminate visible halftone; irrelevant to digital cinema capture.
Print resolution describes the pixel density of an image on paper or other print media—measured in Dots Per Inch (DPI). Those working with print materials on set or in post-production must distinguish between screen and print resolution. This is not a trivial matter: a teaser poster or a DCP still requires completely different preparations.
The standard rule is simple: 300 DPI for print, 72 DPI for screen. This may sound arbitrary, but it isn't. The human eye, at a normal viewing distance (approximately 30 cm), can no longer resolve individual halftone dots above 300 DPI—the halftones merge into uniform areas. For cinema marketing, you need this resolution for posters, program booklets, or festival catalogs, otherwise your film still will look pixelated. 72 DPI, on the other hand, is the standard screen resolution, which is perfectly adequate for streaming thumbnails or social media content—and keeps file sizes significantly smaller.
Errors frequently occur in the workflow here: a VFX supervisor exports a beauty pass in full resolution (4K or higher) but saves it at 72 DPI. The result when printed is a blurry disaster, even though the image information was present. Conversely, it's wasteful to produce an Instagram teaser at 300 DPI—the upload compression will ruin it anyway. A print professional will immediately notice whether you understand what you're doing.
Important: DPI has zero influence on the film resolution itself. Your DCP remains 2K or 4K, regardless of how you export stills later. DPI is purely an output format matter. Practical workflow: when exporting, determine the pixel dimensions (e.g., 3000 × 2000 pixels for an A2 poster), then export twice—once at 300 DPI for the printer, and once at 72 DPI as a web version. Professional printers will only accept 300 DPI anyway, and they will ask you if something is wrong. It's better to be prepared.