What matters for printing (super quick refresher)

• Resolution & upscaling: You’ll usually want ~300 PPI for small/medium wall art viewed up close (e.g., 12″ print ≈ 3600 px on the long side). Bigger display pieces (posters, wood panels) can go lower PPI if viewed from farther away; just keep fine text sharp.

• Aspect ratio control: Being able to target 3:2, 4:5, 2:3, panoramic, etc., reduces cropping headaches.

• Typography accuracy: If your print includes slogans, product labels, or poster titles, legible, accurate text generation is crucial.

• Editing tools: Inpainting/outpainting and canvas expansion help you fix tiny defects before committing to print.

• Licensing & provenance: You want clear commercial rights and, ideally, provenance metadata (C2PA/Content Credentials).

1) ChatGPT (OpenAI image generation; “GPT-Image-1” inside ChatGPT)

Strengths for print

• Integrated chat + image workflow: prompt, iterate, and make targeted edits (“high input fidelity” edits) without hopping tools.

• Ownership & commercial use: OpenAI assigns you ownership of your generated output—good clarity for client work. 

• Provenance: ChatGPT’s generated images embed C2PA Content Credentials, useful if you want verifiable origin on your print files. 

Caveats

• Aspect ratio & size options are limited compared to others (common presets are 1024×1024, 1536×1024, 1024×1536; PNG/JPEG/WEBP). Plan to upscale for large prints. 

• Typography: Much improved vs. older DALLE models, but still not the best choice when your design depends on long, flawless headlines (see Ideogram & Flux below). Independent tests often note this. Tom's Guide

Best use cases: concepting & quick comps in a chat, photographic scenes that don’t rely on long text, iterative edits before you take the file into Photoshop/Lightroom for finishing.

2) Midjourney V7

Strengths for print

• Aesthetic quality & detail: V7 is strong at photographic realism and painterly styles that “just look good” printed large.

• Flexible aspect ratios with --ar; solid editor with Vary (Region) inpainting, Pan/Zoom Out for extending a canvas—handy for reframing to your print size. 

• Native V7 upscale output ~2048×2048 for 1:1, giving clean starting points (≈6.8″ at 300 PPI) before external upscaling.

Caveats

• Text rendering is better than older versions but still not best-in-class for long, complex typography (Ideogram/Flux win here).

• Licensing note for companies: You own your assets, but businesses with >$1M annual revenue need Pro or Mega plan to own assets—important for commercial printing. 

Best use cases: wall art, lifestyle scenes, product hero shots where typography is minimal; great when you’ll finish in Photoshop (grain, sharpening, color).

3) Adobe Firefly

Strengths for print

• “Commercially safe” training (Adobe Stock + licensed + public domain) and Content Credentials baked in—ideal for risk-averse brands and agencies. 

• Deep Creative Cloud integration: generate in Photoshop/Illustrator/InDesign, then finish with pro tools. You also get Super Resolution in Lightroom/ACR (2× linear / 4× pixels) for print-scale upscaling. 

Caveats

• Output size from Firefly inside InDesign is typically around 2K (with “expands” up to ~4K). You’ll often upscale for big prints. 

• Some creators find Firefly’s defaults more conservative/stylized than Midjourney for photoreal wow-factor.

Best use cases: enterprise or brand work where training data ethics and C2PA provenance matter; vector + image pipelines; Photoshop finishing with Super Resolution for large wood/poster prints. 

4) Ideogram (v3.0)

Strengths for print

• Industry-leading typography: v3.0 focuses on “game-changing” text & layout—poster titles, labels, t-shirts, packaging, signage. It’s the most reliable at long, stylized, legible text. 

• Built-in 2× Upscale (and PNG downloads for paid tiers) for cleaner, print-friendlier outputs; Canvas/Magic Fill for inpainting/outpainting. 

• Commercial use: Ideogram says you’re free to use generated images commercially (you’re responsible for 3rd-party rights compliance). 

Caveats

• Photorealism is good and improving, but Midjourney still tends to win “pure vibe” realism challenges.

• You’ll still upscale externally for very large formats.

Best use cases: any print with important text—posters, merch, product comps, ad layouts, display graphics.

5) Flux Kontext Max (via NightCafe)

Strengths for print

• Prompt adherence + typography + editing consistency: Flux Kontext is designed for in-context editing and keeping characters/details consistent across multiple edit turns—great when you spot small print defects and need precise fixes without “drift.” 

• Text handling is strong, speed is high (Kontext Max aims for max speed with better text). Independent head-to-heads on NightCafe often rate it top overall for balance (realism + legible text). Black Forest LabsTom's Guide

• NightCafe platform perks: multiple model access + Creative Upscaler tool for 4K-ish outputs; clear commercial-use guidance (you own your creations). 

Caveats

• Exact native output sizes vary per model/provider setting; plan on upscaling for big prints (as with most models).

• NightCafe uses credits; costs can vary based on upscale/edits.

Best use cases: posters/labels with both photoreal elements and reliable text, and iterative edit workflows (fixing tiny artifacts before print).

Which is “best” for printing?

It depends on the job:

• Text-heavy posters, packaging comps, t-shirt designs: Ideogram 3.0 or Flux Kontext Max (for long, accurate, stylized text and editable consistency). 

• Photoreal art prints with maximum “wow”: Midjourney V7, then upscale and finish in Photoshop/Lightroom.

• Brand-sensitive commercial work (licensing/provenance): Adobe Firefly (commercially safe training + C2PA) or ChatGPT (ownership assignment + C2PA). 

• Concepting inside a chat and quick iterative edits: ChatGPT (super convenient; just watch the aspect-ratio/size presets and plan to upscale). 

Print-readiness cheatsheet (per tool)

ChatGPT (GPT-Image-1)

• Sizes: common presets 1024/1536 px; export PNG/JPEG/WEBP; upscale externally for large prints. 

• Provenance: C2PA embedded. Midjourney V7

• Default upscaled 1:1 ≈ 2048 px; use --ar for 3:2, 4:5, etc. Use Vary Region / Pan / Zoom-Out to reframe to your print ratio; upscale externally for >12″. 

• Licensing: own your assets; revenue >$1M → use Pro/Mega to own. 

Adobe Firefly

• Output (InDesign): ~2K (expands up to ~4K); then apply Super Resolution in Lightroom/ACR (2× linear / 4× pixels) for print. C2PA/Content Credentials included. 

Ideogram 3.0

• Outstanding text; built-in 2× Upscale; use Canvas/Magic Fill/Extend to fix edges before print; commercial use OK (mind third-party rights). 

Flux Kontext Max (NightCafe)

• Strong text + edit consistency; runs fast; Creative Upscaler available on NightCafe; NightCafe says commercial use is allowed for your creations. 

My quick recommendations for artwork you’ll print on wood (like WoodSnap)

• For graphic/typographic wood prints (quotes, event posters, signage): generate in Ideogram 3.0 (or Flux Kontext Max if you prefer NightCafe), then upscale (Lightroom Super Resolution or NightCafe Creative Upscaler) and do a light midtone lift before printing (wood can darken the image slightly).

• For photographic or painterly scenes: start in Midjourney V7, extend/reframe to the exact aspect ratio you’ll print using Pan/Zoom-Out/Vary Region, export, then upscale and finish color in Lightroom/Photoshop (add gentle clarity/sharpening for wood grain).

• For brand-sensitive client work where dataset provenance matters: Adobe Firefly inside Photoshop/InDesign, then Super Resolution. Add/keep Content Credentials in final exports. 

• For chat-first concepting and small prints: ChatGPT is the fastest path from idea → image → minor edit; just plan an upscaling pass before you send to print. 

One-page verdict

• Best all-around “poster with text” engine: Ideogram 3.0. 

• Best vibe/photoreal art (finish in Adobe): Midjourney V7. 

• Best for enterprise-safe provenance & Adobe pipelines: Firefly. 

• Best for fast concept→edit in one chat: ChatGPT. 

• Best for iterative edits with consistent characters + good text (esp. on NightCafe): Flux Kontext Max. 

If you want, I can turn this into a copy-pasteable Shopify page or a customer-facing “Which AI should I use for prints?” guide—just say the word and I’ll format it to match woodsnap.com’s style.