Generally the images we use on the web now, especially all of those images that are scanned in, are .jpg files. Jpg files are smaller, so they load faster, and it is easier to reduce the file size a lot more than is often possible with a gif image without losing as much quality as you would with a gif image.

If you are using PaintShopPro, you can change the dpi by clicking on File, Preferences, then jpg and set it to 72. Set compression at around 40. Sometimes you will want to compress an image even further and you will need to reset this for those particular images.

Numerous small images will load faster than one large image, even if the total bytes are equal. If you absolutely have to use a large image, you can speed it up by dividing it into sections and putting all the sections in a table.

Load time should not be more than 30 seconds, but what is more important is how the page loads. If the top of the page is loaded so that the text can be read, then an image at the bottom of the page can get away with taking a little longer.

Keep in mind that the first time you look at any web page, your browser will cache the images. This makes it load faster when you return to that site the next time. People often forget about this and think that their pages are loading in acceptable time when in fact, those loading them for the first time are having a much longer wait.

The optimum web page should not be more than 30 or 40KB (total).   Often, on graphic heavy sites we can go up to about 75 or even higher, depending on the layout. Aside from people being able to find your site, nothing is more important than load time. You may have a beautiful site full of good information, but if it loads too slowly, viewers will not wait around to see it.