Printing a photograph or illustration seems like it should be as easy as press anything else, simply information technology isn't. Fix the DPI incorrectly, and yous'll end up with glossy photos that are blurry and low quality, or a poster that prints no larger than a postage stamp.

If you're a designer or photographer, or just want to brand sure your vacation shots print without problems, you need to sympathise what DPI is, and how to change your print resolution. In this commodity, we explicate everything you demand to know about DPI and how to alter the DPI of an image.

What Is DPI and What Does 300 DPI Mean?

DPI stands for "dots-per-inch," and is a specification for press and for setting the print resolution of an image.

A impress is made from millions of tiny dots of ink. The DPI setting determines how many dots the printer drops onto every square inch of the epitome—300 dpi ways 300 dots of ink, while 150 dpi is half every bit much.

Y'all need to sympathise how DPI works because it controls the ii most important things in press:

  1. The quality of your print. In simple terms, a higher DPI means a college quality print. Nigh skillful abode printers tin can output at 300 dpi, which is the recommended minimum for high-quality printing, and professional printers much higher.
  2. The size of your print. A pixel in a digital image is equivalent to a dot in a print. So, if you print an 1800 pixel wide image at 300 dots-per-inch, the printed image will be vi inches wide. Impress the same image at 180 dpi and it will be x inches broad. It's basic math—simply divide the number of pixels past the DPI.

How DPI Affects Your Prints

Here's an paradigm to illustrate. Beneath are 2 lines that consist of the aforementioned 40 blocks—the same size and same colour. The blocks are less tightly packed on the top line, equating to a lower DPI; and more tightly packed on the bottom line for a college DPI.

what is dpi

The issue is articulate. On the Lower DPI line, the slope is a lot less smoothen. You can see clear edges confronting each of the blocks. The line is besides a lot longer.

On the Higher DPI line, the slope is much smoother. Information technology'south almost seamless. The line is also a lot shorter.

This demonstrates the balancing act y'all often need to make when setting the print resolution: size versus quality. A lower DPI image prints larger, but at a lower quality. If you're working with low res images, then you'll take to make a merchandise-off between the two.

Where possible, you should always save your piece of work in every bit high a resolution as yous tin. Because resizing your image to brand it larger won't improve the print quality.

What DPI Should Y'all Use?

All this begs the question: What is the best DPI to impress at?

The standard dominion is that you should aim for a 300 dpi prototype. This is great quality for photographs, and information technology's questionable how much extra detail the human center can even discern across that level.

But if your image is too small to print at 300 dpi, don't worry. The intended viewing distance of the print plays a large part in what resolution yous need.

For images you lot'll hold in your hands, similar photos, leaflets, or magazines, 300 dpi or college is the target, merely 250 will practice at a push.

With posters or pictures that you're going to frame, you can go away with a lower resolution considering you'll mostly be looking at them from a few anxiety away. 200 dpi should be okay, or fifty-fifty a little lower. This also applies when yous're printing on unlike materials, like canvas.

And this continues. The further abroad you lot intend to look at your image, the lower you lot can fix the resolution. A billboard poster designed to be seen from across the street might be printed at as low as twenty dots per inch.

It's also of import to note that these rules only utilise to photos and raster images. If you're doing graphic design work with vector images, so you can resize them as much as y'all similar without any loss of quality.

How to Check the DPI of an Prototype

To discover out an image'south DPI in Windows, right-click on the file proper noun and select Properties > Details. Y'all'll see the DPI in the Image section, labeled Horizontal Resolution and Vertical Resolution.

how to check dpi

On a Mac, you demand to open the epitome in Preview and select Tools > Suit Size. Information technology'southward labeled Resolution.

How to Change the DPI of an Image: 3 Means

You can alter an image's DPI in most graphics packages, including the best budget design apps. You tin can even practice it in Preview on a Mac, but nosotros'll take a await at three solutions that will have you covered on whatever platform.

Call back that DPI is merely a measurement of impress resolution. Changing the DPI does not change the size of your digital image or the size of the file.

If you're working with an paradigm y'all retrieve you lot'll need to impress, it's a skillful idea to prepare your target print resolution before you resize it. That will assist to ensure y'all don't make information technology too small to impress safely at your preferred size.

How to Change the DPI in Photoshop

To change an image'southward DPI in Photoshop, become to Image > Image Size. Uncheck Resample Image, because this setting will upscale your image, which volition make it lower quality.

change dpi photoshop

Now, next to Resolution, type in your preferred resolution, set every bit Pixels/Inch. Detect how the Width and Pinnacle figures change, also. This shows yous the size your image volition print.

You can, of grade, specify the width and height instead, in inches or centimeters. If yous practise this, just brand sure your DPI doesn't drib too low to degrade the quality. That can happen if your image is small.

How to Change the DPI In GIMP

To alter the DPI of an epitome in GIMP, go to Image > Print Size. Enter your preferred DPI next to X Resolution, set in pixels/in. The Y Resolution should update automatically, too.

change dpi gimp

Like in Photoshop, you tin set up the physical width and height instead. Once again, brand sure the DPI doesn't drib besides low when yous do this.

How to Change the DPI Online for Gratis

If you lot're in a pinch and you don't accept your graphics program of choice to hand, you can ever alter the DPI of an image with Convert Town'due south DPI-changing web app for free online.

convert town change dpi online

All yous take to practise is input the DPI you need the image changed to (common resolutions similar 300 dpi are available every bit handy presets), drag-and-drop the file to upload it, and wait. When it's washed converting, it should automatically download your updated image to your default download binder.

Get Ameliorate Photo Prints

Understanding the meaning of DPI is so important when you're printing. It's so easy to ruin entire projects because you're working at too depression a resolution or to get bad prints considering y'all're printing them larger than they can handle.

Just this is just the starting time pace in press—there's a lot more you need to know to go the perfect print.

Print Photos Like a Pro: Go Loftier-Quality Prints Online or at Home

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Well-nigh The Author

Andy Betts (215 Articles Published)

Andy is a freelance writer and junior editor for Android at MUO. He'southward been writing about consumer tech since the early 2000s for a broad range of publications, and has a passion for all things mobile.

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