What is DPI?
DPI stands for dots per inch, the number of individual ink dots a printer places within one linear inch on paper. It is the standard measure of print resolution. Higher DPI produces finer detail and smoother gradients, while lower DPI produces visible dots and softer images.
DPI is a property of the output, not the file itself. When designers say "set your file to 300 DPI," they mean: make sure the image has enough pixels that, at the intended print size, it resolves to at least 300 dots per inch.
A note on DPI vs PPI
Technically, DPI (dots per inch) refers to printer output and PPI (pixels per inch) refers to digital images. In practice, most designers and design tools use DPI for both. We'll use DPI throughout this article since that's what you'll see in the real world.
DPI vs PPI
DPI (dots per inch) refers to the physical density of ink dots on a printed surface. PPI (pixels per inch) refers to the density of pixels in a digital image. In practice, the two terms are used interchangeably in design software. When Photoshop or Figma says "DPI," it technically means PPI. The distinction matters at the press, not at the design stage.
What DPI Should I Use for Printing?
300 DPI is the industry standard for commercial printing. At this resolution, individual dots are too small for the human eye to distinguish at normal reading distance, producing sharp text and smooth images.
| DPI | Quality | Common Uses |
|---|---|---|
| 72 | Screen only | Web images, social media, email |
| 150 | Low print | Internal drafts, proofing, newspaper |
| 300 | Standard print | Business cards, brochures, flyers, books, packaging |
| 600 | High-quality print | Fine art reproduction, medical imaging, high-end photography |
Some products can get away with lower DPI because they are viewed from a distance:
| Product | Viewing Distance | Minimum DPI |
|---|---|---|
| Business cards, books | Arm's length (~30 cm) | 300 |
| Posters (small) | 1–2 meters | 150–200 |
| Banners & signage | 3+ meters | 72–150 |
| Billboards | 10+ meters | 20–50 |
The further the viewer stands from the print, the lower the DPI can be without visible quality loss.
How to Calculate Pixels from DPI
The relationship between pixels, print size, and DPI is:
Pixels = Print Size (inches) × DPI
For example, a 4 × 6 inch photo at 300 DPI needs 1200 × 1800 pixels. If the source image is only 600 × 900 pixels, it will print at 150 DPI (half the recommended resolution) and may look soft or pixelated.
Use our free Inches to Pixels converter or Millimeters to Pixels converter to calculate the pixel dimensions for any print size and DPI.
How to Check DPI in Your Design File
Adobe Photoshop
Go to Image → Image Size. The Resolution field shows PPI. Uncheck "Resample" to see what DPI the image would print at its current pixel count and document size.
Adobe InDesign / Illustrator
Linked images display their effective PPI in the Links panel. InDesign flags images below a threshold in preflight.
Figma
Figma works in pixels and does not have a native DPI setting. When exporting, the scale multiplier determines effective DPI: 1× at a 72 PPI base means 72 DPI, while 4.17× gives approximately 300 DPI. The Print for Figma plugin handles this automatically. It lets you set a target DPI directly, checks all images in your frame against it, and exports at the correct resolution.
Canva
Export as PDF Print to get 300 DPI output. PNG export defaults to 96 DPI.
Common Mistakes
- Upscaling a low-res image does not add detail. Increasing the pixel count with resampling just interpolates between existing pixels, making the image blurry rather than sharp.
- Screen previews are misleading. An image can look perfectly sharp on a 72 PPI monitor but print soft at 300 DPI because it does not have enough pixels.
- DPI is not fixed in the file. The same 3000 × 3000 pixel image is 300 DPI when printed at 10 × 10 inches, but only 150 DPI when printed at 20 × 20 inches. DPI depends on output size.
Summary
- DPI measures the density of ink dots on a printed surface.
- 300 DPI is the standard for commercial print. Use higher for fine art; lower is acceptable for large-format viewed from a distance.
- Always verify that your source images have enough pixels for the intended print size and DPI before sending to print.
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