DPI vs PPI: Image Resolution Explained Simply

"Send a 300 DPI file." "Save it at 72 DPI for the web." Resolution advice is everywhere, and much of it is confusing. Here's what actually matters.

Pixels are what count

A digital image is a grid of pixels - for example 4032 × 3024. That number is the image's real resolution. Everything else is just an instruction for how big to show or print those pixels.

PPI: pixels per inch

PPI describes how densely pixels are packed when an image is printed or shown at a physical size. A 3000-pixel-wide image printed 10 inches wide has 300 PPI. Printed 20 inches wide, the same file has 150 PPI.

DPI: dots per inch

DPI originally means the number of ink dots a printer lays down per inch. A printer may use many tiny dots to reproduce each pixel. In everyday speech, though, "DPI" is used to mean PPI - and that's how image software labels it too.

The 72 DPI myth

The DPI value stored in a file is only a tag. Screens ignore it completely: a 1200-pixel image fills 1200 screen pixels whether it says 72, 96 or 300 DPI. For websites and social media, care about pixel dimensions only. (Resize sets those.)

What matters for print

For print, you need enough pixels for the size you want:

pixels needed = inches × 300 (for sharp photo prints)

An 8 × 10 inch print needs about 2400 × 3000 pixels. Our pixels to inches guide has a full chart.

If you don't have enough pixels, changing the DPI tag won't help - the printer just spreads the same pixels over the page. Instead, print smaller or enlarge the image with the AI Image Upscaler.

Quick reference