To print a 4×6 photo at 300 pixels/inch, I would need a minimum of 4×300 (1200) pixels on the short edge and 6×300 (1800) pixels on the long edge. To figure out how large a print I can make from a particular digital file, I have to do a little math. How many pixels do I need to print a photograph? H ow many pixels does your image need to contain if you want to print a 4×6 photograph at 300 DPI? Doing the Math. So here is the big question which brought us to the point… Most printers will print at a maximum of 300 DPI. Why? Because printers today spray ink onto paper, and the more dots per inch sprayed, the higher the quality of the final print. When thinking about printing your image, I want you to think in dots per inch (DPI). DPI.īut either way, resolution is basically describing some sort of dots per inch, either pixels or sprayed dots of ink. When we use the term resolution when discussing printing an image, we are normally talking about how many dots per inch a printer can print.
When we use the term resolution while discussing how an image will look on a screen, we are normally talking about how many pixels an image contains, which can be determined by multiplying width by height. And should you decide to print a digital file, the printer has it’s own resolution. The monitor you view your image with has it’s own resolution. When people start talking about pixel quantity, what they are really talking about is resolution, and this is where things can get confusing, because unfortunately the term “resolution” is not specific when talking about either screen or print resolution.Ī digital camera or scanner is capable of capturing an image at a certain resolution. And it’s not just the quantity of pixels, but the quantity of pixels you have per square inch. The more pixels you have, the better an image will look. Individual tiny square dots, each one it’s own specific color, and when combined can make an image. Please leave a comment below if you still have questions and I will be happy to reply.Įvery digital image is made up of pixels. In this article, I’ll try to put those worries to rest without overcomplicating things.
Let me explain…”Ĭlients often have questions and concerns about resolution and image size. We need to differentiate between the resolution of your digital file, and the resolution of your printer. It’s the number of pixels your image contains which determines how large you can print. Me: “Well, at this stage it’s not the DPI you should be concerned with. Is this good enough to print photographs? How do I print from a 72 DPI image? How big can I print from this 72 DPI image? Here’s a common situation: I’m sitting in my studio editing business headshots when a recent client contacts me.Ĭlient: “I opened up a digital file I want to print and I noticed it has a DPI of 72.
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