PPI Calculator

PPI stands for "Pixels Per Inch." It's a measurement of pixel density that indicates how many pixels are contained within one inch of a digital image. PPI directly relates to the resolution and detail level of an image when printed or displayed.

Higher PPI means more pixels are packed into each inch, resulting in a more detailed and sharper image. Lower PPI means fewer pixels per inch, which can result in a less detailed or pixelated appearance.

While often used interchangeably, PPI (Pixels Per Inch) and DPI (Dots Per Inch) are technically different:

• PPI refers to the number of pixels contained in one inch of a digital image. This is a property of the digital file itself.
• DPI refers to the number of ink dots a printer places within one inch when printing an image. This is a property of the printer.

Modern printers can use multiple dots to represent a single pixel, which is why printer DPI (like 1440 DPI) is often much higher than image PPI (typically 300 PPI for high-quality prints).

The optimal PPI for printing photos depends on the intended viewing distance:

• 300 PPI: Standard for high-quality photo prints, magazines, and professional publications viewed at close range (arm's length or closer).
• 240-260 PPI: Acceptable for most quality printing needs where the viewing distance is average.
• 150-200 PPI: Suitable for larger prints that will be viewed from a slight distance (2-3 feet).
• 100-150 PPI: Adequate for large format prints like posters viewed from 3-6 feet away.
• Below 100 PPI: Used for very large prints like banners and billboards that will be viewed from significant distances.

When in doubt, 300 PPI is a safe standard for most photo printing applications.

To determine the maximum print size for your image at a specific PPI:

1. Find the pixel dimensions of your image (e.g., 3000 × 2000 pixels)
2. Divide these dimensions by your desired PPI (typically 300 for high-quality prints)
3. The result gives you the maximum dimensions in inches at that quality level

For example, a 3000 × 2000 pixel image can be printed at:

• 10″ × 6.7″ at 300 PPI (high quality)
• 15″ × 10″ at 200 PPI (good quality)
• 20″ × 13.3″ at 150 PPI (acceptable quality)

Use our calculator above to easily determine the maximum print size for your specific image.

Simply changing an image's PPI setting in software without adding actual pixels (resampling) doesn't improve quality; it only changes how the image is interpreted for printing.

When you increase PPI through resampling (adding new pixels), software must guess what the new pixels should look like based on existing ones. This process, called interpolation, doesn't add real detail and often results in softening or other artifacts.

For best quality:

• Start with the highest resolution image available
• Scan physical photos at high resolution (600 DPI+) if digitizing
• If you must increase resolution, use specialized upscaling software for better results
• Consider reducing the physical print size to maintain adequate PPI

For web images and digital displays, the PPI setting of an image file doesn't directly affect how it displays on screen. What matters most are the pixel dimensions (e.g., 1920 × 1080 pixels).

However, a standard of 72 PPI is commonly used for web images because:

• Historically, 72 PPI matched early Mac displays (while 96 PPI was common for Windows)
• Lower PPI settings result in smaller file sizes, which load faster online
• It provides a standard for how large images will appear when inserted into layouts in design software

Modern displays have much higher physical pixel densities (often 200-300+ PPI for smartphones and high-resolution monitors), but the digital file's PPI setting doesn't affect display size—only the actual pixel dimensions do.

Camera megapixels and PPI are related but measure different things:

• Megapixels refers to the total number of pixels captured by the camera (one megapixel = one million pixels)
• PPI refers to how densely those pixels are packed when printed or displayed

Higher megapixel cameras allow you to:

• Print larger images at the same PPI
• Print the same size at a higher PPI for better quality
• Crop images while still maintaining adequate resolution

For example, a 24-megapixel camera typically produces images around 6000 × 4000 pixels. At 300 PPI, this would yield a high-quality print of about 20″ × 13.3″.

Yes, viewing distance directly affects the required PPI for perceived quality. The farther away an image is viewed, the lower the PPI can be while still appearing sharp and detailed.

This is why large format prints like posters, banners, and billboards can be printed at seemingly low resolutions yet still look good from their intended viewing distances.

General guidelines for different viewing distances:

• Close viewing (under 1 foot): 300+ PPI
• Normal viewing (1-2 feet): 150-300 PPI
• Distant viewing (3-6 feet): 75-150 PPI
• Very distant viewing (10+ feet): 30-75 PPI
• Billboards (50+ feet): 10-30 PPI

This relationship explains why a smartphone screen requires a much higher physical PPI (often 400+ PPI) than a large TV (typically 40-100 PPI) to appear equally sharp at their respective viewing distances.