What Does DPI Mean?
DPI means Dots Per Inch. It is a term used most frequently and accurately when talking about printing. DPI will also be used when discussing digital image quality and screen resolution. Generally speaking, a higher DPI means a higher quality print, image or screen resolution.
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Printer DPI
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Printer DPI values refer to the level of detail printed in the finished document or image. The more dots that are packed into each inch of print, the more refined the finished product.
Printers will print at as low as 60 DPI on a dot matrix to as high as 1800 DPI on a laser printer. 60 to 300 DPI might be acceptable for a simple black and white document, while 600 DPI and up will be needed for a high quality photo.
Digital Image DPI
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According to Wikipedia, the DPI of an image is actually the "physical dot density of an image when it is reproduced as a real physical entity."
The digital image as it comes out of the camera has no physical measurement. DPI is only applied as the image is output to a printer. To get it onto paper the image must be translated into DPI. A camera that takes photos at 3 megapixels or more can be printed at a very high quality with a high DPI. Do not confuse resolution or the pixel dimensions of an image with DPI. They are not the same.
Determining the best resolution, DPI, and physical print size of an image gets complicated. It's best to know that the higher the DPI, the denser and sharper the image when printed at a given size. For an in depth discussion of these relationships, read The Megapixel Myth.
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Monitor DPI
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On a computer monitor the DPI refers to the number of pixels per inch of screen. Often the term PPI (pixels per inch) is used interchangeably with DPI when discussing monitors.
A higher DPI results in a better, more color-rich display. For example, a 1280x1024 display setting is equal to 1.3 million DPI, while a 800x600 setting is equal to 480,000 DPI.
Scanner DPI
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When an image is scanned, one of the settings is DPI. Just like when an image is output to a printer and the DPI determines the quality of the image, when it is input from a scanner, the DPI also determines the quality.
A typical photo needs no more than 300 DPI. Line art needs 600 DPI. Film and slides benefit from very high DPI, as much as 4000.
Considerations
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DPI always deals with the input or output from an external device connected to your computer such as a printer or monitor.
The capabilities of your devices will make a big difference in how you set your DPI. A camera that produces 10 megapixel photos is terrific, but if you have a printer that cannot print more than 200 DPI, or a monitor than can only display 800x600, you will not be able to take advantage of your camera's capabilities.
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