Megapixels & Paper Dimensions Explained
Understanding the megapixel count of a picture directly relates to how large it can appear clearly on specific paper dimensions. A picture taken with 12 megapixels has the potential to blow up onto larger paper dimensions compared to a 2-megapixel picture. Deciding on how many megapixels you need depends on the size of the printing project.
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Megapixels
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Every camera and cell phone with a camera attachment has a megapixel rating. This rating indicates the number of pixels a picture captures by the millions. A 12-megapixel camera does not necessarily take higher-quality pictures compared to a 2-megapixel camera. The more pixels included in a picture only affects how large that picture can be blown up without distortion.
Megapixel Conversions
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Since each megapixel represents 1 million pixels, it is safe to assume a 3-megapixel picture incorporates 3 million pixels. A 3.1-megapixel picture has a max resolution of 2048 x 1536 and 3,145,728 pixels. If printed, a 3.1-megapixel image at 300 dpi has a maximum size of 6.8 by 5.1 inches.
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Standard Paper Dimensions
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The United States and Canada consider an 8.5-by-11-inch piece of paper to be the standard letter size. Legal paper has a standard size of 8.5 by 14 inches. Ledger paper has a standard size of 11 by 17 inches. And tabloid paper has a standard size of 17 by 11 inches. International (excluding the U.S. and Canada) paper dimensions are in millimeters. An A0 sheet of paper is 841 mm x 1189 mm. A1 paper is 594 mm x 841 mm.
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- Photo Credit The printer image by vin5 from Fotolia.com
