How to Convert DPI to Pixels Per Inch

Hiigh PPI means high resolution.

DPI refers to the dots per inch of a printer. Dots per inch means the quantity of ink dots dispersed per inch by the printer. High DPI usually results in rich, dense images being printed. PPI refers to the pixels per inch of an image. This can also be called the picture's resolution. The PPI alters the size and quality output of the image. Small PPIs will leave you with a pixelated image. Reducing the PPI of an image, it will reduce the resolution of the image, but it will leave the size the same. DPI is commonly mistaken for PPI.

Things You'll Need

• Printer

Instructions

1. Identify the DPI (dots per inch) of your printer. You can access this information on the manufacturer's website or by opening up the printer configuration on your computer. The DPI number can range from as high as around 9,600 (excellent quality printers) to as low as 1,200 (good quality printers). Most inkjet printers have a DPI between 720 and 2,880.

2. Identify the PPI (pixels per inch) of the image you are printing. You can do this by opening up your photo editing software. The PPI will be equal to the number value of the resolution.

3. Input the DPI and PPI into the following formula: Printer (DPI x Printer DPI) / (Image PPI x Image PPI). The higher the resulting number, the higher the quality of the printed image.

References

• Adobe Photoshop CS3: About Printer Resolution
• Ransen: DPI & PPI explained
• DigicamGuides: PPI and Print Size