DPI Calculator
- No upload
- No account
- Inches and cm
- Works both ways
Read the size from an image.Drop an image here to read its size.Read on your device, never uploaded.
Print size at 300 DPI
10 × 8in
25.4 × 20.3 cm
Photo quality at 300 DPI. Sharp even up close. The usual target for photo prints, books and cards.
The same image at other DPIs
- 300 DPI10 × 8 in (25.4 × 20.3 cm)
- 240 DPI12.5 × 10 in (31.8 × 25.4 cm)
- 150 DPI20 × 16 in (50.8 × 40.6 cm)
Largest common size it fills at 300 DPI: 8×10 in.
Print size
Print size calculator: how big can I print this image?
An image has no size on paper until you pick a DPI. The print size is the pixels divided by the DPI, so the same file can make a small sharp print or a big soft one.
Take a 3,000×2,400 px image. At 300 DPI it prints at 10×8 in. At 240 DPI it grows to 12.5×10 in, and at 150 DPI to 20×16 in. All three hold the same pixels, spread over more paper each time.
Which one is right depends on how close people stand. A photo in a frame or a card in someone's hand gets looked at from a foot away, so aim for 300 DPI. A poster on a wall gets seen from a couple of steps back, where 150 DPI holds up. Go much lower and edges start to look soft or blocky even from a distance.
Pick the size first, then check the DPI, not the other way round. If the calculator says your image only reaches 120 DPI at the size you want, either print smaller or add pixels before you print.
Pixels to inches
Pixels to inches at 300, 240 and 150 DPI
Inches = pixels ÷ DPI. Centimetres = inches × 2.54. A side of 1,024 px, a common size for generated images, prints at 3.41 in (8.7 cm) at 300 DPI and 6.83 in (17.3 cm) at 150 DPI. The table gives the length of one side for a few common pixel counts.
| Pixels | At 300 DPI | At 240 DPI | At 150 DPI |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1,024 px | 3.41 in / 8.7 cm | 4.27 in / 10.8 cm | 6.83 in / 17.3 cm |
| 1,536 px | 5.12 in / 13 cm | 6.4 in / 16.3 cm | 10.24 in / 26 cm |
| 2,048 px | 6.83 in / 17.3 cm | 8.53 in / 21.7 cm | 13.65 in / 34.7 cm |
| 3,000 px | 10 in / 25.4 cm | 12.5 in / 31.8 cm | 20 in / 50.8 cm |
| 4,096 px | 13.65 in / 34.7 cm | 17.07 in / 43.3 cm | 27.31 in / 69.4 cm |
| 6,000 px | 20 in / 50.8 cm | 25 in / 63.5 cm | 40 in / 101.6 cm |
Print sizes
Common print sizes in pixels (8×10, A4, poster)
Going the other way, multiply each side in inches by the DPI. An 8×10 in print at 300 DPI needs 2,400×3,000 px. A4 is 210×297 mm, so at 300 DPI it needs 2,480×3,508 px. Turn the numbers round for a landscape print.
| Print size | Used for | At 300 DPI | At 150 DPI |
|---|---|---|---|
| 4×6 in | Standard photo print | 1,200×1,800 · 2.2 MP | 600×900 · 0.54 MP |
| 5×7 in | Photo print, greeting card | 1,500×2,100 · 3.2 MP | 750×1,050 · 0.79 MP |
| 8×10 in | Framed photo | 2,400×3,000 · 7.2 MP | 1,200×1,500 · 1.8 MP |
| 11×14 in | Large framed print | 3,300×4,200 · 13.9 MP | 1,650×2,100 · 3.5 MP |
| 16×20 in | Small poster | 4,800×6,000 · 28.8 MP | 2,400×3,000 · 7.2 MP |
| 18×24 in | Poster | 5,400×7,200 · 38.9 MP | 2,700×3,600 · 9.7 MP |
| 24×36 in | Large poster | 7,200×10,800 · 77.8 MP | 3,600×5,400 · 19.4 MP |
| A5 (148×210 mm) | Flyer, notebook | 1,748×2,480 · 4.3 MP | 874×1,240 · 1.1 MP |
| A4 (210×297 mm) | Letter-size page outside the US | 2,480×3,508 · 8.7 MP | 1,240×1,754 · 2.2 MP |
| A3 (297×420 mm) | Small poster, art print | 3,508×4,961 · 17.4 MP | 1,754×2,480 · 4.3 MP |
| A2 (420×594 mm) | Poster | 4,961×7,016 · 34.8 MP | 2,480×3,508 · 8.7 MP |
Pixel counts are rounded to the nearest whole pixel. A sizes are ISO 216 paper sizes. If your image has a different shape from the print, it gets cropped to fit, so check the short side too.
Too small
Image too small? Upscale it for print
Many AI images come out around 1,024×1,024 px. That prints sharp at 3.41 in wide, which is smaller than a 4×6 photo. An 8×8 in print at 300 DPI needs 2,400×2,400 px, so the image has to grow about 2.4x.
Stretching it in an image editor only spreads the same detail thinner. An AI upscaler adds new pixels and fills in fine detail, so the larger file still looks sharp on paper. Switch the calculator to Print size to pixels, drop your image on it, and it tells you the factor you need.
You can upscale AI art for print on its own page, or read how the image upscaler works and which model suits photos or illustrations. Upscaling is not free: it needs a paid plan and the credits depend on the size of the output, so pick the smallest factor that reaches your print size.
Fix problems before you enlarge. A bad hand or a smudged face gets bigger, not better. And if the print is a poster seen from across a room, check it at 150 DPI first: you may already have enough pixels.
DPI means dots per inch. For printing a digital image it tells you how many of the image's pixels go into each inch of paper. More pixels per inch gives a sharper print, and the same file printed at a lower DPI comes out bigger but softer.
Use 300 DPI for photos, cards and anything seen up close. 240 DPI is hard to tell apart at arm's length and fine for most photo and art prints. 150 DPI works for posters and wall art seen from a step or two away. If your print shop names a number, use theirs.
Divide the pixels by the DPI. A 3,000×2,400 px image at 300 DPI prints at 10×8 in, because 3,000 ÷ 300 = 10. Multiply inches by 2.54 for centimetres.
2,400×3,000 px at 300 DPI, or 1,200×1,500 px at 150 DPI. Multiply each side in inches by the DPI.
Strictly, PPI (pixels per inch) describes the image and DPI describes the ink dots a printer lays down. Most people and print shops say DPI for both, and so does this calculator: it means image pixels per printed inch.
No. The DPI number saved in a file only tells software what size to print it at. The pixels stay the same, so the detail stays the same. To get more detail for a bigger print you need more pixels, which is what an upscaler adds.
No. When you drop an image on the calculator, your browser reads its width and height on your device. The file is not sent anywhere.