DPI Calculator: Pixels to Print Size

Our free DPI calculator tells you how big you can print a photo, a scan, or a piece of digital art, and how many pixels you need for a print of a given size. Enter the pixel dimensions or load your image, and you see the largest print at 300, 240, 150, and 72 ppi, a quality rating for every standard size from 4 x 6 in to 24 x 36 in, and a crop preview. The second mode works backward from the print size and adds bleed or a canvas wrap.

How to Use the DPI Calculator

1. Add your image. Choose an image file or drop it on the preview, or type the width and height in pixels. “Quick sizes” fills in common cameras, phones, screens, and an A4 scan. Your image stays on your device.
2. Pick a mode. “Pixels → print size” shows how big your image can go. “Print size → pixels” shows how many pixels a print of a given size needs.
3. Set the conditions. Choose inches, cm, or mm, the viewing distance, paper or canvas, and whether the image should crop to fill the format or keep a white border.
4. Read the results. The table lists the largest print at each resolution. Below it, every standard size gets a rating: Sharp, Acceptable, or Too low. Tap a size to see the crop.
5. Print or copy. “Print or save PDF” gives you a clean summary on US Letter or A4 to take to the print shop.

Nothing is uploaded. The calculator reads only the pixel size of your file, so it also works for large TIFF scans.

Print Size Calculator vs. Picture Frame Calculator

This tool answers a digital question: is my file big enough for the print I want? Our picture frame and mat size calculator answers the next question: which frame, mat opening, and mat border fit the print or artwork I already have. Use them in that order. First find a print size your pixels can handle, then plan the frame and mat around it.

The Formula: Pixels to Print Size

Print size and pixels are linked by one simple rule:

Print size in inches = pixels / ppi, and pixels = inches x ppi.

PPI means pixels per inch in your file. Printers talk about dpi, dots per inch of ink, but for sizing a file the two numbers are used the same way. A 12 megapixel phone photo with 4032 x 3024 pixels gives you 13.4 x 10.1 in at 300 ppi. At 150 ppi, the same file covers 26.9 x 20.2 in. The pixels do not change, only how tightly they are packed on paper.

Which Resolution Do You Need?

• 300 ppi: photo prints and art prints you look at up close, such as a 5 x 7 in on a desk.
• 240 ppi: fine art and giclée prints. Most people cannot tell 240 from 300 ppi on matte paper.
• 150 ppi: posters and canvas seen from about 3 ft.
• 72 ppi: screens only, or huge banners seen from across a room.

Why Viewing Distance Matters

A billboard looks sharp from the road even though it may have only a few pixels per inch. The farther away you stand, the fewer pixels per inch your eye can resolve. The calculator uses the common rule that the eye separates details about one arcminute apart. From that, the needed ppi is roughly 3,438 divided by the viewing distance in inches, limited to a range of 100 to 300 ppi:

With “Auto,” the calculator assumes you look at a print from 1.5 times its diagonal, at least 12 in. An 8 x 10 in print has a diagonal of 12.8 in, so the auto distance is about 19 in and the needed resolution is about 180 ppi. Canvas gets a bonus of 20% because its texture hides fine detail. If you hang art in a hallway where people pass close by, set a shorter distance by hand.

How Many Pixels Do I Need for a Print?

Switch to “Print size → pixels” when you start a digital painting or order a scan. Pick a standard size or type your own, choose the target resolution, and the calculator gives you the pixel dimensions, the megapixels, and the uncompressed file size. These are the numbers for 300 ppi:

A 24 x 36 in poster at 300 ppi is more than most cameras can deliver. At a viewing distance of 3 ft or more, 150 ppi is plenty, which brings it down to 3600 x 5400 pixels. If you sell digital downloads, set your canvas for the biggest print you plan to offer. Our guide on how to sell digital art covers file formats and licenses, and what digital art is explains the basics.

Aspect Ratio and Cropping

Pixels are only half the story. Your image also has a shape, and standard print sizes come in several shapes. A phone photo is 4:3, most cameras shoot 3:2, an 8 x 10 in print is 5:4, and ISO paper like A4 is 1:1.414. When the shapes differ, you have two choices:

• Crop to fill: the image covers the whole sheet, and part of it is cut off at two edges. The calculator tells you how much and on which sides.
• White border: the whole image is printed, and white strips remain on two sides. The calculator shows the image size on the sheet.

A 3:2 camera photo fits a 4 x 6 in print exactly. The same photo on 8 x 10 in loses about 17% of its width. The crop preview shows which part disappears, so you can decide before you order. For balanced crops, our golden ratio overlay helps you place the main subject. The standard paper sizes guide lists the shapes of common sheets.

Bleed and Canvas Wraps

Bleed for Trimmed Prints

Prints that are trimmed after printing need bleed. The image continues 0.125 in past the trim line on every side, so no thin white edge appears if the cut is slightly off. Keep text and your signature at least another 0.125 in inside. An 8 x 10 in print with bleed becomes 8.25 x 10.25 in, which is 2475 x 3075 pixels at 300 ppi. Photo labs that print exact sizes often skip bleed, but online print shops usually ask for it.

Gallery Wrap Canvas

A gallery wrap pulls the print around a stretcher frame, so your file has to cover the front, the frame depth, and a little extra to staple on the back. For a 16 x 20 in canvas with a 1.5 in frame and 0.5 in to staple, the full print area is 20 x 24 in. The calculator offers three edge styles. With an image wrap, the outer part of your picture runs around the sides. With a mirror edge, the shop mirrors the outer strip, so nothing important is lost. With a color edge, the sides are one solid color. Our guide to standard canvas sizes lists common formats and depths.

Why 72 dpi or 300 dpi in the File Does Not Matter

A file only stores pixels. The dpi value saved in it is a label that tells software how large to show the image. A 6000 x 4000 pixel photo saved at 72 dpi and the same photo saved at 300 dpi hold exactly the same detail. The calculator shows the stored value for information, but it always works with the pixel count. Never upsample a file just to reach a number. Enlarging by more than about 1.5 times costs detail, most of all in line art and lettering.

Selling Prints of Your Art

If you sell prints of paintings, scan or photograph them at the largest size you will ever sell. A painting scanned at 600 ppi at 100% gives sharp prints up to twice its original size. Many labs ask for 300 ppi at the final size, a TIFF or high quality JPEG, and their own ICC profile for soft proofing. Our step-by-step guide on how to make and sell prints of your art walks through scanning, paper choice, and editions.

Limited editions sell better with a certificate of authenticity, and our art pricing calculator helps you set a fair price for each size. If you are curious how prints were made before inkjets, read about lithography.

More Free Art Tools

All our tools are free, run in your browser, and need no account. See them all on the free art tools page.

• Photo to painting: turn a photo into an oil or watercolor painting.
• Photo to sketch: turn a photo into a pencil sketch or line art.
• Photo to coloring page: turn any picture into a printable coloring page.
• Image to pixel art: convert an image into editable pixel art.
• Notan generator: plan light and dark shapes with a two- or three-value study.
• Art grid tool: put a drawing grid over any photo.
• Pose reference: practice figure drawing with timed poses.
• Graph Paper Printable: print graph paper, dot grid, isometric, and hex paper to scale.
• Aspect Ratio Calculator for Art: work out aspect ratios and scale art to any canvas size.
• Online drawing board: draw and paint online with brushes, layers, and symmetry.
• Golden ratio overlay: check your composition with a golden spiral and rule of thirds.
• Perspective grid generator: print one-, two-, and three-point perspective grids.
• Paint by number generator: turn a photo into a printable paint by number template.
• Mandala maker: draw symmetrical mandalas and print them as coloring pages.
• Connect the dots maker: turn a picture into a printable dot to dot worksheet.
• Picture frame and mat size calculator: work out mat openings and frame sizes for your art.
• Image color picker: find the exact colors in any photo or painting.
• Color name finder: get the name of any HEX, RGB, or photo color.
• Color wheel: find complementary, triadic, and analogous colors.
• Color mixer: mix paint or screen colors and find paint recipes.
• Color palette generator: create matching color schemes or a palette from an image.
• Random color generator: get random colors and palettes with paint mixing tips.
• Tint and shade generator: make tints, shades, and tones of any color.
• Color blindness simulator: see images and palettes as color blind people do.
• Tracing Worksheets: make tracing worksheets with letters, numbers, and lines.
• Art pricing calculator: find a fair price for your paintings and prints.
• Art quiz: guess famous paintings, artists, and styles.
• Art prompt generator: get random ideas for drawing and painting.
• Random character generator: create an original character with traits and a palette.

Frequently Asked Questions

How big can I print a 12 megapixel photo?

A 4032 x 3024 pixel photo prints sharp at 13.4 x 10.1 in at 300 ppi. For wall art seen from a few feet away, 150 ppi is enough, which allows about 27 x 20 in.

How many pixels do I need for an 8 x 10 print?

2400 x 3000 pixels at 300 ppi. With 0.125 in bleed on every side, plan for 2475 x 3075 pixels.

Is 300 dpi always necessary?

No. 300 ppi is the standard for prints viewed up close. Large prints seen from farther away look just as sharp at 150 ppi or less.

What is the difference between dpi and ppi?

PPI counts pixels in your file, dpi counts ink dots the printer lays down. For sizing a file, you can treat them the same.

Is this a mouse DPI calculator?

No. This DPI calculator is made for printing: it converts pixels to print size in inches or centimeters. Mouse DPI describes how far the cursor moves per inch of mouse travel and has nothing to do with image resolution.

Is my image uploaded?

No. The calculator reads your file in the browser and never sends it anywhere.