Short answer: 300 DPI for anything seen up close, such as photos, flyers and brochures. 150–200 DPI is fine for posters and banners seen from a distance. What actually decides print quality is the number of pixels:
pixels needed = print size in inches × DPI
DPI is only a label until you print
A digital image is a grid of pixels. Its DPI (strictly, PPI: pixels per inch) only says how many of those pixels to fit into each inch of paper. An image 3000 pixels wide prints 10 inches wide at 300 DPI, or 20 inches wide at 150 DPI. It’s the same pixels, spread more thinly.
That has two consequences:
- Changing the DPI number doesn’t add detail. It only changes the print size the file suggests. Screens ignore it completely.
- “Please send it at 300 DPI” is often just a setting. If the image has enough pixels for the print size, you can change the stored value with Change Image DPI without touching the pixels.
How many pixels you need
| Print size | At 300 DPI | At 150 DPI |
|---|---|---|
| 4 × 6 in (about 10 × 15 cm) | 1200 × 1800 | 600 × 900 |
| 5 × 7 in (about 13 × 18 cm) | 1500 × 2100 | 750 × 1050 |
| 8 × 10 in (about 20 × 25 cm) | 2400 × 3000 | 1200 × 1500 |
| A4 (210 × 297 mm) | 2480 × 3508 | 1240 × 1754 |
| A3 (297 × 420 mm) | 3508 × 4961 | 1754 × 2480 |
| A2 (420 × 594 mm) | 4961 × 7016 | 2480 × 3508 |
For other sizes, the Print Size Calculator works it out both ways: the pixels you need for a size, or the largest size your image will print.
How big will my photo print?
Divide the pixels by the DPI. A 12-megapixel phone photo is 4032 × 3024 pixels:
- At 300 DPI it prints at 13.4 × 10.1 inches (34 × 26 cm): comfortably enough for 8 × 10 in or A4.
- At 200 DPI it prints at 20.2 × 15.1 inches (51 × 38 cm).
300, 150 or 72?
- 300 DPI is the standard for photo prints, magazines and anything held at reading distance.
- 200–240 DPI is accepted by many photo labs. For most photos the difference from 300 is hard to see.
- 150 DPI suits posters, banners and signs seen from a metre or more away.
- 72 or 96 DPI is just the default many apps write into files. It doesn’t mean the image is low quality, and it has no effect on screen.
What if there aren’t enough pixels?
- Print smaller, or accept a lower DPI if the print will be seen from further away.
- Enlarging the image in a resizer adds pixels but not detail, so it will look soft.
- AI upscalers can invent convincing detail, with mixed results. Check the output closely before printing it large.
A checklist before you send a file to print
- Check the pixel dimensions in your file’s properties, or with the EXIF Viewer.
- Match the shape of the paper. Most phone photos are 4:3, a 4 × 6 print is 3:2 and an 8 × 10 print is 4:5, so something gets cropped. Crop it yourself with the Image Cropper so you choose what is lost. The Aspect Ratio Calculator helps with the numbers.
- Set the DPI the printer asks for.
- Save a high-quality JPG, or the format the printer requests.