Check Image DPI — See Print Size Instantly

DPI (dots per inch) and PPI (pixels per inch) are technically different — DPI refers to physical ink dots from a printer, PPI to pixels on a screen or in an image file. In everyday usage, the two terms are used interchangeably. The DPI value in an image file's metadata tells a printer how large to print each pixel.

A 2400×1600px JPEG tagged as 72 DPI and the same JPEG re-tagged as 300 DPI contain exactly the same pixel data. The difference: if you send the 72 DPI version to a print lab without changing it, the lab's software might print it at 33×22 inches instead of the 8×5.3 inches you intended — which would look blurry at any reasonable viewing distance.

This DPI checker shows you both the metadata DPI and the resulting print size at 72, 150, and 300 DPI, so you can immediately see whether the image has enough pixels for your target print dimensions.

DPI matters when: Printing photos at a lab (300 DPI standard), professional print workflows (magazines, packaging), and large format prints (banners at 150 DPI, billboards at 30–60 DPI).

DPI does not matter when: Displaying on screen (browsers ignore the DPI tag entirely), uploading to social media (platforms strip or ignore DPI metadata), and email attachments (file size from pixel count matters; DPI tag does not).

The key takeaway: DPI metadata is a print instruction, not a quality measure. A 72 DPI image with 4000×3000 pixels will print beautifully at 13×10 inches (4000÷300=13.3). Check pixel dimensions first, DPI metadata second.