Emma Davis Print Production Specialist at 4OVER4.COM
Emma is our prepress and print production voice, built from the knowledge of our production team, with over 20 years in printing.
Question
What's the difference between DPI and PPI?
Answer
PPI and DPI describe pixels and printed dots, and during file setup they usually amount to the same target number. The distinction matters mostly when you talk about screens versus the physical print.
| Term | Stands for | Describes |
|---|---|---|
| PPI | Pixels per inch | Screen resolution, how many pixels fill each inch of a digital image |
| DPI | Dots per inch | Print output, how many ink dots the printer lays per inch |
- For file setup they are effectively interchangeable.
- Set your file to 300 PPI at the final print dimensions and it will print at 300 DPI.
- One caveat: a file can show high PPI on paper yet still print soft if it was scaled up from a small original, so start from a large enough source image.
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