How to Change an Image to 300 DPI
Print shop asking for 300 DPI? What DPI actually is, how to set it without losing quality, and how many pixels you need for each print size.
"Please send images at 300 DPI" is one of the most common, and most misunderstood, requests from printers, publishers and application portals.
What DPI is
A digital image is just pixels. DPI (dots per inch) is a number stored in the file that says how many of those pixels should fit into an inch when printed. Change it from 72 to 300 and the image prints smaller but sharper; the pixels themselves don't change.
Set 300 DPI without losing quality
- Open Change image DPI and add your JPG or PNG.
- Choose 300 DPI.
- Download. The tool rewrites only the DPI value, so the image isn't re-compressed at all.
How many pixels do I need?
| Print size | Pixels at 300 DPI |
|---|---|
| Passport photo (35 × 45 mm) | 413 × 531 |
| 4 × 6 in (10 × 15 cm) | 1200 × 1800 |
| 5 × 7 in | 1500 × 2100 |
| A4 (210 × 297 mm) | 2480 × 3508 |
| A3 | 3508 × 4961 |
If your image has fewer pixels than this, setting 300 DPI makes it print smaller rather than sharper. Enlarging it can't add real detail.
Need an exact printed size?
Use Resize image in cm: enter the width in centimetres or inches and the DPI, and it resizes the image and stores the DPI so it prints at that size.
Do websites care about DPI?
No. Screens only look at pixel dimensions. A 1200-pixel-wide image looks the same online at 72 or 300 DPI.