Image Print Size Calculator
Print size from pixels and PPI, and the pixels a print needs
Find how large an image prints at a given resolution, the pixels needed for a print size, and the effective PPI when you stretch an image to fit a print.
Computer ScienceUpdated October 21, 2026Checked against 6 reference values
300 for photo prints viewed up close; 150 or less for posters seen from a distance
Examples
Print size at 300 PPI
20.0 × 13.3 in
50.8 × 33.9 cm
Chart data as a table
| PPI | |
|---|---|
| 6×4 | 1000 |
| 7×5 | 800 |
| 10×8 | 500 |
| 14×11 | 364 |
| 20×16 | 250 |
| 36×24 | 167 |
- Megapixels
- 24.0
- At 150 PPI
- 40.0 × 26.7 in
- 8 × 10 in print
- 500 PPI
- Effective resolution if printed at that size
What this calculator does
Enter an image's width and height in pixels and a print resolution to see how large it will print in inches and centimeters, or enter a print size to find how many pixels you need. A chart shows the effective resolution of your image at common print sizes, so you can tell at a glance which prints will look sharp. It is useful before ordering photo prints, preparing artwork for a print shop, or checking whether a phone photo is good enough for a frame.
The formulas
print size (inches) = pixels ÷ pixels per inch
pixels needed = print size (inches) × pixels per inch
centimeters = inches × 2.54
Pixels per inch (PPI) describes how densely an image's pixels are spread across the paper. Printers are often specified in dots per inch (DPI), and many people use the two terms interchangeably for prints, but strictly DPI refers to the ink dots a printer lays down, and a printer uses several dots to reproduce each pixel.
Worked examples
A 24-megapixel camera produces 6,000 × 4,000 pixel images, which print at 20 × 13.3 inches (50.8 × 33.9 cm) at 300 PPI.
A 12-megapixel phone photo (4,032 × 3,024) prints at 13.4 × 10.1 inches at 300 PPI. Stretched to 16 × 12 inches, it would be 252 PPI, still fine for a print viewed from a few feet away.
Pixels needed at 300 PPI
| Print (inches) | Pixels | Megapixels |
|---|---|---|
| 4 × 6 | 1,200 × 1,800 | 2.2 |
| 5 × 7 | 1,500 × 2,100 | 3.1 |
| 8 × 10 | 2,400 × 3,000 | 7.2 |
| 11 × 14 | 3,300 × 4,200 | 13.9 |
| 16 × 20 | 4,800 × 6,000 | 28.8 |
| 24 × 36 | 7,200 × 10,800 | 77.8 |
How much resolution do you need?
300 PPI is the common target for photo prints and books looked at up close, at around reading distance. Larger prints are viewed from farther away, so lower resolutions look just as sharp: 150 to 200 PPI is often enough for a poster, and billboards seen from the street may be printed at a few tens of pixels per inch. If your image falls below the target, a slightly lower PPI usually looks better than upscaling software that invents detail, though modern upscaling can help for modest enlargements.
Aspect ratio and cropping
Cameras usually shoot in a 3:2 or 4:3 shape, while common print sizes such as 8 × 10 and 11 × 14 inches are closer to 5:4. Printing a 3:2 image on 8 × 10 paper requires cropping or white borders. The effective PPI shown in the chart uses the side that limits the size, assuming the image is cropped to fit. The aspect ratio calculator helps plan crops that keep the important parts of the picture.
How to use it
- Find the image's pixel dimensions. On most computers, the file's properties or information panel lists them, and photo apps show them in the image details.
- Enter the width and height and the resolution you want, usually 300 PPI for photos.
- Read the largest print size at that resolution, and check the chart to see how sharp the image would be at standard sizes.
- To plan a shoot or a scan, switch to Pixels for a print and enter the print size you need.
The DPI setting in image files
Image files often store a DPI or PPI value, such as 72 or 300, in their metadata. It does not change the pixels; it only tells software how large to print the image by default. A 3,000-pixel-wide image is the same whether it is tagged 72 or 300 PPI. What matters for print quality is the pixel count compared with the print size, which is what this calculator works out.
Image Print Size Calculator: common questions
How big can I print a photo?
Divide the pixel dimensions by 300 for a sharp photo print. A 6,000 × 4,000 pixel image prints at 20 × 13.3 inches at 300 PPI.
How many pixels do I need for an 8 × 10 print?
At 300 PPI you need 2,400 × 3,000 pixels, about 7.2 megapixels. Most modern phones and cameras exceed this.
What is the difference between DPI and PPI?
PPI is pixels per inch in the image as printed; DPI is the ink dots per inch a printer lays down. For working out print size, PPI is the number that matters.
Is 72 DPI bad for printing?
The DPI tag in a file does not change the pixels. What matters is the pixel count: a 3,000-pixel-wide image tagged 72 DPI prints just as well as the same image tagged 300.
What resolution do posters need?
Less than photos, because they are viewed from farther away. 150 to 200 PPI usually looks sharp on a poster.
Sources
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