Print Size Calculator

How big your photo prints sharp.

FREE · NO SIGN-UP · RUNS ON YOUR DEVICE

Your image never leaves the device

  • 2DIRECTIONS
  • 4QUALITY LEVELS
  • 0SIGN-UP
  • 1TAP TO COPY
Specification

Print Size Calculator at a glance

Directions
Both directions
Quality levels
150 to 600 dpi
Units
Inches and centimetres
Megapixels
Megapixels shown
Comparison table
Four sizes compared
Price
Free
Account required
None
Where it runs
On your device
How to

How to use Print Size Calculator

  1. 1

    Choose the direction

    Choose the direction.

  2. 2

    Enter the size

    Enter the size.

  3. 3

    Pick a quality

    Pick a quality.

Questions

Frequently asked questions

How big can I print a 12 megapixel photo?

About thirteen by ten inches at three hundred dots per inch. The table shows what the same file gives at the other quality levels.

Is 300 dpi always necessary?

No. It suits prints held in the hand. A poster read from across a room looks fine at one fifty, which doubles the size you can print.

Does this change my image?

Nothing is opened or altered. The panel works from the pixel numbers you type, and no file is involved at all.

What about aspect ratio?

Width and height are worked out separately, so if the ratio differs from the paper you will need to crop or leave a border.

Background

Dots per inch and viewing distance

Enter the width and height in pixels and read the print size at each quality level. Or work the other way and find the pixels a given print needs.

  • Dots per inch only means something next to a print size, because it is pixels divided by inches.
  • The further away a print is read from, the fewer dots per inch it needs to look sharp.
  • Enlarging a file in software adds pixels but not detail, so the sharp limit does not move.
  • Cropping before printing lowers the pixel count, so check the size after the crop rather than before.

Full specification

Specification of the Print Size Calculator tool
DirectionsLargest sharp print from a pixel size, or pixels needed for a print size.
Quality levelsOne fifty for posters, two hundred for snapshots, three hundred standard, six hundred for fine art.
UnitsInches and centimetres, both shown together.
MegapixelsShown alongside, so a camera spec can be checked against a print.
Comparison tableThe largest print at each of the four quality levels, side by side.
PriceFree. Supported by clearly labelled ads placed outside the working area.
Account requiredNo.
Where it runsIn your browser tab. Nothing is sent anywhere.
Next step

Keep going with the same files

All image tools: Image tools on SPOTTOOLS