# Will My Image Print Sharp? DPI, Pixels and Print Size Explained *Pixel Print Co · 2026-11-03 (updated 2026-10-28)* An image can look perfect on your phone and still print soft or pixelated. Screens are forgiving: they shrink images to fit. Print isn’t, because every inch of paper needs enough pixels to fill it. ## The one formula you need For print, resolution is measured in **DPI** (dots per inch, often used interchangeably with PPI, pixels per inch). The question is always: how many pixels will each inch of the print get? **Pixels ÷ inches = DPI.** Say your image is 1800 pixels wide and you want to print it 6 inches wide. 1800 ÷ 6 = 300 DPI. Print it 12 inches wide and you get 150 DPI: the same pixels stretched twice as far. ## How much is enough? - **300 DPI** is the standard for things held in the hand and read up close: business cards, flyers, brochures, stickers, photos. Our [artwork guidelines](https://pixelprintco.ca/artwork-guidelines/) recommend at least 300 DPI for this reason. - **Large items seen from further away**, such as banners and posters, can often use lower resolution, because nobody reads them from 20 cm away. Ask us if you’re unsure for a specific size. Quick reference at 300 DPI: | Print size | Pixels needed | | 3.5 × 2 in (business card) | 1050 × 600 | | 5.5 × 8.5 in (half-letter flyer) | 1650 × 2550 | | 8.5 × 11 in (letter flyer) | 2550 × 3300 | ## Making an image bigger doesn’t add detail Changing “72” to “300” in an image editor, or enlarging a small image, doesn’t create detail that wasn’t captured. The software invents the extra pixels and the result looks soft. The fix is to find a larger original: the full-size photo from the camera, or the original logo file from the designer. Logos are a special case: get them as vectors (SVG, PDF, AI or EPS) whenever possible, because vectors stay sharp at any size. If all you have is a PNG, our [PNG to SVG Converter](https://pixelprintco.ca/png-to-svg-converter/) can trace it into a vector. ## Common traps - **Images saved from social media or messaging apps** are usually compressed and downsized. Ask for the original file. - **Screenshots** capture your screen’s resolution, not the original’s. - **Images copied from websites** are sized for screens, and may also be someone else’s copyright. ## Check before you order Our free [Print-Ready Checker](https://pixelprintco.ca/tools/print-ready-checker/) does the arithmetic for you: choose a print size and it tells you instantly whether the image will print sharp or blurry, and the largest size it can print well. Everything runs on your own device; nothing is uploaded. If you need an image at exact dimensions, the [Image Resizer](https://pixelprintco.ca/tools/image-resizer/) helps, as long as you’re making it smaller, not bigger. When your files are ready, see our [print products](https://pixelprintco.ca/product-category/print-products/). --- Pixel Print Co, Mississauga, Canada · https://pixelprintco.ca/ · Summary for AI assistants: https://pixelprintco.ca/llms.txt