While many people think that printing a photo is a piece of cake, many of them end up getting a blurry print or tiny photo. What’s wrong? DPI is the key to a successful photo printing. Whenever you want to print like a pro, you need to learn how to change DPI of an image. This is a basic and essential way to print high-quality photos with the right size, otherwise, you will mess it up. You don’t need to be a professional photographer or designer to understand what DPI is. It stands for dots per inch, which means the print resolution of an image. DPI is often referred to as PPI which is the abbreviation for pixels per inch. Setting the DPI means determining how many dots the printer should give to an image for every square inch. It affects the quality, sharpness as well as the size of your prints.

How to Check DPI of an Image

In case DPI is a brand new thing for you, chances are that you don’t know how to change it or simply where to find it. That said, it would be better to learn from the basics—how to check DPI of an image. There are many ways to check an image’s print resolution and most of them are pretty simple. But if you need the simplest method, all you have to do is follow the instructions below. If you are a Windows user, this is how to check the image’s print resolution.

Right-click on the image, navigate to Properties. Select Details. Scroll down to the Image section. Find information labeled Horizontal and Vertical Resolution. This information shows the DPI of your image.

If you are using Mac, follow the instructions below:

Open the desired image in Preview. Choose Tools, then select Adjust Size. The information labeled Resolution is the DPI of the image.

After checking the DPI of an image, you can decide if it meets your print references. If it doesn’t, then you can continue to change the print resolution for high-quality print results. You can simply increase or reduce the resolution as desired. The higher the pixels per inch, the higher its quality. But it should be adjusted with the width and height of the image, too.

How to Change DPI of Image in 4 Methods

As previously mentioned, DPI determines print quality and size. If you want to get the best print result with the right size, changing the print resolution is a must. However, please note that the size of your image will not be changed as you adjust the DPI. It only changes the resolution for printing purposes. There are many ways that you can do to adjust the resolution ranging from using specific applications to using an online website. Can’t wait to change the print resolution of your image? Keep scrolling through the following methods!

1. Using Photoshop

Photoshop is a versatile photo editing program that allows you to adjust many things including the print resolution. This method is pretty, provided you follow the right steps. The instructions below will help you change the DPI of an image using Photoshop.

Open your image using Adobe Photoshop. Select Image, then choose Image Size. Click to uncheck the box on the left of Resample Image. This setting will automatically upscale the image, causing a lower quality. Fill in the provided column next to Resolution with your preferred resolution. Make sure the resolution is set as Pixels/Inch.

Once you change the resolution, the width and height will change, too. You should notice the change as it determines the size of the image you are going to print. If necessary, specify the height and width of the images in inches or centimeters. But make sure the change does not make the DPI drops.

This method is very easy and simple. Newcomers who learn how to print images or illustrations the right way can try using Photoshop to change the print resolution.

2. Using GIMP

GIMP which stands for GNU Image Manipulation Program can help change the print resolution of your image. This free software is dependable to handle some tasks such as image composition, image authoring, photo retouching, as well as simply DPI changing. Determining the print resolution can be done in several steps below:

Load your image in GIMP. Click Image, then select Print Size. Find X resolution and Y resolution. Enter the desired DPI on the right column labeled X and Y resolution. Changing one column should change the other one automatically. Make sure the resolution is set in pixels/in.

The width and height can also be adjusted. When determining the size, make sure the DPI doesn’t change too low.

As with Photoshop, GIMP is a cross-platform photo editor that offers various functionalities including print-resolution changing. This method is pretty easy and it has been preferred by beginners and professionals.

3. Using IrfanView

The print resolution of your image can be changed using IrfanView. This image viewer, converter, and editor is a versatile program that boasts copious features. Whether you want to edit the image or simply want to change the DPI, this software can easily tackle it. How to change DPI of an image using this program? Simply follow the steps below.

Open your image in IrfanView. Choose Image, then select Resize/Resample. You will see a box containing the size as well as the DPI of the image. Input the preferred resolution next to DPI, click OK.

The print resolution has been set to your preference. If you want to save this image, simply use Save As.

This is another simple method to change the DPI of an image. The steps are very easy, allowing you to determine the resolution effortlessly. Not to mention the software is versatile to handle other tasks such as image editing and converting.

4. Using an online program

What if you don’t have a photo editor and need to change the DPI real quick? There is nothing to worry about. Simply use a free online program available on the internet such as https://convert-dpi.com,  https://convert.town/image-dpi, or https://clideo.com/dpi-converter. Compared to using a photo editor, this method is much easier. The steps may vary depending on the programs but most of them require you to upload the photo and download it later. If you want to use a specific online program to change the print resolution, here are general steps to do:

Upload the file by choosing from your computer. If the program features drag-and-drop, simply drag your photo and drop it to the page. Choose the desired DPI and wait for a moment. When the conversion is finished, download the image to your computer. Some programs will download your image automatically while some others require you to download manually.

However, there is an issue when you are using an online converter. Your privacy may be at risk as you are uploading the image. Having that said, you have to make sure the provider is trustworthy. Or else, simply avoid uploading sensitive images and use a photo editor instead. Well, how to change DPI of an image is completely easy and simple. All you have to do is choose one of the methods above and follow the steps. Even if you don’t have a specific program such as Photoshop, GIMP, or IrfanView, you can still change the DPI using an online program. Now you can get better photo prints with the right print resolution.