Print Size Calculator
Enter pixel dimensions and a DPI to see the size a file will actually print at, in inches and centimetres — plus whether that resolution holds up.
Common DPI
Common file sizes
- Total pixels
- Aspect ratio
- Largest clean print at 300 DPI
- Largest clean print at 150 DPI
Or work backwards
Know the printed size you need? This tells you the pixels required.
The one thing worth understanding about DPI
DPI does not describe how much detail an image contains. It describes how densely a printer should lay down the detail that is already there.
A 3000 × 3000 pixel file has 9 million pixels regardless of what its DPI tag says. Print those pixels across 10 inches and you get 300 per inch — crisp. Print the same file across 40 inches and you get 75 per inch — visibly soft. The file did not change; the size did.
This is why "is it 300 DPI?" is the wrong question to ask a seller, and "how many pixels is it?" is the right one.
What resolution you actually need
- 300 DPI — anything held at reading distance: apparel, cards, stickers, mugs, packaging.
- 150 DPI — posters and larger prints viewed from a metre or more away.
- 72–100 DPI — banners, signage and anything seen from across a room.
Viewing distance is doing most of the work in that list. The further away something is read from, the less resolution it needs to look sharp.
Typical placements
- T-shirt front — around 11–12 inches wide, so about 3300–3600 px at 300 DPI.
- Standard mug wrap — around 8.5 × 3.5 inches, so about 2550 × 1050 px.
- A5 greeting card — 5.8 × 8.3 inches, so about 1750 × 2500 px.
- DTF sheet — 15 × 18 inches, so 4500 × 5400 px.
Cutlark bundles ship at 4096 × 4096 px, which covers every one of those with room to crop. If you need a specific output size, the PNG resizer will get you there without flattening the transparent background.
Common questions
What does DPI actually change?
Nothing about the image itself. DPI is a note attached to the file telling a printer how densely to lay the existing pixels down. Changing it from 72 to 300 does not add detail — it just declares that the same pixels should be printed smaller and therefore sharper.
Is 300 DPI always necessary?
No. 300 DPI is the standard for things held at reading distance — shirts, cards, stickers, mugs. Larger items viewed from further away need far less: a banner is often printed at 100 DPI or lower and still looks sharp from where people stand.
My file says 72 DPI. Is it unusable for print?
Not necessarily. Check the pixel dimensions instead. A 4000 × 4000 px file tagged as 72 DPI has exactly the same pixels as one tagged 300 DPI, and prints identically once you set the size you want. The tag is often just left at a default.
What is the minimum size for a t-shirt design?
A common full-front placement is around 11–12 inches wide. At 300 DPI that needs roughly 3300–3600 px of width. Anything above that gives you room to crop or reposition.
Why does my printed image look different in size?
Most print services scale artwork to fit the placement area they offer, ignoring the DPI tag entirely. Treat the numbers here as the maximum size the file can print at cleanly, then check what the printer actually accepts.