Inches to pixels for print and screen
This inches to pixels converter multiplies a size in inches by a resolution in dots or pixels per inch. Use it to size a canvas before designing a flyer, to check that a photo has enough pixels to print, or to translate CSS inches into pixels. The resolution can be anything from 1 to 2400 DPI.
The formula
pixels = inches × DPI
8.5 in × 300 = 2550 px
11 in × 300 = 3300 pxSo a US Letter page (8.5 × 11 in) at 300 DPI needs a 2550 × 3300 pixel canvas. Results are rounded to four decimal places, and the Significant digits setting can only shorten them further.
Common sizes
| Item | Inches | At 300 DPI | At 150 DPI |
|---|---|---|---|
| US Letter | 8.5 × 11 | 2550 × 3300 | 1275 × 1650 |
| Photo print | 4 × 6 | 1200 × 1800 | 600 × 900 |
| Business card | 3.5 × 2 | 1050 × 600 | 525 × 300 |
Around 300 DPI is a widely used target for photos and printed material viewed up close. Large posters and banners viewed from a distance can often use less. When a print shop specifies a value, use theirs, and remember to add any bleed area they require to the inch size before converting.
The CSS inch: 96 pixels
At the default of 96 DPI the result matches CSS, where 1in is defined as exactly 96px. That is a fixed reference ratio, not a physical measurement: on most screens a CSS inch is not exactly one real inch, because pixel density varies between devices. CSS points follow the same rule, with 1pt = 1/72 in, so 12pt equals 16px.
A resolution of 72 DPI gives PDF-style points: 8.5 × 11 in becomes 612 × 792.
Metric sizes
For millimeter sizes such as A4 (210 × 297 mm), convert to inches first with the length converter: 210 mm is 8.2677 in. At 300 DPI that gives roughly 2480 × 3508 px. Use a dot for decimals: commas are ignored as thousands separators, so 8,27 would be read as 827.
To check the print size of an existing image, go the other way with the pixels to inches converter, and use the image resizer to bring a picture to the pixel size you need.