How to Change DPI on Photoshop: Step by Step Tutorial

What is DPI?

DPI, or dots per inch, defines an image's sharpness and is essential for ensuring your brand's colors and print images are vibrant and stay true to the original design. Since DPI affect the clarity, detail, and overall impact of a printed image or new document, understanding the concepts of image resolution, DPI, and how they work together is essential.

First, we'll define both terms, as we will be using both terms throughout this informational blog:

DPI Defined

Dots per inch (shortened to DPI) measures the printing resolution of an image. As you probably guessed, it indicates how many ink dots are included on each inch of paper. The higher the dots per inch, the higher the "dots per inch" are, indicating a higher quality image.

For larger format printing, like large posters with an image displayed on them, the range of the physical dots per square inch will usually fall between 150 to 300 DPI.

Image Resolution Defined

Image resolution (or print resolution) refers to the amount of detail an image has. Often measured in pixels per inch (PPI), high resolution images have more pixels, which translates to more detail and sharper images. Ultimately, the resolution needs to be high enough to avoid pixelation, but low enough so you aren't spending too much money on the final printed image.

Why is DPI Important in Packaging Design?

Resolution and DPI are very important in packaging design. The fact is, low resolution images can harm even the most well thought out advertising campaigns -- it the ratio of printed dots is off, it makes customers feel like your brand is unpolished and unreliable. Additionally, if you have text or other important details included in your image you want to make sure your customers can easily see the details, regardless of the screen resolution of their device.

Finally, an image's DPI helps ensure color accuracy. The higher the DPI, the more accurate the colors will be doing reproduction. This is especially important for brand's where their color is extremely well known, like McDonald's or Reese's.

Step-by-Step Guide to Changing DPI In Photoshop

If you'd like to adjust your DPI resolution in Photoshop, it's relatively easy. Just follow these steps:

1. Launch Adobe Photoshop dialog box on your laptop or desktop.

2. Navigate to File > Open and select your image.

3. With your image open, click the Image > Image Size dialog box.

4. Here, you can adjust the resolution, image size (width and height) and dimensions to your liking.

You can make these updates to your image without changing the existing pixels of the image -- just make sure to deselect "Resample" while you use these tools in Photoshop. This won't add more pixels; it'll just adjust the image's DPI, or dots per inch.

Within Photoshop you can also see other important image information, like Photoshop metadata and notes left by professional printers and designers.

Tips for Designers Concerned About Image Quality

If you're concerned about image quality and want to create a good print image in Adobe Photoshop, here are some tips from our pros:

• Always consider the final purpose of your printed or digital image, and work backwards to find the right DPI and image dimensions. Ask yourself these questions: How will the printed image be presented to customers? Will it be viewed from far away or extremely close? What size does it need to be?
• Check the required resolution before committing the original image to print. Always double check (or triple check!) your settings to avoid surprises and wasted materials.
• Use the highest quality camera possible when taking photos. It's easier to catch as much detail as possible while taking the photo vs. bringing a lower quality photo up to a higher resolution. Do your best to take high quality images, as a high resolution photo is easier to work with.
• Consider the printing paper and ink type. These can affect how the higher resolution image looks in its final form.