PPI and DPI Explained - Some Differences and Similarities You Ought to Know

Author: tracynarvaez | Posted: 11.01.2012

A lucid differentiation between PPI and DPI has been for a very long time a hectic task for photographers. Most of those professionals have been using these two terms exchangeable. Anyhow, this article is dedicated to iron out this confusion, which has existed in this field for years. It ensures that those trooping into this photography arena are properly informed by having PPI and DPI explained.

PPI refers to pixels per inch while the term DPI in contrast means dots per inch. PPI refers to the pixels numbers that can be supported by a camera's sensor in a certain given time. Additionally, it could be used to refer to the photo sizes a camera can produce. Most professionals refer to this as mega pixel. Dots per inch in contrast refer to the way in which an image or a photo is printed on the printing paper.

Idyllically, pixel per inch concerns itself with digital images giving an illustration regarding to the image's resolution according to its appearance on the screen. In contrast, DPI is concerned with an image at the point where it gets printed on a printing paper.

Differentiating accurately between these two terms is vital for anyone who considers this practice to be a profession. An expert in this area has to be aware of the fact that the image produced on the printing paper does not necessary have to appear exactly the way it is portrayed on the screen. Note that the image might be very clear on the screen but have a blurred appearance when on the print, if the device is improperly set. The DPI will always come to make a conversion of pixels into dots that are readable and useful to the printer after the PPI has given the image's resolution.

It is important to note the fact that the pixels per inch vary from one digital device to another. There are digital cameras for example that have a higher resolution power while others have a lower resolution power. The higher the PPI the more pronounced the image will be and vice versa. Likewise, the number of dots a printer can hold also varies. Some printers can hold larger ones while some are smaller. Usually, manufacturers will indicate the DPI of a printer on the box.

Size is another variation between the two. Dots per inch are usually smaller than the pixels per inch. It is a golden rule that to determine the dots per inch, you just divide the pixels per inch by two. For instance, an image with 200 pixels per inch, it will have 100 dots per inch.

Lastly, the overall number of pixels that an image has can actually tell how big or small the image can be when printed, image quality kept constant. However, experts in the photography field advice that for any image to be of good quality, the pixel per inch must not be below 300. The dot per inch is composed of several color blends that gives an image its full colors while being printed.

In conclusion, PPI and DPI explained in explicit terms has solved the jig saw puzzle that has proved a hard nut to crack over the years. Professionals in this field are advised to toe the line by fathoming the very obvious differences between the two terminologies.

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