--- title: "Change Image DPI to 300, 200 or 600 – Free DPI Converter" description: "Set a JPG or PNG to 300 DPI, 200 DPI or any resolution a form or print shop asks for, without changing its pixels. See the print size it gives. Free." url: "https://imagecompressor.si/change-image-dpi" lang: "en" --- # Change an image's DPI Record the resolution a form or a print shop asks for, and see how large the picture will print. ## How it works 1. **Add your images** Drag and drop, paste, or pick files. They upload over an encrypted connection. 2. **Pick a quality or a target size** Use the quality slider, or tell it exactly how many KB or MB you need. 3. **Download** Save each file, or grab them all at once as a ZIP. DPI, dots per inch, is a number stored inside an image file that tells a printer how many of the picture's pixels to fit into each inch of paper. Some application forms check it and turn down a photo marked 72 DPI even when it has plenty of pixels; print shops ask for 300. This tool writes the number you choose into the file. The width and height in pixels do not change, so the picture holds exactly the same detail as before. What changes is the print size: the same photo printed at 300 DPI comes out smaller, and sharper to the eye, than at 150 DPI. The result line shows that size in centimetres and inches as you pick a value. The file is saved again at quality 95 in its own format, with the resolution recorded. Nothing else about the picture is altered. ## DPI and pixels are different things A picture 1,200 pixels wide is 4 inches wide at 300 DPI and 8 inches at 150 DPI; on a screen it looks the same either way, because screens ignore the number. That is why raising the DPI never makes a blurry picture sharp. If a form asks for both a pixel size and a DPI, set the pixels first with the resize or ID photo tool, which also records the DPI. Some programs call the same number PPI, pixels per inch, which is the more accurate name for a digital picture. Forms and print shops use the two words for the same setting. ## Which value to choose Follow the form or the printer. Online government and exam forms most often name 200 or 300 DPI. Photo labs and print shops usually want 300. Screen-only uses, from websites to presentations, do not need any particular value, and 72 or 96 are the traditional choices. When a form names a DPI and a size in centimetres, the two together fix the pixels, and the ID photo tool works them out for you. When it names only a DPI, this page is enough. ## Seeing the print size If the printed size the result shows is too small for your purpose, the picture does not have enough pixels for that DPI. Choose a lower value, accept a smaller print, or start from a larger original. Enlarging the pixels in software spreads the same detail over more of them, which rarely looks better. As a rule of thumb, a passport-sized print needs about 400 by 500 pixels at 300 DPI, a postcard about 1,800 by 1,200, and an A4 page about 2,500 by 3,500. ## Frequently asked questions ### Will changing the DPI reduce quality? No. The pixels are not resampled. The file is saved again at a high quality that keeps it looking the same. ### How can I check the DPI of my image? Add it here: the line under the file name shows its current DPI, or that none is set. ### Does Windows or macOS show the new DPI? Yes. The file's properties in Windows and the Preview inspector on a Mac read the resolution this tool records. ### Is my image stored? No. It is processed on our server and deleted once the result is made. ### What range can I set? Any whole number from 72 to 1,200 DPI. ### Can I change the DPI of several images at once? This page takes one picture at a time. The API's compress call takes a dpi parameter too, for anyone who needs to set it on many files. ### Why does my photo say 72 DPI? Many phones and editing apps record 72 by default, or record nothing, which most programs then show as 72. It says nothing about how sharp the photo is. ## Related tools - [Increase an image's size in KB](https://imagecompressor.si/increase-image-size-in-kb): When a form says your photo is too small, fill it up to the minimum without touching what it looks like. - [Resize a photo for a passport or ID](https://imagecompressor.si/passport-photo-resize): Crop to the photo's shape, get the exact pixels and DPI, and keep the file inside the KB limits your form sets. - [Resize an image](https://imagecompressor.si/resize-image): Set the size in pixels or percent and see the output dimensions before you download.