# What IS a 300 dpi digital image? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [August 10, 2012, 4:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-a-300-dpi-digital-image/631100 "2012-08-10T16:50:09Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 7\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Princhester](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/3e96dc/32.png) [@Princhester](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Princhester)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2012, 12:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-a-300-dpi-digital-image/631100/41 "2012-08-14T00:33:03Z")
I don’t have a “details” tab. Just “general” and “summary”. One other point, depending on how you have things set, when you go to the “summary” tab you may just see some blank fields named “author” “title” etc. You may have to click the “advanced” button to see the image details that you need. ---
**Author:** ![cmyk](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cmyk/32/3353_2.png) [@cmyk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cmyk)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2012, 12:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-a-300-dpi-digital-image/631100/42 "2012-08-14T00:48:41Z")
> [@Princhester](#): > > No he doesn’t need to do anything that sophisticated. > > OP, assuming you are using windows, all you need to do is go into Explorer and right click on the file and choose properties, and then look under the summary tab. There you will find all the jpg metadata, usually including pixel dimensions, printing dimensions, date picture taken, camera type, yada, yada… It’s not sophisticated. You open it in photoshop and open Edit/Image Size… The dimensions and the corresponding DPI as it pertains to size in inches (or any other unit) it will print out at are all right there. Easy peasy. This is where you’d also re-size the dimensions/DPI. Of course you don’t need photoshop to do this, any raster image editor will be able to do the same sort of thing. ---
**Author:** ![Pork\_Rind](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pork_rind/32/111_2.png) [@Pork\_Rind](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pork_Rind)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2012, 1:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-a-300-dpi-digital-image/631100/43 "2012-08-14T01:07:26Z")
> [@cmyk](#): > > Not archaic, just a holdover term from the analog days. DPI refers to the dot density of halftones on the press side of things, which are still very much universal for process printing. Aw hell. Time to introduce another three letter acronym. You’re thinking of LPI (lines per inch). That’s how halftone screens are measured. And as a rule of thumb, you need your DPI to be 2x your LPI for best quality. ---
**Author:** ![Princhester](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/3e96dc/32.png) [@Princhester](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Princhester)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2012, 2:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-a-300-dpi-digital-image/631100/44 "2012-08-14T02:22:14Z")
> [@cmyk](#): > > It’s not sophisticated. I know how to use Photoshop and do so semi regularly and am entirely familiar with how to get the information the OP needs that way. But when the options are (a) instal and/or use some photo editing software or (b) use the functionality built right into the OS that you already have and are already using, then the latter is less sophisticated than the former. ---
**Author:** ![SanVito](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sanvito/32/2805_2.png) [@SanVito](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SanVito)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2012, 9:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-a-300-dpi-digital-image/631100/45 "2012-08-14T09:19:11Z")
> [@Princhester](#): > > I know how to use Photoshop and do so semi regularly and am entirely familiar with how to get the information the OP needs that way. > > But when the options are (a) instal and/or use some photo editing software or (b) use the functionality built right into the OS that you already have and are already using, then the latter is less sophisticated than the former. Unless you need to edit the file, presumably. ---
**Author:** ![cmyk](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cmyk/32/3353_2.png) [@cmyk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cmyk)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2012, 1:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-a-300-dpi-digital-image/631100/46 "2012-08-14T13:41:59Z")
> [@Pork\_Rind](#): > > Aw hell. Time to introduce another three letter acronym. You’re thinking of LPI (lines per inch). That’s how halftone screens are measured. And as a rule of thumb, you need your DPI to be 2x your LPI for best quality. :smack: you are correct. ---
**Author:** ![cmyk](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cmyk/32/3353_2.png) [@cmyk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cmyk)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2012, 1:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-a-300-dpi-digital-image/631100/47 "2012-08-14T13:51:59Z")
> [@Princhester](#): > > I know how to use Photoshop and do so semi regularly and am entirely familiar with how to get the information the OP needs that way. > > But when the options are (a) instal and/or use some photo editing software or (b) use the functionality built right into the OS that you already have and are already using, then the latter is less sophisticated than the former. I thought you meant sophisticated as in the complexity of the routine. I’m a Mac user, and can find out the image’s pixel dimensions simply by clicking on it in the Column View of the OS’s Finder. Anyhow, there’s a million ways to find this out natively in the OS of choice, but if he needs to change the DPI, he’ll need to do so in an image editor. A lot of camera’s default resolution is 72 DPI. Doesn’t Windows tell you the pixel dimensions in its Context Menu, or something similar? [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-a-300-dpi-digital-image/631100.md?page=2)