Set your image's DPI to 72, 150, 300 or 600 for printing — instantly, with zero quality loss, entirely in your browser.
JPG and PNG supported
DPI (dots per inch) only means something once an image is printed — it tells the printer how many of the image's pixels to pack into each inch of paper. A screenshot or a Canva export usually carries no DPI tag at all, or defaults to 72 because that's the historical screen resolution standard. The pixels themselves are exactly as sharp either way; nothing about the image changes when it's viewed on a monitor.
The problem shows up the moment that file goes into Adobe InDesign, a print shop's upload portal, or Photoshop's Image Size dialog — all of which read the DPI tag to work out the physical print size. A 1000×1000px image tagged at 72 DPI calculates out to roughly 13.9×13.9 inches, which is far too large to print cleanly, triggering a "low resolution" warning. The same 1000×1000px image tagged at 300 DPI calculates to about 3.3×3.3 inches — a small, crisp print — with not one pixel different between the two files.
| DPI tag change | Real upscaling |
|---|---|
| Edits a small header value in the file | Recalculates every pixel using interpolation |
| File size barely changes | File size increases with pixel count |
| Doesn't affect on-screen appearance at all | Can make an enlarged print look sharper |
| Changes the calculated print size only | Changes the actual pixel dimensions |
| Instant, lossless | Takes real processing, quality trade-offs apply |
If your print shop's software is refusing the file purely because of the DPI tag, this tool fixes that in seconds. If the image genuinely needs to be a bigger, sharper print — say, turning a small web photo into an A4 print — you need real upscaling first; see our Image Upscaler.
Does changing the DPI make my image sharper or bigger?
No. DPI is a printing instruction stored in the file, not a measure of quality. Changing it from 72 to 300 doesn't add a single new pixel — it only tells printers and design software to print the same pixels at a smaller physical size. If you need the image to actually look sharper at a larger print size, use our Image Upscaler first, then set the DPI here.
Why does my print shop or InDesign file say my image is "72 DPI, too low to print"?
Most web exports (Canva, screenshots, social media saves) embed no DPI tag or default to 72, since screens don't use DPI at all. Software like Adobe InDesign or Photoshop reads that tag and calculates a print size from it, which is often why a perfectly good image gets flagged — the fix is usually to set the DPI tag correctly, not to make the image bigger.
Will this recompress my JPG or reduce quality?
No. This tool edits only the density metadata inside the file — the PNG pHYs chunk or the JPEG JFIF header — and leaves every pixel byte untouched. Your downloaded file is not re-encoded, so there's no generation loss at all.
What DPI should I use for printing?
300 DPI is the standard for high-quality commercial printing (brochures, business cards, photo prints). 150 DPI is acceptable for large-format prints viewed from a distance, like posters and banners. 72 or 96 DPI is the web/screen standard and isn't meant for print at all.
Is my photo uploaded to a server?
No. The file is read and edited entirely on your own device in your browser and is never transmitted anywhere.
Why does the DPI show as "Not set" for my file?
Many PNGs and web-exported JPGs simply don't include a density tag at all — that's not an error, it just means no DPI value has ever been written into the file. This tool will add one for you.