How to Increase the DPI of an Image with More Details for Quality Prints?

Is it possible to increase DPI on an image? I'm trying to create a canvas print but the vendor recommends an image of at least 300 DPI. I found a few websites that convert images to high DPI but I'm not sure how reliable/if it's actually possible.Thank you for any advice! – Reddit user

Don’t be fooled! Printing posters, illustrations, or brochures might seem simple, but achieving satisfactory quality hinges on things like DPI. Lower DPI settings may result in blurry and pixelated prints, even for high-resolution images. If you are a photographer or designer looking to produce stunning prints of your work or create eye-catching illustrations, increasing DPI can up pixel density and therefore improve image clarity. Let’s explore how to increase the DPI of an image for quality prints.

Part 1. What Is DPI and Why High DPI Is Important for Quality Prints?

DPI（Dots Per Inch）refers to the number of individual ink dots that can be placed in a line within the span of one inch. It acts as a bridge between digital imagery and physical prints, directly impacting how sharp or blurred the image appears once printed.

DPI value plays a direct role on the quality of print. Higher DPI settings means a denser distribution of dots, resulting in prints with sharper definition. It is also important for accurate reproduction of digital images on paper, let alone quantifiable measurement of printing, or optimizing printing consumables. Therefore, increasing image DPI beneficial for quality printing.

Part 2. How to Check the DPI of Image?

On windows

On windows, open File Explorer and navigate to your image. Right click on the image file > select Properties > Details. Scroll down to find image Dimensions and the DPI Resolution.

Or open the image file in Photo app, right click the Information, where you can see the DPI value next to the resolution.

On Mac

On Mac, open the image in Finder > Preview > select Tools > Show Inspector. Select General Info from the dialog box. View the image information to find the resolution or click More Info in the second tab at the top to find the DPI.

Part 3. How to Increase the DPI of an Image: 3 Ways

If your Image DPI is too low to print and you don’t want any pixelated or grainy appearance in your print, it’s advisable to increase your image DPI first. Here are 4 feasible ways.

Way 1. Photoshop

Photoshop is recognized as one good way to change image DPI on Windows or Mac. Here are the steps:

1. Open your file in Photoshop.
2. Go to Image > Image Size.
3. Uncheck Resample Image.
4. Type in preferred resolution such as 300, and set as Pixels/Inch next to Resolution.
5. Click OK.
6. Click FILE > SAVE.
7. Your image will be increased to desired DPI like 300, the best resolution for printing.

Way 2. GIMP

GIMP is a free and open-source image editor that can change and increase the DPI of image on your PC and Mac with ease. Here is the tutorial.

1. Open GIM > Go to Image > Print Size.
2. Enter the DPI you prefer next to X Resolution > set in pixels/in. The Y Resolution will change automatically.

Way 3. Online DPI Converter

If you are unfamiliar with the above programs, and want to easily increase the DPI of an image for printing without blurry results, online DPI converter like Convert Town is ready for help.

1. Head over to the DPI converter.
2. Set a DPI value for your image such as 300.
3. Load an image by clicking on Choose Image.
4. Your new image with increased DPI will instantly download to your device.

Part 4. Are Your Prints Blurry? Upscale Blurry Image before Printing.

As it is mentioned above DPI is only a measurement of print resolution. Increasing image DPI does not actually upscale image resolution, generate image details or increase the quality of the image. Here is an example of a low-res image that is cropped.

In terms of print quality, it’s important to understand the relationship between image resolution, print size, and DPI. Here is the forumula:

For instance, consider an image file with 1000x800 resolution intended for a 10x8 inch photo. Regardless how you increase the DPI setting to 150, 200, 300 or even higher, the actual pixel density remains 100 pixels per inch. You can get an increased 167 DPI for a smaller 6x4 inch image with the same file. If you don’t want to compromise on size, the only way is to increase image resolution to 3000x2400 pixels, which results in enhanced DPI and sharper prints.

Now Aiarty Image Enhancer comes to the rescue. Unlike traditional image editors replicate the existing pixels to create new ones while increasing the DPI of an image, Aiarty Image Enhancer upscales images by 2x/4x/8x or directly convert image to 4K, 8K, or higher up to 32K, and generates more image details. So you won’t worry about any blur, pixilation, and loss of detail, especially when the original image is small or low-resolution.

Here are the detailed steps to enhance image resolution using Aiarty. Prior to the steps, download and install Aiarty Image Enhancer on your computer.

Step 1. Once you open the program, drag and drop the image you are going to print to the windows. It supports a wide range of formats, from jpg, webp, png, tiff, to raw format.

Step 2. Choose a preferred AI model. In order to ready your image for quality print, it’s advised to choose More-Detail Gan v2, which will help to enhance image with intricate details. Then you can choose the scale preset like x2, x4, x8, or directly upscale the image to specific resolution like 2k/4k/8k as per your needs.

Step 3. When everything is OK, hit RUN to button increasing image resolution.

Then you can enjoy the crisp image after upscaling and feel free to print image after increasing the image DPI.

Since different printing project requires different print size and resolution. Here are some suggestions.