DPI stands for dots per inch. It is the number of individual dots, or pixels, within the measured space of your canvas.

If you’re not planning on printing, your DPI is not relevant — you should instead pay attention to the pixel height/width of your artwork to determine suitability for digital display.

If you are printing, DPI is an essential consideration for determining the detail in the printed work. A higher DPI equates to a higher density of detail on each inch of the printed output. But a higher DPI isn’t always necessary, as we outline below.

What DPI should I use for printing?

300 DPI is the standard for an A4 sheet or magazine-sized page. However, your choice of DPI is related to how large your final print will be, the distance of the viewer, and the material you are printing on. A good rule of thumb is it's better to have a higher DPI than necessary than one that is too low.

If a viewer is further away, fewer dots are needed. As they won’t see the finer detail from a distance, a lower density of dots per inch will still produce a cohesive picture. For example, 20 DPI might be suitable for a billboard.

Smaller artwork, such as a postcard-sized picture, will need a higher DPI as the viewer will be examining the image from a closer distance. In these cases, a DPI of 300–600 will be appropriate.

The material you print onto will also determine your maximum DPI. Printing onto fabric will support a lower amount of printed detail than paper due to the material's texture. In this case, 100 DPI may be adequate.

If you are working with a professional printer, contact them before printing. They’ll be the best people to advise on the ideal DPI for what you have planned.

Setting your canvas DPI

If you plan to print your artwork, it is advisable to set your DPI and physical width and height before you commence the artwork. Adjusting an artwork to a significantly different DPI after it is started can be difficult — and sometimes not even possible — when you have a specific physical output in mind.

When you create a canvas from the preset sizes, the DPI will range from 132–400. If you’d prefer to specify your dimensions and DPI, tap the new canvas button. A higher DPI may reduce the number of available layers, depending on the pixel or physical width and height of your artwork.

To check the DPI, physical height and width, and pixel height and width, tap Actions → Canvas → Canvas information → Dimensions .

You can later edit DPI on existing artwork by tapping Actions → Canvas → Crop & Resize → Settings. Note: increasing the DPI on an existing artwork will make the physical width and height smaller. Conversely, decreasing the DPI will make the physical width and height larger. This is because it must fit the existing pixel width and height resolution with fewer pixels per inch.