In this article, we focus on the difference between PPI vs DPI and its importance in quality of image for photos and gaming.
Table of Contents
Introduction to PPI
Pixel per inch (PPI) shows the number of pixels in an inch on a screen. It is not for a specific screen but it can be calculated any size of the screen. Inside the pixel, sub-pixels are available that contain the combination of three colors including Red, Green, and Blue (RGB).
The human eye can’t see these lights separately because the color blending process blends it into an exclusive hue.
PPI only exists digitally which means that it doesn’t exist in printing form instead it is available on television and other similar screens.
Uses of PPI
If you are working in photography then you might need to calculate the pixel per inch. This is because photographers usually need to know to maintain the quality of the picture. Photographers usually need to know the PPI when printing the image out of the digital printers.
If an image contains higher PPI then the printed result will also be higher because the pixel in an inch will be high. The standard size of the PPI in the industry is 300 which may be exported from the high PPI.
Calculating PPI
PPI can be calculated manually using the formula (pixels/size of the screen). However, there are enough online tools that calculate the PPI quickly like the PPI calculator by Calculators.tech.
These tools usually require some basic information and then it shows the resolution result at the same time. Here is the information usually required by the online tools:
- Measure and write the measurements for vertical and horizontal
- Enter the size of the screen (diagonal) in centimeters or inches
- Click on the button to get the result
Introduction to Dpi
Dots per inch (Dpi) is the number of dots in a single inch of the display. The quality of the picture depends upon the dots in a single inch. If the dots are high in quantity then the quality of the picture will also high. When you are printing an image, the quality of the image is also dependent on the dpi.
Dpi uses four colors including cyan, magenta, yellow, and black to control RGB colors. These dots are printed in a patterned way that can be perceived through a human eye. The density of this pattern is the measurement of dpi. As these dots are patterned in fixed size so the resolution by the numbers of dots in an inch.
To print the high quality of the image through the printer, you need to get the printer that gives more dpi. Talking an example we can see that the Magazine’s resolution is far better than the newspaper. The reason behind this is the dpi used in the printer. The printer used for printing magazines contains 150 dpi whereas the printer for the newspaper contains 85 dpi.
Importance of DPI
Dpi is very important in the printing process. If the dpi of a printer is low then the quality of the crystal image will be wasted. Like if you are printing a flex for billboard then you should consider a high dpi printer else it will print very low quality of the print. However, if you are printing a newspaper or A4 size paper then you may use a lesser dpi printer.
Working of DPI
Just like PPI, DPI can also be calculated for free using tools like online DPI calculator by Calculators.tech. It’s an online tool that requires basic information to calculate the dots per inch. You need the following things for calculation:
- Measure and enter the horizontal and vertical length in pixels
- Measure the size (in diagonals) of the screen or poster
- Click on the button to calculate the dpi
Difference between PPI vs DPI
Talking about the basic difference between both of the terms, pixel per inch (PPI) tells the resolution of the digital image in pixels whereas the Dots per inch (Dpi) tell the quantity of dots in an individual dot of an image.
PPI is concerned with the display of the screen and the resolution of this screen depends upon PPI. The dpi is not concerned with the digital display of the screen instead it is relatable to the printed image.
The colors of RGB in PPI can’t be seen through the human eye while the four colors of dpi can be perceived by a human eye. It is due to the single hue that is used by the PPI but not by the DPI.
PPI vs DPI Conclusion
In the world digital imaging, the pixel is one of the most important factors. In this article we focued on the difference between PPI vs DPI and how it can affect the quality of image especially when you are gaming. Whether you are displaying or printing an image, the DPI and PPI calculator can help you in maintaining the quality of the image. To print a better print, you should use the printer with better dpi while if you want to display the better image on increase then you should have a high PPI screen.
And there you have it, we hope this helped you find the difference between PPI vs DPI.
