Designer’s guide to DPI

Designer’s guide to DPI.

What is DPI and PPI

DPI or Dots Per Inch is a measure of spatial dot density initially used in print. It’s the number of ink drops your printer can put in an inch . A smaller DPI yields a less-detailed image.

This concept is applied to computer screens under the name PPI for Pixels Per Inch. Same principle: It counts the number of pixels your screen can display per inch. The name DPI is also used in screens.

Windows computers have a default PPI of 96. Mac uses 72, although this value hasn’t been accurate since the 80’s. Regular, non-retina desktops (mac included) will have a PPI of 72 minimum up to around 120 maximum. Designing with a PPI between 72 and 120 ensures your work is going to be roughly the same size ratio everywhere.