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CAPODCanada

Free artwork planning tool

Print size & DPI calculator

Check the size before you order the sample. Convert artwork pixels to a real print size, see what gets cropped, and compare against your supplier’s resolution requirement.

By Manjot Singh · PODCanada Editorial TeamLast reviewed September 19, 2026

Will your pixels cover the print?

Find pixel dimensions in your image editor or file properties. Enter the intended print area from your supplier's exact template. No artwork upload, email or account needed.

1. Your original artwork

Use actual pixels, not the file's DPI metadata.

Use the exported artwork's current orientation.

2. Intended print size

Switching units converts your entered print dimensions.

300 is an example target, not a rule for every product. Use your supplier's requirement.

12 × 16 inches is only an example, not a supplier template.

Use the full required file area if the template includes bleed.

3. How should the artwork fit?

Pixels to print size: the calculation

Divide pixels by your target pixels per inch to find the physical size. A 3,600-pixel-wide image at 300 PPI is 12 inches wide. To work in centimetres, multiply inches by 2.54. Going the other way, divide centimetres by 2.54 before multiplying by PPI.

Maximum print size
Pixels ÷ target PPI = inches
Required canvas pixels
Print inches × target PPI, rounded up
Fit whole image
Effective PPI = larger of width and height pixel-to-inch ratios
Fill and crop
Effective PPI = smaller of width and height pixel-to-inch ratios

Both modes preserve proportions and assume centred placement without rotating the artwork. Cropped percentage measures lost image area, not just the width or height. The calculation adds no automatic bleed allowance.

Example: a square design on a portrait print

A 3,000 × 3,000 pixel square inside a 12 × 16 inch area prints at 12 × 12 inches in fit mode: 250 PPI, with 2 inches unused above and below when centred. Fill mode makes it 16 × 16 inches: 187.5 PPI, cropping 25% of the image area to cover the portrait shape. A new full-area canvas at 300 PPI would be 3,600 × 4,800 pixels.

These are geometry examples, not approved shirt, mug or poster specifications. Recompose the design for the target proportions instead of stretching the square into a rectangle.

Use the exact product’s requirements

A single resolution threshold cannot cover every print-on-demand product. Printful directs sellers to each product's file guidelines. Printify likewise specifies requirements by product design area and warns that pixel count alone does not establish image quality.

Embroidery, vector art and product-specific bleed or wrap areas need their own preparation workflow. This raster-dimension calculator cannot certify a file or predict a sample's appearance.

Read the POD print-file preparation guide

Print resolution questions

How large can I print a 3000 × 4000 pixel image?

At 300 pixels per inch, its uncropped dimensions are 10 × about 13.33 inches (25.4 × about 33.87 cm). At 150 PPI they are 20 × about 26.67 inches. Whether either is suitable depends on the artwork, product and supplier's exact requirements.

Is PPI the same as DPI?

PPI measures image pixels per printed inch; DPI technically measures printer dots per inch. Suppliers often use DPI when describing raster artwork resolution. This tool calculates effective pixel density, not a printer's hardware setting.

Why does fit give a different result from fill?

Fit keeps the whole image inside the print area and may leave empty space. Fill enlarges the image enough to cover the area and crops the edges when proportions differ. Enlargement reduces effective PPI, so the two modes can produce different resolution results.

Does changing a file's DPI metadata improve it?

No. Changing a label does not add original detail. At a fixed printed size, effective resolution depends on pixel dimensions. A blurry or artificially enlarged image can still look poor even when its pixel count meets the target.

Does this tool upload or inspect my artwork?

No. You enter dimensions manually and the calculation runs in your browser. It does not inspect image content, transparency, colour profiles, intellectual-property rights, bleed or safe areas. Those need separate checks.