Pixels you need
- Pixels
- 1,800 × 1,800
- Print size
- 12 × 12 in (30.5 × 30.5 cm)
- Megapixels
- 3.2
150 DPI is the usual floor for posters viewed from one to two metres away.
Will your image be big enough?
- A 12 MP phone photo (4,032 × 3,024) prints at up to 26.88 × 20.16 in at 150 DPI: enough for 12 × 12 in without upscaling.
- A 1024 × 1024 AI image (1,024 × 1,024) prints at up to 6.83 × 6.83 in at 150 DPI. It needs 2× to cover 12 × 12 in, which is free.
- A 1920 × 1080 screenshot or video frame (1,920 × 1,080) prints at up to 12.8 × 7.2 in at 150 DPI. It needs 2× to cover 12 × 12 in, which is free.
Calculate for your image
Enter your image size. The upscale button updates to the scale you need.
12 × 12 in at other resolutions
How to prepare the file
- Crop your image to the 12 × 12 shape so the lab does not cut anything off.
- Compare your pixels with 1,800 × 1,800. The calculator above does it for you.
- Upscale with the smallest scale that reaches the size, then resize to the exact pixels.
- Export PNG, or JPG at quality 95, and order the print at this size.
Questions
How many pixels do I need for a 12 × 12 in print at 150 DPI?
1,800 × 1,800 pixels: 12 × 12 inches multiplied by 150 dots per inch, rounded to whole pixels.
Is 150 DPI good enough for 12 × 12 in?
150 DPI is the usual floor for posters viewed from one to two metres away.
Can a phone photo be printed at 12 × 12 in?
Yes. A 12 MP photo of 4032 × 3024 already has more than 1,800 × 1,800 pixels once cropped to the print shape.
What does DPI mean for a digital file?
Dots per inch is how many image pixels land on each inch of paper. The pixel count is what matters: the DPI field saved in a file does not change the image, the printer scales the pixels to the paper size.
Does upscaling add real detail for printing?
It adds plausible detail: sharper edges and texture instead of the soft blur of ordinary resizing. It cannot recover detail the camera never captured, such as text too small to read.