Pixels you need
- Pixels
- 3,600 × 5,400
- Print size
- 12 × 18 in (30.5 × 45.7 cm)
- Megapixels
- 19.4
300 DPI is the photo lab standard for prints you hold in your hand or view at arm's length.
Will your image be big enough?
- A 12 MP phone photo (4,032 × 3,024) prints at up to 10.08 × 13.44 in at 300 DPI. It needs 2× to cover 12 × 18 in, which is free.
- A 1024 × 1024 AI image (1,024 × 1,024) prints at up to 3.41 × 3.41 in at 300 DPI. Even 4× with a final resize falls short of 12 × 18 in, so start from a larger source or print at a lower DPI.
- A 1920 × 1080 screenshot or video frame (1,920 × 1,080) prints at up to 3.6 × 6.4 in at 300 DPI. It needs 4× to cover 12 × 18 in, on Pro and still on your device.
Calculate for your image
Enter your image size. The upscale button updates to the scale you need.
12 × 18 in at other resolutions
How to prepare the file
- Crop your image to the 12 × 18 shape so the lab does not cut anything off.
- Compare your pixels with 3,600 × 5,400. 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 × 18 in print at 300 DPI?
3,600 × 5,400 pixels: 12 × 18 inches multiplied by 300 dots per inch, rounded to whole pixels.
Is 300 DPI good enough for 12 × 18 in?
300 DPI is the photo lab standard for prints you hold in your hand or view at arm's length.
Can a phone photo be printed at 12 × 18 in?
Yes, with 2× upscaling. A 12 MP photo of 4032 × 3024 falls short of 3,600 × 5,400 on its own.
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.