What dpi do I need to scan at to get great quality photo prints?
The key to deciding what dpi to scan your photos at is deciding what you plan to do with your scan. • Web images can only be displayed at 72 dpi on most computer monitors (100 dpi for high-definition displays). So if you’re planning to upload photos to a website or send via e-mail, then scanning at 72 dpi is adequate. NOTE: If your scans are at a higher resolution, it’s ok. They just won’t be displayed any higher than 72 dpi. • Photo prints scanned at 300 dpi are going to look great if they’re printed at roughly the same size as the original. If you’re considering enlarging your scanned image from its original size, then a general rule of thumb is to double the dpi with every doubling in size. Example: To produce a crisp 4″ x 6″ print from a 4″ x 6″ scan, set your dpi to 300 dpi (recommended). To produce an 8.5″ x 11″ print from a 4″ x 6″ scan, set your dpi to twice that, or 600 dpi, and so on. Remember that increasing the dpi of your scan will increase its file size as well, since mor
