Short answer
At 300 DPI, every inch of print needs 300 pixels, and every centimetre needs about 118 pixels. Multiply the print size in inches by 300: A4 is 2,480 × 3,508 px, a 12 × 12 inch print is 3,600 × 3,600 px, and 44 inch wide fabric is 13,200 px across.
Key points
- Multiply the print size in inches by 300 to get pixels; for centimetres, multiply by about 118.
- 44 inch fabric needs 13,200 px across at 300 DPI, and 58 inch fabric needs 17,400 px.
- Most fabric printing works well at 150 to 200 DPI, which needs far fewer pixels.
- For an allover repeat, size one tile at its printed size, not the whole length of fabric.
- Typing 300 in the DPI box adds no pixels; to print bigger and sharp, enlarge the file.
The 300 DPI formula
At 300 DPI, each printed inch needs 300 pixels. The formula is:
pixels = inches × 300
For centimetres, divide by 2.54 first: pixels = cm ÷ 2.54 × 300, which is about 118 pixels per cm.
Every number below is worked out this way and rounded to the nearest whole pixel. Megapixels (MP) are width × height ÷ 1,000,000.
Example: A 10 inch wide print needs 10 × 300 = 3,000 pixels across.
Common print sizes in inches
| Print size | 300 DPI | MP | 200 DPI | 150 DPI |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4 × 6 in | 1,200 × 1,800 | 2.2 | 800 × 1,200 | 600 × 900 |
| 5 × 7 in | 1,500 × 2,100 | 3.15 | 1,000 × 1,400 | 750 × 1,050 |
| 8 × 10 in | 2,400 × 3,000 | 7.2 | 1,600 × 2,000 | 1,200 × 1,500 |
| 12 × 12 in | 3,600 × 3,600 | 13.0 | 2,400 × 2,400 | 1,800 × 1,800 |
| 18 × 18 in (cushion cover) | 5,400 × 5,400 | 29.2 | 3,600 × 3,600 | 2,700 × 2,700 |
| 24 × 36 in | 7,200 × 10,800 | 77.8 | 4,800 × 7,200 | 3,600 × 5,400 |
Paper and metric sizes
| Size | In inches | 300 DPI | MP | 200 DPI | 150 DPI |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| A4, 21 × 29.7 cm | 8.27 × 11.69 | 2,480 × 3,508 | 8.7 | 1,654 × 2,339 | 1,240 × 1,754 |
| A3, 29.7 × 42 cm | 11.69 × 16.54 | 3,508 × 4,961 | 17.4 | 2,339 × 3,307 | 1,754 × 2,480 |
| A2, 42 × 59.4 cm | 16.54 × 23.39 | 4,961 × 7,016 | 34.8 | 3,307 × 4,677 | 2,480 × 3,508 |
| 50 × 50 cm | 19.69 × 19.69 | 5,906 × 5,906 | 34.9 | 3,937 × 3,937 | 2,953 × 2,953 |
| 1 × 1 m | 39.37 × 39.37 | 11,811 × 11,811 | 139.5 | 7,874 × 7,874 | 5,906 × 5,906 |
Fabric widths: metre and yard
Fabric is sold by width and length, so this table gives full-width pieces. A metre is 39.37 inches (100 ÷ 2.54) and a yard is 36 inches.
| Width × length | 300 DPI | MP | 200 DPI | 150 DPI | MP at 150 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 36 in (91.4 cm) × 1 m | 10,800 × 11,811 | 127.6 | 7,200 × 7,874 | 5,400 × 5,906 | 31.9 |
| 36 in (91.4 cm) × 1 yd | 10,800 × 10,800 | 116.6 | 7,200 × 7,200 | 5,400 × 5,400 | 29.2 |
| 44 in (111.8 cm) × 1 m | 13,200 × 11,811 | 155.9 | 8,800 × 7,874 | 6,600 × 5,906 | 39.0 |
| 44 in (111.8 cm) × 1 yd | 13,200 × 10,800 | 142.6 | 8,800 × 7,200 | 6,600 × 5,400 | 35.6 |
| 58 in (147.3 cm) × 1 m | 17,400 × 11,811 | 205.5 | 11,600 × 7,874 | 8,700 × 5,906 | 51.4 |
| 58 in (147.3 cm) × 1 yd | 17,400 × 10,800 | 187.9 | 11,600 × 7,200 | 8,700 × 5,400 | 47.0 |
| 60 in (152.4 cm) × 1 m | 18,000 × 11,811 | 212.6 | 12,000 × 7,874 | 9,000 × 5,906 | 53.2 |
| 60 in (152.4 cm) × 1 yd | 18,000 × 10,800 | 194.4 | 12,000 × 7,200 | 9,000 × 5,400 | 48.6 |
| 72 in (182.9 cm) × 1 m | 21,600 × 11,811 | 255.1 | 14,400 × 7,874 | 10,800 × 5,906 | 63.8 |
| 72 in (182.9 cm) × 1 yd | 21,600 × 10,800 | 233.3 | 14,400 × 7,200 | 10,800 × 5,400 | 58.3 |
A full-width metre at 300 DPI is a very large file. Most fabric printing works well at 150 to 200 DPI, and the print-on-demand company Spoonflower uses 150 DPI as its standard.
Tip: If your design is an allover repeat, you only send one tile at its own printed size, which is far smaller.
Our guide to the best DPI for fabric printing explains which DPI suits which fabric and print method.
Saree, dupatta and blouse piece
A standard saree is about 5.5 m (roughly 6 yards) long and about 1.15 m (45 inches) wide.
These rows use a 44 inch print width, a common width for saree fabric. If yours differs, change the width with the fabric DPI calculator.
| Piece | Size | 300 DPI | MP | 200 DPI | 150 DPI |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Saree, 6 yards | 44 × 216 in | 13,200 × 64,800 | 855.4 | 8,800 × 43,200 | 6,600 × 32,400 |
| Saree, 5.5 m | 44 in × 216.54 in | 13,200 × 64,961 | 857.5 | 8,800 × 43,307 | 6,600 × 32,480 |
| Dupatta, 2.5 m | 44 in × 98.43 in | 13,200 × 29,528 | 389.8 | 8,800 × 19,685 | 6,600 × 14,764 |
| Blouse piece, 0.8 m | 44 in × 31.5 in | 13,200 × 9,449 | 124.7 | 8,800 × 6,299 | 6,600 × 4,724 |
Note: A full saree is longer than 30,000 pixels even at 150 DPI. That is more than a normal Photoshop PSD can hold, so Photoshop saves it as PSB (Large Document Format, up to 300,000 pixels a side).
This is why sarees are usually built from a body repeat, a border and a pallu, each sized on its own.
Reading the tables backwards
If you already have a file, divide its pixels by 300 to see how big it prints at 300 DPI.
- 3,000 × 3,000 px prints 10 × 10 inches at 300 DPI (3,000 ÷ 300 = 10), or 15 × 15 inches at 200 DPI.
- 6,000 × 4,000 px prints 20 × 13.3 inches at 300 DPI.
- 1,600 × 1,200 px, a common size for a design that was shrunk before sharing, prints only 5.3 × 4 inches at 300 DPI.
When your file is too small
Warning: Typing 300 in the DPI box without adding pixels changes nothing on the fabric.
In Photoshop's Image Size window with Resample unticked, a 1,200 px wide file labelled 300 DPI simply prints 4 inches wide. To print bigger at the same sharpness you need more pixels.
Photoshop's Resample option can add pixels, but it makes them by averaging neighbours, so a 3× or 4× jump looks soft. AI upscaling rebuilds edges and texture as it enlarges, which keeps lines and small motifs crisp.
Start sizes for a 4× enlargement
Some real targets and the file you would need for a 4× enlargement:
| Target | Pixels needed | Start file for 4× |
|---|---|---|
| 12 × 12 in at 300 DPI | 3,600 × 3,600 | 900 × 900 |
| 18 × 18 in cushion at 300 DPI | 5,400 × 5,400 | 1,350 × 1,350 |
| A2 at 300 DPI | 4,961 × 7,016 | 1,241 × 1,754 |
| 44 in × 1 yd at 150 DPI | 6,600 × 5,400 | 1,650 × 1,350 |
All four come out under 36 megapixels, which is about the most the free 4× and 8× enlargement in our AI image upscaler gives.
Example: A 24 × 36 inch poster at 300 DPI (77.8 MP) is over that limit, but the same poster at 200 DPI (34.6 MP) fits.
Downloads come as PNG tagged 300 DPI, so the size in Photoshop's Image Size box already matches the 300 DPI column. The 300 DPI converter page shows the difference between a real 300 DPI file and a relabelled one.
What to do next
Find your print size in the tables, then check your file's pixel width against it. If it falls short, enlarge it with the AI image upscaler and confirm the new size with the fabric DPI calculator.
Questions people ask
How many pixels is 300 DPI?
300 DPI means 300 pixels for each printed inch, so the total depends on the print size. Multiply the width and height in inches by 300. A 10 inch wide print needs 3,000 pixels across.
How many pixels do I need for 44 inch or 58 inch fabric at 300 DPI?
44 inch fabric needs 44 × 300 = 13,200 pixels across, and 58 inch fabric needs 58 × 300 = 17,400 pixels. One metre of length adds 11,811 pixels. Most fabric printers accept 150 to 200 DPI, which needs half to two thirds of these numbers.
How do I convert cm to pixels at 300 DPI?
Divide the centimetres by 2.54 to get inches, then multiply by 300. That works out to about 118.11 pixels per cm, so 30 cm is 30 ÷ 2.54 × 300 = 3,543 pixels.
Is 3000 × 3000 pixels 300 DPI?
Any image can be labelled 300 DPI. 3,000 × 3,000 pixels prints sharp at 300 DPI up to 10 × 10 inches (25.4 cm square). Print it larger and the real DPI drops below 300.