in reply to Re: How to create images with 300dpi?
in thread How to create images with 300dpi?

In order to view a 500x500 image at 300 dpi, it would have to be displayed or printed on a device capable of 300 pixels per inch -- eg. a printer -- and would show up as 1.67 inches per side.

Or you could scale the image on a wrong-DPI device so that it is of the correct physical dimensions when shown. (Depending on the device's capabilities, you may lose detail.) Nevertheless, your underlying point was that DPI on image files or display devices is largely a tacked-on number most programs don't care one bit about.

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Re^3: How to create images with 300dpi?
by BrowserUk (Patriarch) on May 27, 2012 at 10:47 UTC
    Or you could scale the image on a wrong-DPI device so that it is of the correct physical dimensions when shown. (Depending on the device's capabilities, you may lose detail.)

    Yes. By embedding the dpi at which an image was recorded or constructed within the image file, it allows for the possibility to scale that image up or down to correct the size when displayed on mismatched devices. But, as you say, detaisl can get lost or become blocky as a result.

    The problem is, it encourages the thinking "if I make my images at high dpi, they'll look good whatever device they are shown on", but it doesn't work that way.

    If the image is recorded at 300 dpi, and then displayed on a 96 dpi device, it'll either be 3 times too big, or all the fine detail vanishes. And in the bargin, (ignoring compression), you've transmitted 9 times more data than will be used in the final display, for not just no benefit, but negative benefit.

    Far better to record images at a lower dpi, that more closely matches the likely display media and offer a click to zoom facility that links to a larger image for those that need one.


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