What Resolution for Print? DPI for Flyers, Posters and Banners

Print preparation7 min read · Updated: 03.11.2026

A blurry photo on a flyer or a jagged, 'stepped' logo is the most common disappointment when collecting a print job. The culprit is almost always a file with too low a resolution. This guide explains how many DPI a flyer, poster and banner need. It also shows how to calculate the pixels yourself and why artificially enlarging a photo won't rescue weak artwork.

What is DPI, and why do pixels matter rather than metadata?

In everyday DTP work, DPI (dots per inch) means how many image pixels fall within one inch of the print, which is 25.4 mm. The DPI value stored in a file guarantees nothing on its own. It simply tells software what size to print the image at by default. What really determines quality is the number of pixels relative to the physical print size.

Here is an example. A 2480×3508 px photo printed at A4 has 300 DPI, but the same photo printed at A2 has only 150 DPI. The file hasn't changed. Only the size you are stretching the pixels across has. So always think in terms of how many pixels you have across how many millimetres.

• The familiar '72 DPI from the web' is just metadata. What counts is how many pixels the image has.
• Text and logos in vector form (PDF, SVG, AI, EPS) have no resolution and print sharply at any size.
• Always check resolution at the final print size, not in an on-screen preview.

When is 300 DPI essential?

300 DPI is the standard for printed items you hold in your hand and view from 20–50 cm away. At that distance the eye picks up any lack of sharpness. Digital and litho printing on coated paper also reproduce very fine detail. Lower resolution usually shows up as soft edges and visible pixels in photos.

The threshold is a rule of thumb rather than a hard limit. On a flyer printed on uncoated paper, 250 DPI will often be indistinguishable from 300 DPI. Below 200 DPI, most people will notice the difference, especially in photos with fine detail such as hair or textures.

• Business cards, A6–A4 flyers and DL flyers: 300 DPI.
• Menus, vouchers, invitations and greetings cards: 300 DPI.
• Labels, stickers and swing tags: 300 DPI, because they are viewed from very close up.
• A4 and A3 posters hung at eye level: 300 DPI, with 200 DPI as the minimum.

What DPI for large-format posters, roll-up banners and banners?

The further away the viewer stands, the fewer pixels per inch the artwork needs. You look at a fence banner from several metres away. At 300 DPI it would be a huge file with no visible gain in quality. Large-format printers usually accept much lower values.

Exact requirements depend on the printer, the machine and the material. Mesh and fabric have a texture that swallows fine detail anyway. By contrast, wallpaper murals or posters on photo paper viewed close up need more pixels. Always check your printer's specification.

How do you calculate how many pixels you need?

The formula is simple: size in millimetres ÷ 25.4 × DPI = number of pixels. Work out the width and height separately. Remember to add bleed to the trimmed size. Bleed is usually 3 mm on each side, so 6 mm across the full width and height.

Take an A5 flyer (148×210 mm) with bleed: 154 mm ÷ 25.4 × 300 = 1819 px and 216 mm ÷ 25.4 × 300 = 2551 px. For a 300×100 cm banner at 72 DPI: 3000 mm ÷ 25.4 × 72 = 8504 px and 1000 mm ÷ 25.4 × 72 = 2835 px. You can also work backwards. Divide your photo's pixel count by the size in inches to find the resolution you'll get.

• Step 1: convert the size from mm to inches by dividing by 25.4.
• Step 2: multiply by the target DPI.
• Step 3: add bleed if the printer requires it.
• Step 4: compare the result with the pixel dimensions of your photo.

Table: format to pixels

Treat the values below as the minimum for photos and raster artwork. Sizes with bleed include 3 mm on each side. Large formats are given without bleed, because the rules depend on the printer and the finishing method, such as hems, eyelets or pole pockets.

Why doesn't enlarging a photo help?

When you increase the pixel count in an image editor (interpolation), the software doesn't recover lost detail. It simply invents new pixels based on their neighbours. You end up with a bigger file that is just as sharp, and often less sharp. Edges go soft and fine detail blurs. On paper the file has 300 DPI, but the print looks as though it were 100 DPI.

Changing only the DPI value without resampling the pixels is just as misleading. A 1000×1000 px photo set to 300 DPI will simply print smaller, at about 85×85 mm, not sharper. AI upscaling tools can improve the impression of sharpness. However, they fill in detail that was never there, which can show on faces and lettering.

• Ideally, get hold of the original full-resolution photo rather than a version taken from social media or a messaging app.
• Commission or redraw your logo as a vector instead of enlarging a PNG file.
• If a photo is too small, reduce it in the layout or use it as a less prominent background.
• Always add lettering as live text in your layout software, never as part of the photo.

How do you check file resolution before sending it to the printer?

In Photoshop or GIMP, open the image size dialogue, untick resampling and enter the target size in mm. The software will then show the actual DPI. In layout software such as InDesign or Affinity Publisher, the Links panel shows the effective resolution of each image after it has been scaled in the layout. For a PDF, Output Preview or Preflight in Acrobat is useful.

For large formats, printers often accept files at 1:10 scale. In that case the resolution in the file must be ten times higher: 720 DPI at 1:10 gives 72 DPI at 1:1 on the final print. This is how plakaty.shop (wielkareklama.eu studio) prepares files, for example. Roll-up banners and banners are supplied as PDFs at 1:10 scale, and smaller items as PDFs at trimmed size with 3 mm bleed.