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Resolution and DPI (dots per Inch) are often used interchangeably, but they are quite differentAny digital image is composed of pixels. The pixels are the small colored square dots that can sometimes be seen when images are enlarged too much, or if you look at your screen close enough. Resolution is the number of pixels in the horizontal direction by the number of pixels in the vertical direction. For example, a picture with1200 pixels at the horizontal direction and2100 pixels at the vertical direction would have a resolution of1200 x2100 pixels, As you've probably noticed, nowhere in the above definition it is said what size the pixels are. This is where the DPI comes in DPI is simply Dots Per Inch. A picture with100 x100 resolution would be1 x1 inch when printed at100 DPI, and100 x100 inch when printed at1 DPI ,There's a tradeoff. The bigger the resolution, the bigger the image is. It will take more disk space, occupy more memory when loaded, and will take longer to load or email. On the other hand, the bigger the resolution, the better the image looks when printed , If you want to display a photo on your computer screen, there is a limit to the number of pixels that can be displayed. Most computer screens have a resolution of72 dpi, and your inkjet printer will typically print high quality photos at about300dpi - the quality of most "weekly" type magazine , Most images that come from scanners or digital cameras have enough pixels to print an A4 sized photo at between300 and2400dpi. Image Shrinker will convert these files to something more manageable that will still display nicely on your computer screen, and print well on most printers
