How Pixels to Inches Works
What is a pixel?
A pixel (px) is the smallest addressable dot on a digital display or image. Screens and images are built from grids of these pixels, such as 1920 × 1080 or 1080 × 1080. On their own, pixels do not have a physical size – that size only appears when you know how many pixels fit into one inch, also known as pixels per inch (PPI) or dots per inch (DPI).
How to convert pixels to inches?
To convert pixels to inches you need the pixel density of your screen or print. The formula is: inches = pixels ÷ PPI. For example, at 300 PPI, a 900 pixel wide image prints at 900 ÷ 300 = 3 inches wide. If you change the PPI while keeping the pixels the same, the physical size changes even though the image resolution does not.
Inches to pixels – how many pixels in an inch?
When you convert inches to pixels you simply reverse the formula: pixels = inches × PPI. At 96 PPI, 1 inch equals 96 pixels, 2 inches equals 192 pixels, and so on. At 300 PPI, 1 inch equals 300 pixels – a common standard for high-quality print work. The higher the PPI, the more pixels you need to fill each inch and the sharper the output can look.
How to use the pixels to inches converter? 1080 pixels to inches – a practical example.
Suppose you have a 1080 pixel tall image and want to know its physical height for printing at 300 DPI:
- Enter 1080 in the Pixels field.
- Set PPI to 300.
- The converter will show the height in inches as 3.6 in (1080 ÷ 300).
- If you instead set PPI to 96, the same 1080 pixels becomes 11.25 in tall – much larger on paper.
Because the tool works both ways, you can also start with a target size in inches and let it tell you how many pixels you need at a chosen PPI.
Additional sizing tips
- For web design, you often assume a “CSS reference” density of 96 PPI when converting between inches and pixels.
- For print, 300 PPI is a common standard. Large posters can sometimes use 150 PPI or even less because they are viewed from farther away.
- Mobile screens, like the iPhone 13, pack hundreds of pixels into each inch, so interface layouts are usually measured in logical points instead of raw pixels.