Which DPI Is Best For Your Project?

There are a number of different options available for DPI. Below are our recommendations for different types of projects along with their respective pricing. Pricing is based on the additional processing time required. For a full list of DPI options and their pricing, click here.

Print Photos - 600 DPI

  • 600 DPI has no additional cost and it provides a high-quality scan for print photos.

  • If you plan to enlarge and re-print the images, we recommend 1200 DPI. Additional $0.40 per scan.

  • Anything higher than 1200 DPI for print photos is typically unnecessary. If you have specifications for a project that requires a higher DPI, please let us know and we can discuss further options.

Slides and Negatives - minimum 1200 DPI, maximum 4800 DPI, for a comparison example click here

  • Slides and negatives are a smaller original so a higher DPI will allow for more flexibility with what you can do with the images in the future.

  • 1200 DPI is an option for a solid-quality scan if you are viewing the images on your computer. Additional $0.45 per scan.

  • 2400-4800 DPI provides a high-quality archive-level scan, we recommend this for clients that want high-quality archive scans and may pass the images along to others or re-print the images. Additional $0.85-$1.70 per scan.

Photo Albums and Scrapbooks - 600 DPI

  • Album originals are typically fairly large in size so similarly to Print Photos 600 DPI will provide a high-quality scan.

  • Rarely are photo albums and scrapbook pages enlarged and re-printed so a higher DPI is typically not necessary.

Looking for more details? These articles do a great job breaking down DPI.