DPI

<p>When extracting my RAW files from lightroom is it best to do it at 300 dpi or 72 dpi? I know you are suppose to print at 300 dpi but have often wondered why photographers extract at 72 dpi.</p>

<p>It doesn't matter. It only matters when you print, and even then, it may not matter. It's just a header, it has nothing to do with the bits unless you are measuring your file by print size.</p>

<p>+1 for what Jeff said.</p>

<p>Jeff said it right.</p>

<p>Not that it matters, but<br>

dpi= "dots per inch" - a printing measure<br>

ppi= "pixels per inch" - an image measure<br>

While not, strictly speaking, interchangeable terms, few people really give a damn.</p>

<p>+1 for what JDM said. A pixel is not equal to a dot! There are usually more dots than there are pixels. 12 dots per pixel, or thereabouts, is what we would usually explain. So a 300ppi image can be output at a printer resolution of 1200dpi for full resolution imaging.</p>

<p>it matter when you print, and it matter if you export a 4x6 inch @300 or @72ppi...</p>

<p>you are best to always export your image @300 IF you define a print size in inches. It doestn matter if you export your image as pixel.</p>

<blockquote>

<p>have often wondered why photographers extract at 72 dpi</p>

</blockquote>

<p>Well, it's the camera. Some cameras output to 72 dpi, others output to 350, others use 96 (from what I've read). It's just a number. The file requires a number, so the manufacturer just used one. One's no better than the other, think of it as a place holder. In other words it's not something to worry about.</p>

<p>As for printing at 300 dpi that's a bit misleading. 300 dpi should be the minimum but it's by no means a hard fast number. You can print far lower, and chances are you've seen prints that are far lower and you thought it looked great, and you can print higher with no degradation. 300 dpi is a pretty common number to aim for though, and there's nothing wrong with sticking with what works. But the fact of the matter is that the printer used will use the native dpi that it prints at. So to resample/resize an image down to 300 dpi from say 800 dpi (or whatever the final image ended up at) really isn't gaining you anything. The print driver will have to just interpolate that to it's resolution anyways, you might as well let it do it with the original in the first place.</p>