For printing, aim to scan at 300 dots per inch (dpi) at the size you want to print, or 600 dpi if you might enlarge the photo later — higher isn’t always better, since it just means a bigger file for no visible gain at typical print sizes.
What you need
- A scanner (flatbed, or a scanning app on your phone)
- An idea of roughly what size you might want to print the photo at, now or later
How resolution and print size are linked
Resolution and print size are linked: 300 dpi at the photo’s original size gives you a good-quality print at that same size, but if you want a much larger print later, you need either a higher scan resolution now or to accept some quality loss when enlarging.
How to work out your scan resolution
- Work out your likely largest future print size. If you might want a larger print later (enlarging a small original to a bigger frame, for instance), plan your scan resolution around that larger size, not just the original’s current size.
- Use 300 dpi for same-size or slightly larger printing. This is the standard baseline for good photographic print quality at or near the original size.
- Use 600 dpi (or higher) if you’re scanning a small original for significant enlargement. A higher dpi captures more detail, giving you more room to enlarge later without the print looking soft or pixelated.
- Check your scanner or app’s dpi setting before scanning. Most flatbed scanner software and scanning apps let you set this directly; look for a setting labelled dpi, resolution, or quality.
- Save in a high-quality format. Save as TIFF or high-quality JPEG rather than a heavily compressed format, so you’re not undoing the benefit of a higher scan resolution with heavy compression afterwards.
Check the file will print sharp at that size
After scanning, check the image’s pixel dimensions (in your photo app’s file info) against your intended print size at 300 dpi — for example, a 6×4 inch print at 300 dpi needs roughly 1800×1200 pixels.
If you’re not sure how big you’ll print
If you’re not sure what print size you’ll want, 600 dpi is a reasonably safe higher-than-needed default for a standard photo print, without being so high that file sizes become unmanageable.
Next step
Once you’ve settled on a resolution, it’s worth deciding on a sensible batch size so a big digitising session doesn’t become overwhelming — see Choose a batch size that keeps a digitising session manageable.
Sources and date checked
General digitising and print-resolution guidance based on standard photography print-quality conventions; not tied to a specific scanner brand. Checked 22 September 2026.