Print files
How to Resize Photos to 300 DPI for Etsy Print Shops
Print shops need 300 DPI, not 72. Convert inches to pixels, crop to the listing ratio, stamp 300 DPI in the file, and export JPG, PNG, or WebP without uploading your artwork to a server.
Direct answer
To resize a photo to 300 DPI for an Etsy print shop, multiply the print width and height in inches by 300 to get pixels, crop the photo to that exact ratio around the subject, then export JPG, PNG, or WebP with 300 DPI written in the file metadata. An 8×10 print needs 2400×3000 pixels. A 12×18 print needs 3600×5400 pixels. Do not upscale a 72 DPI web JPEG and hope the shop will sharpen it.
Etsy mockups look sharp on a phone because screens sit around 72–144 pixels per inch. The shop that actually puts ink on paper still asks for 300 DPI. If you send a 1200-pixel-wide JPEG labeled “poster,” the press either upscales it (soft) or prints it small. That mismatch is why listings get refund requests even when the photo looked fine on Instagram.
DPI is not a filter you sprinkle on a file. It is pixels divided by physical inches. Once you pick the size you sell, the math is fixed. Then you crop so the subject survives that rectangle, and you export a file the RIP software will accept.
This guide walks through the pixel formula, the crop problem phone cameras create, file types print partners actually take, and a browser-only workflow that never uploads your original.
- 1
Choose the physical print size
Use the inches or millimeters on the listing, not the camera’s aspect ratio.
- 2
Convert inches to pixels
Multiply each side by 300. Example: 8×10 becomes 2400×3000 pixels.
- 3
Crop around the subject
Keep the face, product, or signature inside the rectangle. Do not letterbox or stretch.
- 4
Export at 300 DPI
Save JPG, PNG, or WebP with 300 pixels-per-inch metadata in sRGB unless the shop specified otherwise.
Why 300 DPI is the print default
Commercial inkjet and most offset proofs are specified at 300 pixels per inch because that density is close to what the eye resolves at normal viewing distance on matte and luster paper. Large wall murals viewed from farther away can drop to 150 DPI. Fabric and some all-over prints are often 150 DPI. For Etsy art prints, posters, and framed paper, assume 300 unless the partner’s template says otherwise.
Two files can share the same pixel count and still confuse a shop. Photoshop often writes a 72 DPI header even when the image is 2400×3000. The printer still uses pixels, but intake software that reads “72 DPI” may auto-reject the file. You need enough pixels and a 300 DPI tag.
You cannot invent detail. A 800-pixel Instagram download cannot become a sharp 24×36. Export from the largest original you have — camera RAW, phone HEIC at full size, or a scan — then crop, then downscale to the print pixel size.
Start from the size you sell, not the camera
Phone photos are usually 4:3 or 16:9. Popular Etsy frames are 4:5 (8×10), 2:3 (12×18), 11×14, 5×7, or ISO A-sizes. If you “fit” the whole photo, you get letterboxing. If you crop from the center, you cut faces, signatures, and product labels.
Pick the print size first. Then crop so the subject stays in the frame. Then export at width-in-inches × 300 by height-in-inches × 300. Landscape listings swap those numbers. Do not stretch a 4:5 crop to fill a 2:3 frame — buyers notice warped faces.
If you sell more than one size, keep one focal point and export each ratio separately. How to crop without cutting the subject covers the pin method. 12×18 vs 16×20 explains why those two listings are different shapes, not just different inches.
8×10 · 4:5
11×14
12×18 · 2:3
16×20 · 4:5
| Print size | Ratio | Pixels at 300 DPI |
|---|---|---|
| 5 × 7 in | 5:7 | 1500 × 2100 |
| 8 × 10 in | 4:5 | 2400 × 3000 |
| 11 × 14 in | 11:14 | 3300 × 4200 |
| 12 × 16 in | 3:4 | 3600 × 4800 |
| 12 × 18 in | 2:3 | 3600 × 5400 |
| 16 × 20 in | 4:5 | 4800 × 6000 |
| 18 × 24 in | 3:4 | 5400 × 7200 |
| A4 (210 × 297 mm) | ISO A | 2480 × 3508 |
How to resize a photo to 300 DPI in four steps
The workflow is the same in Photoshop, Lightroom, GIMP, or a browser studio. What changes is whether you repeat the crop decision for every SKU.
First, confirm the original is large enough. An 8×10 at 300 DPI needs 2400 pixels on the short side after crop. If your camera file is 4000×3000, you have room. If it is 1280×720, that listing cannot be an honest 16×20.
Second, crop to the listing ratio around the subject — not the geometric center of the photo. Third, set the image size to the pixel numbers in the table above (resample only downward). Fourth, save with 300 DPI / 300 pixels per inch in JPEG EXIF/JFIF, PNG pHYs, or the WebP equivalent, in sRGB unless the shop specified Adobe RGB or CMYK.
A faster path than repeating Photoshop for every listing
Open Reopic Studio to do that in the browser: drop the photo, click the subject, add the custom ratios you sell, press Export Artwork. Files stay on your device. The free plan is 1 image and 3 custom ratios a day — enough to test an 8×10. Pro is $33 lifetime if you batch listings.
Reopic is custom-ratio only. There is no Instagram 4:5 grid pretending 11×14 is the same shape. Enter inches, centimeters, or millimeters. Export JPG, PNG, or WebP at 300 DPI. See JPG vs PNG vs WebP for print-on-demand before you pick a format.
What Etsy actually needs vs what the printer needs
Etsy hosts the listing photo. The production file goes to you, Printful, Gooten, Prodigi, or a local press. Listing images can be smaller. Production files cannot. Etsy print file requirements splits those two jobs.
Ask the partner for color space, bleed, file type, and max megapixels. Then export a 300 DPI crop that matches the SKU size, not the mockup size. A 2000-pixel mockup is marketing. A 4800×6000 file is a 16×20 print.
FAQ: resize photos 300 DPI Etsy
How many pixels is 300 DPI?+
300 DPI means 300 pixels for every inch of paper. Multiply the print width and height in inches by 300. 8×10 is 2400×3000 pixels. 12×18 is 3600×5400 pixels.
Can I just change 72 DPI to 300 DPI in Photoshop?+
Unchecking resample and typing 300 only changes the header. It does not add pixels. If the file is 1200 pixels wide, it is still a 4-inch print at 300 DPI. You need more pixels or a smaller listing.
What file type should I upload to an Etsy print shop?+
JPG at high quality is the default for photographs. PNG is better for type and flat illustration. WebP is smaller but many RIPs reject it. Follow the partner’s template.
Does Reopic upload my photos?+
No. Crop and export run in the browser. The original never leaves the device. Free is 1 image and 3 custom ratios per day.
