PX to IN Converter
Convert pixels to inches for precise print and cross-media design
PX to IN Calculator
Pixels (px) are screen-based units, while inches (in) are physical measurement units. The conversion depends on screen resolution (DPI - dots per inch). At the standard resolution of 96 DPI, 1 inch equals 96 pixels.
Conversion Result
Formula: Inches = Pixels ÷ DPI
Example: 96px ÷ 96dpi = 1in
DPI Comparison
See how this value converts at different screen and print resolutions:
| Resolution Type | DPI | Pixel Value | Inch Value |
|---|
Batch Converter
Convert multiple pixel values at once. Enter values separated by spaces, commas, or new lines.
Batch Results
| Pixels | Inches | CSS Code |
|---|
Common PX to IN Conversions
Reference table for common pixel to inch conversions at standard 96 DPI:
| Common Use | Pixels (px) | Inches (in) | CSS Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| Small margin | 24px | 0.25in | margin: 0.25in; |
| Standard margin | 48px | 0.5in | margin: 0.5in; |
| One inch | 96px | 1in | width: 1in; |
| Small column | 192px | 2in | width: 2in; |
| Medium column | 288px | 3in | width: 3in; |
| Wide column | 384px | 4in | width: 4in; |
| Half letter width | 480px | 5in | width: 5in; |
| Letter width | 768px | 8in | width: 8in; |
Frequently Asked Questions
DPI (Dots Per Inch) is the critical link between digital pixel measurements and physical inch measurements:
- Definition of Relationship - DPI defines exactly how many pixels fit into one physical inch. Without knowing the DPI, there's no way to accurately convert between pixels and inches.
- Different Display Standards - Different devices and contexts use different DPI values:
- Standard computer screens typically use 96 DPI
- Traditional print uses 300 DPI or higher
- macOS historically used 72 DPI
- High-resolution screens can have DPI values of 144, 192, or higher
- Direct Calculation Impact - The conversion formula (Inches = Pixels ÷ DPI) uses DPI as the divisor, meaning it directly affects the calculation.
Example of how DPI affects conversion:
Consider a 300px image:
- At 96 DPI (screen): 300px ÷ 96 = 3.125 inches
- At 300 DPI (print): 300px ÷ 300 = 1 inch
When designing for both screen and print, it's essential to keep DPI in mind. An element that looks appropriately sized on screen at 96 DPI may appear much smaller when printed at 300 DPI if you don't adjust for the difference.
Screen and print environments use significantly different DPI standards, which affects how pixels translate to physical measurements:
| Screen DPI | Print DPI |
|---|---|
| Typically 72-96 DPI for standard screens | Typically 300-600 DPI for professional printing |
| High-resolution screens: 144-192+ DPI | High-quality photo printing: 1200+ DPI |
| Optimized for direct viewing (light-emitting) | Optimized for reflected light (ink on paper) |
| Lower resolution is acceptable as the human eye blends pixels | Higher resolution needed to avoid visible dots and achieve smooth gradients |
Key Implications for Design
- Image Size Differences - A 300px image at screen resolution (96 DPI) will measure about 3.125 inches, but only 1 inch when printed at 300 DPI.
- Image Quality Requirements - Images that look great on screen may appear pixelated in print due to the higher DPI requirements.
- File Size Considerations - Print-ready images need more pixels for the same physical dimensions, resulting in larger file sizes.
Practical example:
For a 4×6 inch photo:
- For screen display (96 DPI): 384×576 pixels (0.2 megapixels)
- For quality printing (300 DPI): 1200×1800 pixels (2.2 megapixels)
- For high-quality printing (600 DPI): 2400×3600 pixels (8.6 megapixels)
When preparing designs for print, always work at a higher DPI (typically 300 DPI) to ensure your digital designs translate well to physical output. Using screen-optimized images (96 DPI) for print will result in poor quality output.
In web design, pixels are generally the preferred unit of measurement, but there are specific scenarios where inches can be useful:
Appropriate Uses for Inches in Web Design
- Print Stylesheets - When creating CSS specifically for printing web content using
@media print, inches provide predictable physical dimensions on the printed page. - Cross-Media Publishing - For content that will be viewed both online and in print, using inches can help maintain consistency across formats.
- Print Preview Features - When showing users how content will appear when printed, inches can provide more accurate representation.
- Design for Physical Products - When web content will be used to create physical items (like product labels or packaging), inches ensure proper physical dimensions.
When to Stick with Pixels
- Standard Web Layouts - For most websites and web applications, pixels provide better control and consistency across devices.
- Responsive Design - For responsive layouts, relative units (%, em, rem, vw, vh) are generally better than either pixels or inches.
- UI Elements - Buttons, navigation, form elements, and other interactive components are best sized in pixels or relative units.
- Screen-Only Content - Any content that will never be printed should use pixels or relative units.
Example of print-specific CSS:
/* Standard screen styles */
.content {
width: 800px;
margin: 0 auto;
}
/* Print-specific styles */
@media print {
.content {
width: 6.5in; /* Standard paper width minus margins */
margin: 0.75in; /* 3/4 inch margins */
}
h1 {
margin-bottom: 0.25in;
}
p {
margin-bottom: 0.167in; /* 1/6 inch spacing between paragraphs */
}
}
Inches are particularly valuable when you need precise physical dimensions in the final output. If your web content will be printed with strict dimensional requirements (like forms or templates that need to match physical items), inches will provide the most reliable results.
High-resolution screens (like Retina displays, 4K monitors, and high-DPI mobile devices) have fundamentally changed how pixels relate to physical dimensions:
The Device Pixel Ratio Concept
Modern high-resolution screens introduce an important distinction:
- CSS Pixels (also called logical pixels) - The pixels used in web design and CSS
- Physical Pixels (also called device pixels) - The actual pixels on the screen hardware
- Device Pixel Ratio (DPR) - The ratio between physical pixels and CSS pixels (e.g., 2:1 or 3:1)
Impact on Pixel to Inch Conversion
On high-resolution screens:
- The standard 96 DPI still applies to CSS pixels for consistency
- The actual physical DPI is much higher (often 192, 288, or more)
- 1 CSS pixel may represent 2, 3, or more physical pixels
- This affects how physical measurements relate to CSS measurements
Example calculation:
Consider a 100px × 100px element:
- On a standard display (96 DPI): 100px ÷ 96 = 1.04 inches square
- On a Retina display (2× DPR, 192 effective DPI):
- CSS calculation: 100px ÷ 96 = 1.04 inches square
- Actual physical size: 1.04 inches square
- Physical pixels used: 200 × 200 (2× in each dimension)
The element maintains the same physical size despite using more physical pixels!
Implications for Design
- CSS Inch Consistency - Browser engines scale the CSS inch to maintain physical size consistency across different resolution displays
- Image Resolution Requirements - Images need 2×, 3×, or higher resolution versions to look sharp on high-DPI displays
- Vector Graphics Advantage - SVGs and other vector formats scale perfectly to any resolution
- Physical Size Predictability - CSS inches will generally produce consistent physical sizes across different devices when printed
For the most consistent results when physical dimensions matter, use inches in your print stylesheets and consider using the @media print query to apply inch-based measurements only when content is being printed.
About Inch Units
The inch (in) is a standard unit of length in both the imperial and US customary measurement systems. In digital design and typography, it serves as an absolute physical unit of measurement.
Key Facts About Inches
-
Physical Standard: 1 inch = 25.4 millimeters exactly
-
Digital Reference: At standard screen resolution (96 DPI), 1 inch = 96 pixels
-
Print Focus: Primary unit for page dimensions and margins in US/UK publishing
-
Typographic Relationship: 1 inch = 6 picas = 72 points
In CSS, the inch unit is supported in both screen and print contexts, but its physical accuracy is most reliable in print stylesheets where the browser renders content specifically for physical output.
CSS Usage Examples
Inch units in CSS are primarily used for print-specific stylesheets:
/* Print-specific styles using inches */
@media print {
/* Page setup */
@page {
size: letter; /* 8.5in × 11in */
margin: 0.5in; /* Half-inch margins */
}
/* Main container */
.container {
width: 7.5in; /* 8.5in page width minus 0.5in margins on each side */
padding: 0;
}
/* Headers */
h1 {
font-size: 0.3in; /* Approximately 22pt */
margin-bottom: 0.25in;
}
h2 {
font-size: 0.25in; /* Approximately 18pt */
margin-bottom: 0.2in;
}
/* Body text */
p {
font-size: 0.166in; /* Approximately 12pt */
line-height: 0.25in; /* 18pt line height */
margin-bottom: 0.167in;
}
/* Two-column layout */
.column {
width: 3.5in;
margin-right: 0.25in;
}
/* Footer */
footer {
position: fixed;
bottom: 0.5in;
width: 7.5in;
}
/* Avoid page breaks inside important elements */
h1, h2, figure, table {
page-break-inside: avoid;
}
}For web design, pixels and relative units are generally preferred. Use inches mainly for print stylesheets where physical dimensions are important.