Why are my scans always 72 DPI?

One of the most common questions we get about film scanning is “Why are my scans only 72 DPI? How dare you swindle me like this”

Well, never fear, we are here to explain it once and for all...

So, what does DPI mean?

DPI stands for dots per inch, and in film scanning it means literally nothing. Digital files aren’t measured in inches.

Digital files (your scans) are made up of rows of pixels which are displayed in a file’s properties as a resolution. This file resolution is what determines the size and quality of your image. 

For example, our Standard 35mm scans have a resolution of approximately 2400x3600 pixels and our Pro scans go up to 6774x4492.

For our high res scans you are always getting the maximum our Frontiers or Noritsu scanners are natively capable of. We do not use software to interpolate your scans.

So why does it say 72 DPI?

The 72 DPI value in your file properties is simply a placeholder value stored in metadata.

In the 80’s, 72 dot per inch computer monitors were the standard. Technology moves quickly though and the phone you’re reading this on probably has a pixel density of at least 500 pixels per inch…

These old screens literally had 72 pixels or dots per inch of screen real estate and so it became the default metadata placeholder. 

DPI is an entirely physical measurement and has nothing to do with the resolution of your file.

When does DPI matter?

DPI does matter when you’re printing, but it’s important to know that the 72 number in your file properties doesn’t actually mean anything. 

You can print a photo at any level of DPI, but 300 DPI is the “golden standard”.

To find out how large your photo will print at 300 DPI, all you need to do is divide the pixel dimensions by 300. In the case of our standard scans, 2400/300 is 8 inches and 3600/300 is 12 inches, so this file will print at 8X12” at 300 DPI.

If it doesn’t matter, how come my files from another lab have a different DPI? 

Some labs change the metadata before sending your files as a marketing tool. Again, this doesn’t mean anything or give you any added benefit. We’d rather spend more time focusing on your film than resampling your images and I’m sure you’d like us too as well!

Remember, you only need to be concerned with DPI when you’re printing a file, and when you are it is the pixel dimensions of your file that matter.

So that’s it. Anything unclear? Shoot us a message.