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DPI to Pixels per cm Converter

Enter a value and pick a direction to convert between DPI and pixels per centimeter.

How it is calculated

Pick a direction and enter one positive number. DPI to pixels per centimetre uses px/cm = DPI ÷ 2.54; pixels per centimetre to DPI uses DPI = px/cm × 2.54. The factor 2.54 is the exact number of centimetres in an inch. Results are shown with three decimals and carry their unit (px/cm or dpi). The tool also shows the conversion rate (1 dpi is about 0.394 px/cm; 1 px/cm is 2.540 dpi) and converts the answer back to confirm it returns your original value. Zero or negative values give no result. Only the density unit changes: the tool does not resize an image or tell you how many pixels a print will contain.

Worked example

A photo is saved at 300 DPI and a print spec asks for density in pixels per centimetre. Divide by 2.54: 300 ÷ 2.54 = 118.110 px/cm. The reverse check multiplies 118.110 by 2.54 and returns 300.000 dpi. In the other direction, a spec of exactly 118 px/cm becomes 118 × 2.54 = 299.720 dpi, which is slightly below 300, so rounding the spec to 118 gives a marginally lower resolution than 300 DPI.

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Common mistakes

  • Choosing the wrong direction. Entering 300 with the px/cm to DPI option gives 762 dpi, a very different number from 118.110 px/cm.
  • Multiplying instead of dividing when going from DPI to px/cm. A centimetre is shorter than an inch, so the px/cm figure must be smaller than the DPI figure.
  • Rounding 118.11 down to 118 px/cm and assuming it is exactly 300 DPI. It is 299.720 dpi, which can matter against a strict minimum.
  • Treating DPI as the pixel size of the image. It is a density; the total pixel count is density times physical size.
  • Confusing screen PPI with print DPI. The arithmetic is identical, but a printer's dots and a monitor's pixels are not the same thing.

About this calculator

DPI (dots per inch) and pixels per centimeter both describe image or display density, just in different units, so converting between them is a straightforward unit change based on 1 inch = 2.54 cm: pixels per cm = DPI ÷ 2.54, and DPI = pixels per cm × 2.54.

Designers and photographers reach for this when a print shop, image spec, or software asks for resolution in metric terms while their source file is described in DPI (or vice versa) — for example, confirming that a 300 DPI photo meets a “118 px/cm” print requirement before sending it off for printing.

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