PPI Calculator
Calculate the pixel density of any monitor, laptop, phone or TV from its resolution and diagonal size. See pixels per inch and per centimetre, dot pitch, the distance at which pixels become invisible and the screen's physical width and height.
How to use the PPI Calculator
- Enter the resolution: horizontal and vertical pixels, for example 2560 × 1440.
- Enter the diagonal size of the screen in inches or centimetres.
- Press Calculate PPI to see pixel density, dot pitch and retina distance.
- Compare other resolutions at the same size in the table, or try a preset.
PPI formula
- Diagonal pixels = √(width_px² + height_px²)
- PPI = diagonal pixels ÷ diagonal inches; pixels per cm = PPI ÷ 2.54
- Dot pitch (mm) = 25.4 ÷ PPI
- Retina distance (inches) = 1 ÷ (PPI × tan 1′) ≈ 3,438 ÷ PPI
Example: a 24-inch 1920 × 1080 monitor → √(1920² + 1080²) = 2,202.9 px ÷ 24 = 91.8 PPI, a 0.277 mm dot pitch and a retina distance of about 37 inches.
Pixel density of common screens
| Screen | Resolution | PPI | Dot pitch | Retina distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 24" monitor | 1920 × 1080 | 91.8 | 0.277 mm | 37.5 in |
| 27" monitor | 2560 × 1440 | 108.8 | 0.233 mm | 31.6 in |
| 27" monitor | 3840 × 2160 | 163.2 | 0.156 mm | 21.1 in |
| 34" ultrawide | 3440 × 1440 | 109.7 | 0.232 mm | 31.3 in |
| 13.3" laptop | 2560 × 1600 | 227.0 | 0.112 mm | 15.1 in |
| 6.1" phone | 1170 × 2532 | 457.3 | 0.056 mm | 7.5 in |
| 55" TV | 3840 × 2160 | 80.1 | 0.317 mm | 42.9 in |
| 65" TV | 3840 × 2160 | 67.8 | 0.375 mm | 50.7 in |
Frequently asked questions
How is PPI calculated?
PPI = √(width² + height²) ÷ diagonal in inches. The square root gives the diagonal resolution in pixels. A 27-inch 2560 × 1440 monitor has √(2560² + 1440²) = 2,937 pixels along the diagonal, so 2,937 ÷ 27 = 108.8 PPI.
What is the difference between PPI and DPI?
PPI (pixels per inch) describes the pixel density of a screen or digital image. DPI (dots per inch) originally describes printers, which place ink dots. The terms are often used interchangeably for screens, but PPI is the accurate one.
What is dot pitch?
Dot pitch (pixel pitch) is the distance between the centres of two neighbouring pixels: 25.4 mm ÷ PPI. Smaller pitch means a sharper image. A 27-inch 4K monitor has a pitch of about 0.156 mm.
What is retina distance?
It is the viewing distance beyond which a person with 20/20 vision (1 arcminute of resolution) can no longer distinguish individual pixels: about 3,438 ÷ PPI inches. A 326 PPI phone reaches it at about 10.5 inches.
What is a good PPI for a monitor?
At normal desk distances (20–30 inches), around 90–110 PPI looks fine at 100% scaling, and 140 PPI or more looks noticeably sharper, usually with display scaling. A 27-inch 4K screen is about 163 PPI.
Does the PPI change with display scaling?
No. PPI is a physical property of the panel. Scaling (for example 150%) changes how many physical pixels the operating system uses to draw each interface element, not the number of pixels per inch.