Rio Calculator

PPI Calculator

Screen Pixel Density

141

PPI

13.60"

Width (in)

7.65"

Height (in)

2.07 MP

Total Megapixels

Good density — typical laptop display

Common Screens

What is PPI?

PPI (pixels per inch) measures screen sharpness — specifically, how many pixels are packed into each inch of display. A higher PPI means individual pixels are smaller and less visible, resulting in a crisper, sharper image. This calculator derives PPI from your screen's resolution and diagonal size using the formula: PPI = √(width² + height²) / diagonal inches.

How to Use

  1. Enter your screen's diagonal size in inches (e.g., 15.6 for a typical laptop).
  2. Enter the horizontal and vertical resolution in pixels (e.g., 1920 × 1080).
  3. PPI, physical dimensions, total megapixels, and a quality rating are displayed instantly.
  4. Or click a preset from the Common Screens list to auto-fill a popular device.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is a good PPI for a monitor?

For desktop monitors viewed at ~60cm, 90–110 PPI is standard (1080p on 24"). For design work, 120–140 PPI is better. Retina displays (200+ PPI) are needed for text to look sharp when held close, like on phones (300+ PPI typical).

What is the difference between PPI and DPI?

PPI (pixels per inch) is a fixed hardware measure of screen pixel density. DPI (dots per inch) refers to printer output or can be a software setting that scales UI elements. A 100 PPI screen can display content at 96 DPI (Windows default) or 72 DPI (Mac legacy).

What is Retina display?

Apple's "Retina" marketing term for displays where the pixel density is high enough that individual pixels are indistinguishable at normal viewing distance. For an iPhone held ~25cm away, this is approximately 300+ PPI. For a MacBook Pro viewed at ~60cm, it's ~220 PPI.

How does screen resolution affect PPI?

PPI = √(width² + height²) / diagonal. Doubling resolution on the same screen size doubles PPI. A 4K screen (3840×2160) on a 27" monitor has ~163 PPI vs ~82 PPI for 1080p on the same screen.

PPI Guide

  • <90 PPI: Low (older monitors)
  • 90–110 PPI: Standard
  • 110–160 PPI: Good laptop
  • 160–220 PPI: Sharp / Retina
  • 220+ PPI: Very high density

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