12 × 18 inch poster at 300 DPI is 3600 × 5400 pixels
12 × 18 inch poster (12 × 18 in) at 300 DPI is 3600 × 5400 pixels, which is 19 megapixels.
| Portrait | 3600 × 5400 pixels |
|---|---|
| Landscape | 5400 × 3600 pixels |
| With 0.125 in bleed | 3675 × 5475 pixels |
| Megapixels | 19 |
| Aspect ratio | 2:3 |
| File size | 56 MB as uncompressed 8-bit RGB; a JPEG or PNG is smaller |
| Paper size | 12 × 18 in (304.8 × 457.2 mm) |
The working
Pixels are inches multiplied by the resolution.
- Width: 12 in × 300 = 3,600, which rounds to 3600 pixels.
- Height: 18 in × 300 = 5,400, which rounds to 5400 pixels.
Bleed is extra image past the trim line, so that a cut that lands slightly off still leaves ink to the edge. Print shops usually ask for 0.125 in on every side of a US size, which makes the file 3675 × 5475 pixels.
Is your photo big enough?
To fill 12 × 18 inch poster at 300 DPI an image needs at least 3600 × 5400 pixels. Cropped to fill the sheet:
- A 12 megapixel phone photo (4000 × 3000) gives 222 DPI: short of 300, so it would be upscaled or printed softer.
- A 24 megapixel camera photo (6000 × 4000) gives 333 DPI: enough.
- A 48 megapixel photo (8000 × 6000) gives 444 DPI: enough.
At 300 DPI the pixels of a print blend together from about 11.5 inches (29 cm) away. 300 DPI is the standard for print that is held in the hand: books, magazines, photo prints, business cards and flyers. At reading distance the eye can no longer pick out the pixels.
12 × 18 inch poster at other resolutions
| Resolution | Pixels | With bleed | Megapixels | Uncompressed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 72 DPI | 864 × 1296 | 882 × 1314 | 1.1 | 3.2 MB |
| 96 DPI | 1152 × 1728 | 1176 × 1752 | 2 | 5.7 MB |
| 100 DPI | 1200 × 1800 | 1225 × 1825 | 2.2 | 6.2 MB |
| 150 DPI | 1800 × 2700 | 1838 × 2738 | 4.9 | 14 MB |
| 200 DPI | 2400 × 3600 | 2450 × 3650 | 8.6 | 25 MB |
| 240 DPI | 2880 × 4320 | 2940 × 4380 | 12 | 36 MB |
| 300 DPI | 3600 × 5400 | 3675 × 5475 | 19 | 56 MB |
| 400 DPI | 4800 × 7200 | 4900 × 7300 | 35 | 99 MB |
| 600 DPI | 7200 × 10800 | 7350 × 10950 | 78 | 222 MB |
| 1200 DPI | 14400 × 21600 | 14700 × 21900 | 311 | 890 MB |
Other sizes at 300 DPI
- A0
- A1
- A2
- A3
- A4
- A5
- A6
- A7
- Letter
- Legal
- Tabloid
- Half Letter
- 4 × 6 in
- 5 × 7 in
- 8 × 10 in
- 11 × 14 in
- 16 × 20 in
- 12 × 12 in
- 18 × 24 in
- 24 × 36 in
- Business card
12 × 18 inches is a small poster with the 2:3 shape of a camera frame, so a photo fills it without cropping. See 12 × 18 inch poster in pixels at every resolution or everything at 300 DPI.