16 × 20 inch print at 600 DPI is 9600 × 12000 pixels

The working

Pixels are inches multiplied by the resolution.

• Width: 16 in × 600 = 9,600, which rounds to 9600 pixels.
• Height: 20 in × 600 = 12,000, which rounds to 12000 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 9750 × 12150 pixels.

Is your photo big enough?

To fill 16 × 20 inch print at 600 DPI an image needs at least 9600 × 12000 pixels. Cropped to fill the sheet:

• A 12 megapixel phone photo (4000 × 3000) gives 188 DPI: short of 600, so it would be upscaled or printed softer.
• A 24 megapixel camera photo (6000 × 4000) gives 250 DPI: short of 600, so it would be upscaled or printed softer.
• A 48 megapixel photo (8000 × 6000) gives 375 DPI: short of 600, so it would be upscaled or printed softer.

At 600 DPI the pixels of a print blend together from about 5.7 inches (15 cm) away. 600 DPI is used for line art, small text and scans that will be enlarged. It is also the native resolution of many office laser printers.