US Legal at 600 DPI is 5100 × 8400 pixels

The working

Pixels are inches multiplied by the resolution.

• Width: 8.5 in × 600 = 5,100, which rounds to 5100 pixels.
• Height: 14 in × 600 = 8,400, which rounds to 8400 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 5250 × 8550 pixels.

Is your photo big enough?

To fill US Legal at 600 DPI an image needs at least 5100 × 8400 pixels. Cropped to fill the sheet:

• A 12 megapixel phone photo (4000 × 3000) gives 286 DPI: short of 600, so it would be upscaled or printed softer.
• A 24 megapixel camera photo (6000 × 4000) gives 429 DPI: short of 600, so it would be upscaled or printed softer.
• A 48 megapixel photo (8000 × 6000) gives 571 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.