"DPI"

Definition: DPI stands for Dots Per Inch, or the number of dots of ink (or toner) that will fill a square inch of surface. DPI is used to measure the resolution of a printer or scanner -- the higher the dots per inch, the better the resolution and the better the image. For example, if an image has a resolution of 300dpi, it means that a square inch of solid color will be filled with about 300 dots of ink. If the same square inch is filled with 1200 dots (for a resolution of 1200dpi), more dots would mean colors would be subtler and edges would be smoother. DPI is also sometimes known as PPI, or Pixels Per Inch. A pixel is the same as a dot (pixel is an old computer term meaning "picture element").