How to Increase DPI in Paint

The art of digitally editing, retouching and – at times – recreating photos and other images has become both a profession and an enjoyable pastime for computer-savvy individuals around the world. As the power and capability of consumer-grade computers and software increases, so does the active interest in digital imagery and the creative byproducts that inevitably spring up from a technological renaissance.

Although high-end software packages, such as those offered by Adobe, provide users with a seemingly endless array of options and capabilities, even entry-level programs such as Microsoft Paint continue to up the bar when it comes to flexibility and utility. Core services, such as the ability to change the dots per inch, or DPI, of image files, are available in Microsoft Paint. Increasing an image's DPI can be accomplished relatively easily.

When you are ready to change the DPI in Paint, you first need to open the image file you are manipulating. You can explore the core properties of the image by clicking on the "Properties" tab in the "File" menu. Take note of the current height and width of the image. Although you may notice that the Properties menu includes information about resolution DPI, you do not need to focus on it at this time.

To increase the DPI in Paint, find an image with the specific DPI you are looking for. If you have an image on your computer with a matching DPI, open a copy of the specific file in Paint. You can right-click the image and select Paint from the "Open With" tab to ensure the image is loaded correctly.

After you open the second image, adjust its dimensions to match those of the lower-resolution image you opened previously. Do this by clicking on the "Properties" tab in the "File" menu and then selecting "Details." From here, you can manually insert the appropriate height and width. When this is complete, click "OK" to continue.

Select the low-resolution image and press "Ctrl-A" followed by "Ctrl-C" to copy it. Click back into the higher-resolution image and press "Ctrl-V" to paste the copied image into this higher resolution template. You can use this method to increase DPI in Paint quickly for any images you may encounter.

After you confirm that the image is compatible with your expectations, press "Save" in the "File" menu to finalize your chances.