Checking a file before sending it
The order says 20 feet wide. The file has 24,000 pixels, so it covers the size exactly at 100 DPI and with room to spare at 72 DPI.
Convert pixels to feet at any DPI
A file 18,000 pixels wide prints 10 feet at 150 DPI and 20 feet at 75 DPI. Enter the pixel count, set the density and see how wide the print comes out. Read the answer before the file goes to the sign shop.
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What is converting pixels to feet for?
Pixels turn into feet with two divisions: divide the pixel count by DPI, then by twelve. A file 18,000 pixels wide gives 10 feet at 150 DPI, 15 feet at 100 DPI and 20 feet at 75 DPI. The density of 96 pixels per inch is what the CSS specification assigns to a screen.[1]
This direction starts from a finished file. You have artwork, a photograph or an export from a design tool and want to know how wide it prints at the density the sign shop asks for.
The question behind it is usually the same one: does this file cover a twenty-foot wall. The answer is a single number, and you read it before the material goes out.
Below you will find a table of 19 file widths at five densities, inches converted into fractions of a foot, a table giving the width each of nine resolutions prints, and the way to write a decimal result back as feet and inches. The journey the other way is handled by the feet to pixels converter.
How to work out pixels to feet by hand
The formula holds two divisions: feet = pixels ÷ DPI ÷ 12. The first gives the size in inches, the second turns inches into feet.
Take a file 12,000 pixels wide at 100 DPI: 12,000 ÷ 100 gives 120 inches, and 120 ÷ 12 gives 10 feet. The same file at 150 DPI comes to 6.67 feet, because more dots land on each inch.
Hence the rule for reading the result: the higher the density you enter, the narrower the print the same pixel count produces. The dots sit closer together and cover less material.
The result carries two decimal places. A hundredth of a foot is about an eighth of an inch, or three millimeters, and that is the precision a print order works in.
When the result has to go into a metric order, the same file is described by the pixels to centimeters converter and the pixels to meters converter. For the size in inches, use the pixels to inches converter.
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How many feet do common file widths print?
The table runs from a pixel count to the size on the material. The 50 DPI column covers graphics read from forty feet away, 72 and 96 DPI are screen densities, 150 DPI suits a trade-show build, and 300 DPI describes print held in the hand.
| File width | 50 DPI | 72 DPI | 96 DPI (screen) | 150 DPI | 300 DPI (print) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1,000 px | 1.67 ft | 1.16 ft | 0.87 ft | 0.56 ft | 0.28 ft |
| 1,500 px | 2.50 ft | 1.74 ft | 1.30 ft | 0.83 ft | 0.42 ft |
| 1,920 px | 3.20 ft | 2.22 ft | 1.67 ft | 1.07 ft | 0.53 ft |
| 2,000 px | 3.33 ft | 2.31 ft | 1.74 ft | 1.11 ft | 0.56 ft |
| 2,480 px | 4.13 ft | 2.87 ft | 2.15 ft | 1.38 ft | 0.69 ft |
| 3,000 px | 5.00 ft | 3.47 ft | 2.60 ft | 1.67 ft | 0.83 ft |
| 3,508 px | 5.85 ft | 4.06 ft | 3.05 ft | 1.95 ft | 0.97 ft |
| 3,600 px | 6.00 ft | 4.17 ft | 3.13 ft | 2.00 ft | 1.00 ft |
| 4,000 px | 6.67 ft | 4.63 ft | 3.47 ft | 2.22 ft | 1.11 ft |
| 5,000 px | 8.33 ft | 5.79 ft | 4.34 ft | 2.78 ft | 1.39 ft |
| 6,000 px | 10.00 ft | 6.94 ft | 5.21 ft | 3.33 ft | 1.67 ft |
| 7,200 px | 12.00 ft | 8.33 ft | 6.25 ft | 4.00 ft | 2.00 ft |
| 8,000 px | 13.33 ft | 9.26 ft | 6.94 ft | 4.44 ft | 2.22 ft |
| 9,600 px | 16.00 ft | 11.11 ft | 8.33 ft | 5.33 ft | 2.67 ft |
| 10,000 px | 16.67 ft | 11.57 ft | 8.68 ft | 5.56 ft | 2.78 ft |
| 12,000 px | 20.00 ft | 13.89 ft | 10.42 ft | 6.67 ft | 3.33 ft |
| 14,400 px | 24.00 ft | 16.67 ft | 12.50 ft | 8.00 ft | 4.00 ft |
| 18,000 px | 30.00 ft | 20.83 ft | 15.63 ft | 10.00 ft | 5.00 ft |
| 24,000 px | 40.00 ft | 27.78 ft | 20.83 ft | 13.33 ft | 6.67 ft |
Values are rounded to two decimal places following the formula feet = px ÷ DPI ÷ 12. The 3,600 pixel row lands on exactly one foot at 300 DPI, and the 18,000 pixel row on exactly ten feet at 150 DPI.
How do you write the result as feet and inches?
American orders give a size as two numbers, feet and inches. The prime mark means feet and the double prime means inches, so 8′ 6″ reads as eight feet and six inches.
The converter gives a decimal result, and turning it into that notation takes one operation. Keep the number before the point as feet and multiply the part after it by twelve. A result of 8.54 feet gives 0.54 × 12, which is 6.5 inches, so the whole thing is written 8′ 6.5″.
The common fractions have round equivalents: a quarter of a foot is three inches, half a foot is six inches, three quarters of a foot is nine inches. The table below gives the full list.
A foot measures exactly 0.3048 meters, or 30.48 centimeters.[2] That is why running from pixels to feet and back returns the same number.
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What fraction of a foot is each inch value?
This table reads the decimal part of a result. The fraction column shows what part of a foot a given number of inches makes, the decimal column gives the value to type into the converter, and the last column the pixel count at 150 DPI.
| Inches | Fraction of a foot | Decimal | Pixels at 150 DPI |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 in | 1/12 ft | 0.083 ft | 150 px |
| 2 in | 1/6 ft | 0.167 ft | 300 px |
| 3 in | 1/4 ft | 0.250 ft | 450 px |
| 4 in | 1/3 ft | 0.333 ft | 600 px |
| 5 in | 5/12 ft | 0.417 ft | 750 px |
| 6 in | 1/2 ft | 0.500 ft | 900 px |
| 7 in | 7/12 ft | 0.583 ft | 1,050 px |
| 8 in | 2/3 ft | 0.667 ft | 1,200 px |
| 9 in | 3/4 ft | 0.750 ft | 1,350 px |
| 10 in | 5/6 ft | 0.833 ft | 1,500 px |
| 11 in | 11/12 ft | 0.917 ft | 1,650 px |
The three highlighted rows are the values that come up most: a quarter, a half and three quarters of a foot. Decimals are rounded to three places, because a thousandth of a foot is about a third of a millimeter.
How wide a print will your file make?
This table answers the question asked before a file goes out: I have this many pixels and I want this width, does it cover the size. The three columns give densities used in large format, from graphics read at a distance to material people stand close to.
| File resolution | 72 DPI | 100 DPI | 150 DPI |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2,000 px | 2.31 ft | 1.67 ft | 1.11 ft |
| 3,000 px | 3.47 ft | 2.50 ft | 1.67 ft |
| 4,000 px | 4.63 ft | 3.33 ft | 2.22 ft |
| 6,000 px | 6.94 ft | 5.00 ft | 3.33 ft |
| 8,000 px | 9.26 ft | 6.67 ft | 4.44 ft |
| 12,000 px | 13.89 ft | 10.00 ft | 6.67 ft |
| 18,000 px | 20.83 ft | 15.00 ft | 10.00 ft |
| 24,000 px | 27.78 ft | 20.00 ft | 13.33 ft |
| 36,000 px | 41.67 ft | 30.00 ft | 20.00 ft |
Read it in reverse: find your pixel count and see which density lands on the width you were asked for. If the order says 20 feet, a 24,000 pixel file reaches it at 100 DPI.
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When is converting pixels to feet useful?
Camera file on a booth wall
A 24 megapixel sensor gives 6,000 pixels on the long edge. At 72 DPI that comes to 6.94 feet of width.Talking to the sign shop
They ask for the size in feet and your software shows pixels. Enter the count at the density from the order and you have the figure to reply with.Splitting a graphic into panels
The wall goes up in 4 foot panels. Check how many feet the whole file gives and divide by four to get the panel count.
Convert other units to Feet
Convert Pixels to other units
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pt to pxrem to pxem to pxcm to pxmm to pxcm to inchesinches to cmmm to inchesinches to mmmiles to kmkm to milesfeet to metersfeet to incheslb to ozoz to lbml to ozoz to mlliters to gallonsgallons to literskg to lblb to kgkg to gg to kgkg to stonestone to kginches to pxfeet to pxpica to pxmeters to pxHEX to RGBRGB to CMYKbytes to KBKB to bytesKB to MBMB to KBMB to GBGB to MBKB to GBGB to KBGB to TBTB to GBKB to TBTB to KBUnix to dateDEC to BINDEC to HEXMbps to MB/s
Sources
- CSS Values and Units Module Level 4 — W3C
- Foot (unit) — Wikipedia
Every figure in the tables was computed from the unit definitions and checked arithmetically before publication. Historical values and the names of local units come from the sources listed above.
Content last reviewed: · written and checked by the Arteon team
Frequently asked questions
How many feet is 1,000 pixels?
At 96 DPI 1,000 pixels is 0.87 feet. At 50 DPI it makes 1.67 feet, at 150 DPI 0.56 feet and at 300 DPI 0.28 feet. The result follows the density, because a pixel takes on a physical size only alongside it.
How do I check whether a file covers a banner in feet?
Enter the pixel count and the density the printer asks for. If the result is larger than the width ordered, the file covers it. You can also check it the other way round: the print width table gives the result for nine common resolutions.
How do I turn 8.54 feet into feet and inches?
Multiply the part after the point by twelve. From 0.54 you get 6.5 inches, so the whole thing is written 8′ 6.5″. The prime mark means feet and the double prime means inches.
How many pixels does ten feet need?
At 72 DPI a ten foot width needs 8,640 pixels, at 100 DPI 12,000 pixels and at 150 DPI 18,000 pixels. That sum is run by the feet to pixels converter.
Why does the same file give different footages?
A pixel takes on a physical size only alongside a density. The same dots spread at 50 to the inch cover six times the ground they cover at 300 to the inch.
What density should I assume if the order does not say?
Take it from the distance the work will be read at. Material read from several feet away looks right at 72 to 120 DPI, and material read from forty feet at 30 to 50 DPI. The visibility thresholds are derived by the meters to pixels converter.
Is a result to two decimal places enough?
A hundredth of a foot is about an eighth of an inch, or three millimeters. For large-format work that precision is enough to place an order.
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