Definition of DPI (Dots per Inch)

Definition of DPI (Dots per Inch) – DPI stands for Dots per Inch. DPI generally refers to the resolution value of a physical printer that reproduces an image by removing small dots. The number of tiny dots per inch affects the amount of detail and the overall quality of the print. The more dots per inch the sharper and the image quality.

For example on a printer that has a specification of 300dpi. That is, the printer can issue 300 dots per inch. Inkjet printers can basically produce resolutions of around 300dpi to 720dpi, while Laser Printers produce resolutions of around 600dpi to 2400dpi. But in general, Books and Magazines use 150dpi to print photography on their sheets while newspapers or newspapers often use a resolution of 85dpi.

Understanding DPI on Mouse

When we buy a mouse, one of the specifications to consider is the amount of DPI on the computer mouse. The term DPI or Dots per Inch in Mouse is the most common way to measure Mouse sensitivity. DPI on this mouse is basically measuring the speed at which the mouse cursor moves on the screen in relation to the distance the user moves the mouse.

For example, if we move our mouse an inch to the right with a low DPI, and then move our mouse an inch to the right with a higher DPI, the cursor on the screen will move further in the second example (a mouse with a high DPI), even though the distance traveled by mouse sensors are the same.

To be clear, DPI is actually a measurement of that physical relationship and does not represent mouse precision or sensor accuracy. The higher the DPI, the faster the cursor moves and of course we will feel more sensitive.

DPI and Sensitivity

DPI and sensitivity are often thought to have a close relationship. For many users, increasing the DPI of the mouse seems to make the mouse more sensitive. However, this is actually a different measurement. DPI is a parameter for the physical hardware of the mouse whereas sensitivity is usually determined by the software (for example on operating systems such as Windows or Mac OS).

We can have low DPI with high sensitivity or vice versa. However, increasing the sensitivity on a low DPI mouse is not an ideal solution. When software sensitivity is required to compensate for low DPI hardware, users may experience unstable performance when zooming in on targets or have difficulty making edits in the design program.