What 600 DPI is for
Bitmap logos, comics, signatures and scanned documents with small text keep their edges at 600 DPI. Some laser printers and engravers ask for it. Photos do not need it. A photo at 600 DPI is not better than the same photo at 300 DPI.
The size trade-off
Labels do not add pixels. A 2400 by 3000 pixel file is 8 by 10 inches at 300 DPI and 4 by 5 inches at 600 DPI. To print 8 by 10 inches at 600 DPI you need 4800 by 6000 pixels, which is four times as many pixels.
The row for each file shows its print size at 600 DPI, so you can see this at once.
When a scanner is the better answer
If you are scanning paper, set the scanner to 600 DPI in the scan settings. That captures more detail. Changing the label afterward does not recover detail that was never captured.
Questions
- Is 600 DPI better than 300 DPI?
- Only if the file has enough pixels. For photos, 300 DPI is the usual choice.
- Why did my print size get smaller?
- Print size is pixels divided by DPI. When the DPI doubles, the size halves.
- Will the file be bigger?
- No. The file size stays the same.