How to Increase the Resolution of an Existing Image With Paint.NET

When we talk about image resolution, we usually express it in terms of dots per inch (DPI). DPI refers to a physical printout of an image; if your image is 800 pixels by 1100 pixels and is scaled at 100 DPI, then printing the image out will result in an 8″x11″ printout. Images that are displayed on a screen are generally presented at their native size; that 800 x 1100 pixel image will take up 800 x 1100 pixels on screen (or will only partially display if that’s bigger than the screen in one dimension or more).

Also see our article How to Rotate Selection in Paint.NET

You cannot actually increase the resolution of an existing image file in Paint.NET (or in any other image editing program). Once an image has been created, it is as detailed and as high-resolution as it can be. Unlike “Star Trek”, we do not yet have that magical “magnify and enhance” technology that lets the viewscreen pick up a tiny four-pixel grey blotch on the screen and somehow turn it into a slightly-blurry but still fully-detailed Klingon cruiser, or whatever. We can shrink image files and make them less high-resolution, but we cannot increase resolution.

What we can do is change the print resolution of an image so that it will be printed out at its maximum level of detail. This article will show you how to do that with the freeware Paint.NET.

First, open Paint.NET and then select a photo to edit by clicking File and Open. Then click Image and select Resize from that menu. That opens the window in the snapshot directly below.

That window includes a Resolution box that tells you the picture’s resolution either as dots per inch or per centimeter. Select pixels/inch from that drop-down menu. That will also switch the Print size values below that to inches.

Now enter a higher value in the Resolution box to increase the DPI res. Note that expanding the resolution also decreases the Print size values just below that. Now the image will print more dots per every inch. Thus, enhancing the resolution also reduces the image’s dimensions when you print it.

Most inkjet printers will probably have a DPI of around 300 to 600. Check your printer specifications for DPI details. Then configure the resolution so that it matches the printer’s maximum DPI value for a best quality printout.

Adjusting the resolution will have no impact on the image open in Paint.NET. It’s dimensions will remain exactly the same. To adjust the picture’s dimensions in the Paint.NET window, you should alter the Pixel size values instead.

Click OK to close the window. Then press Ctrl + P to print the image. With the resolution maximized, the image will print at a smaller scale and be sharper and crisper than lower res pictures.

So now you can increase image resolution in Paint.NET for best quality printing. If you can, print the image with high-res photo paper to further enhance the output.