In graphic design, what does the term DPI stand for?

Digital images are made up of tiny individual dots, and the quality or sharpness of a printed or displayed image depends on how many of those dots are packed into a given space.

DPI stands for Dots Per Inch. It measures how many individual dots of ink or toner a printer can place within one linear inch of paper. A higher DPI value means more dots are packed into that inch, which produces finer detail and a sharper, smoother-looking image, while a lower DPI produces a coarser, more visibly dotted result. Graphic designers pay close attention to DPI when preparing artwork for print, since an image that looks fine on a screen can appear blurry or pixelated once printed at a low DPI.

A common confusion is mixing up DPI with PPI (pixels per inch), which measures on-screen resolution rather than printed dot density; on an exam, DPI specifically refers to the printing measurement.