Why Did My Procreate Art Print Small or Blurry? (DPI Fix)
Your Procreate piece looks gorgeous on the iPad and prints small or fuzzy. The cause was set when you created the canvas — here's the fix and the export that works.
Procreate is fully capable of print-quality art, but a few defaults trip up sellers. Here's why prints come out wrong and how to avoid it.
Cause 1: The canvas DPI was set low
Procreate bakes DPI into the canvas at creation. If you started a canvas at 72 or 132 DPI, the file prints large and soft. Set DPI to 300 when you create the canvas (Canvas → Create → set width/height in inches with DPI 300, or in pixels).
Cause 2: The canvas was too small in pixels
A canvas set in a small pixel count can't print large. For an 8×10 at 300 DPI you need 2400×3000 px; for 16×20, 4800×6000. Check your canvas size before you invest hours in the art.
The layer-limit tradeoff
Bigger canvases give Procreate fewer layers (it's memory-bound). If you hit the layer cap, flatten groups as you go rather than shrinking the canvas — you want the resolution more than the extra layers for a print piece.
Cause 3: Exporting a downsized copy
Sharing to some destinations downsamples. Export with Share → PNG or JPEG (the full-resolution options), not a screenshot or a messaging-app export that compresses.
Cause 4: The DPI tag reads 72
Even a good Procreate export can carry a tag that confuses print software. Writing a real 300 DPI tag fixes it.
Fix the file and get every size
Drop your Procreate export into the free Ratio-Pack Generator. It reports your true pixel count, tells you the largest size that prints cleanly, writes a 300 DPI tag into every file, and crops each frame ratio — so one export becomes a full print-ready pack. For canvas setup specifics, see the Procreate printable sizes guide.
Ratio-Pack Generator
Turn one image into every print ratio buyers ask for — 300 DPI, cropped in your browser. Free, instant, nothing uploads.