Final answer:
DPI (dots per inch) measures the printing resolution, referring to the number of printed dots within an inch, whereas PPI (pixels per inch) is the measure of display or image resolution, referring to the number of pixels within an inch on digital screens.
Step-by-step explanation:
The difference between DPI (dots per inch) and PPI (pixels per inch) lies in their areas of usage. DPI refers to the number of ink dots a printer can place on an inch of paper, making it a measure of printing resolution and quality. In contrast, PPI pertains to the number of digital pixels contained within an inch of a digital image's display, which affects the image's sharpness and clarity on screens.
DPI is often used in the context of printers and scanning devices to describe how finely a printer can reproduce an image's details or how detailed a scanning device can capture an image. On the other hand, PPI is used when discussing monitors, smartphones, or digital cameras, to describe how densely pixels are packed in a display or digital image, which can give you an idea of the potential detail and smoothness of the images on screen.
Although both DPI and PPI are measures of resolution, DPI is specific to print output while PPI relates to digital images and displays, making them important in their respective fields of graphic design and digital media creation.