Procreate does not store canvas size in centimetres — every dimension in the Canvas Information panel is in pixels, and turning those pixels into centimetres comes down to a single formula: centimetres = pixels ÷ DPI × 2.54, where DPI is the resolution you've set for the output. A pixel on its own has no fixed physical size, which is why a 1920-pixel-wide image can print as either a 50 cm wide poster or a 5 cm wide thumbnail from the exact same file, with DPI as the only variable. The same scaling applies to any pixel count: at a higher DPI each pixel maps to a smaller physical length on paper, and at a lower DPI each pixel covers more centimetres of the page. Procreate's Canvas Information readout does show a physical size beside the pixel count, but that number is always computed from whatever DPI is set on the layer, so changing the DPI alone moves the centimetre value around without touching the pixels. That is why every workflow that needs reliable real-world sizes — printing, exporting for a client, sizing for a frame — uses the same converter path: type the pixel count into a px-to-cm tool, set the target DPI, and read the centimetre answer.
Why Procreate Counts in Pixels
Procreate builds every canvas around pixel dimensions because pixels are what the iPad display actually shows. The Canvas Information panel in the top-left corner reports width and height in pixels by default, alongside a separate readout in inches or centimetres that depends on the DPI you've configured under "Edit Image Data" when creating or resizing a canvas. That second number is computed from the pixel count using the same division-by-DPI method described above, so it updates automatically whenever you change the resolution.
The reason no "convert px to cm" button exists inside Procreate is that the math is already built into that inch/centimetre readout. The catch is that the canvas has to be told which DPI to assume, and Procreate's interface nudges users toward leaving the DPI at its default of 132 — a value chosen because it matches the "logical" pixel density of an iPad screen for drawing purposes. That number is fine for on-screen work but almost always wrong for print, which is where most of the confusion starts.
How DPI Changes Your Procreate Artwork's Real Size
The DPI value you set when creating a canvas is the multiplier that turns pixel counts into physical sizes. At 132 DPI (Procreate's drawing default), a 2640-pixel-wide canvas represents 20 inches of width on a printout, already larger than A4 in landscape. Bump that same canvas up to a 300 DPI setting and the physical size shrinks to about 22 cm wide instead, because each pixel has to occupy a smaller dot when more pixels-per-inch are required. The pixel array is untouched in both cases — only the assumed DPI differs.
This is also why a layer that fills the canvas on screen can come out as a postage stamp once printed. The screen DPI and the print DPI are entirely separate concepts, even though the word "pixels" gets used in both cases. Procreate handles the on-screen side automatically; the print side has to be planned for in advance by choosing the right DPI when the canvas is created, or by exporting at a target resolution from the share menu.
For screen-only work, the relevant number is 96 DPI, since the CSS specification defines the reference pixel as 1/96 of an inch, and that figure flows through most web and app tooling. For print, the de facto standard is 300 DPI for photographs, illustrations, and most commercial output; some legacy files use 72 DPI, a value inherited from the early Macintosh era that has no technical justification but still appears in older export settings.
Converting Procreate Pixels to Centimetres
When you have a pixel count from Procreate and need the centimetre equivalent — or the reverse — the cleanest path is to run the numbers through a dedicated converter. Here is the workflow.
- Open the Pixels to CM Converter and type the number from your Procreate Canvas Information panel, for example 2640 pixels (a 20-inch canvas at 132 DPI).
- Pick the input unit from the dropdown. Choose "Pixels" if you are starting from the canvas info readout, or "Centimetres" if you already know the physical size you want and need the pixel count instead.
- Set the DPI to match the target output. Use 96 DPI for screen work, 300 DPI for print, 132 DPI to match Procreate's drawing default, or type any custom value for specialty output.
- Read the converted values in the results table. The tool lists pixels, centimetres, inches, and millimetres side by side, all derived from the same DPI in a single calculation.
- Take the centimetre or pixel number back into Procreate. Update the canvas size in Image Properties, or use the value to set export dimensions, photo sizes, and print specs without trial and error.
Step 1 is where Procreate-specific terminology matters most. The Canvas Information readout always displays raw pixel values, so that is what most users copy. If you already know the centimetre size you want — a 10 cm wide export, for example — type that in centimetres and let the converter return the matching pixel count for the chosen DPI.
Procreate Canvas Sizes at Common DPIs
The same physical size requires a very different pixel count depending on which DPI is targeted. The table below shows what three common artwork sizes look like at the four preset DPI values offered by the converter. Higher DPI means more pixels per centimetre, so each row increases left-to-right as the print quality goes up.
| Physical size | 72 DPI | 96 DPI | 150 DPI | 300 DPI |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10 × 10 cm square | 283 × 283 px | 378 × 378 px | 591 × 591 px | 1181 × 1181 px |
| A4 sheet (21 × 29.7 cm) | 595 × 842 px | 794 × 1123 px | 1240 × 1754 px | 2480 × 3508 px |
| 3.5 cm ID photo width | 99 px | 132 px | 207 px | 413 px |
The bottom row is the easiest one to remember: at 300 DPI, a 3.5 cm wide ID or passport photo needs exactly 413 pixels to print sharply. Drop to 96 DPI and the same physical image collapses to 132 pixels, which is fine on a screen but visibly soft on paper. For exact numbers when working outside these preset sizes, run the input through the Pixels to CM Converter with any DPI you need.
When 96 vs 300 DPI Matters in Procreate
For digital sharing — sending a Procreate piece to social media, using it as an iPad wallpaper, embedding it in a blog post or portfolio site — 96 DPI is the right target. Web browsers and most operating systems map one CSS pixel to 1/96 of an inch, which is why a 1920 × 1080 image fills a typical laptop screen edge to edge at that DPI. Sticking with Procreate's 132 DPI default works fine for any output that will only ever be viewed on a screen, but the extra pixels relative to 96 are wasted bandwidth and disk space.
For print, 300 DPI is the conventional minimum for high-quality output. Magazines, photo prints, greeting cards, and most commercial deliverables expect at least 300 pixels per inch of physical size. Setting a Procreate canvas up at 300 DPI from the start — choosing that value in the "Image Properties" panel when creating the canvas — saves the resampling step later and avoids the quality loss that comes from upscaling an image that was sized for the screen. If you forgot and now have a 132 DPI canvas that needs to print at A4 size, recreate the canvas at 300 DPI and paste the artwork back in, or upsample with a careful resampling filter.
Two more Procreate settings worth knowing about sit near the DPI field. The "Color Profile" toggle (P3 vs sRGB) is unrelated to size but matters for matching print colours. The "Print Size" readout just below the canvas dimensions shows the physical result at the current DPI; if that number disagrees with the size you actually wanted, the DPI is almost always the cause.
Worked Example: 96 Pixels at 96 vs 300 DPI
To see how dramatic the difference is, take a fixed pixel count of 96 pixels and convert it twice through the same formula. Routing everything through inches first keeps the arithmetic transparent.
- 96 px at 96 DPI: 96 ÷ 96 = 1 inch; then 1 × 2.54 = 2.54 cm and 1 × 25.4 = 25.4 mm.
- 96 px at 300 DPI: 96 ÷ 300 ≈ 0.32 inch; then 0.32 × 2.54 ≈ 0.81 cm and 0.32 × 25.4 ≈ 8.13 mm.
The same 96-pixel element, with no changes to the Procreate file at all, prints as 2.54 cm wide on a 96 DPI target and only 0.81 cm wide on a 300 DPI target — roughly a third of the size. That gap is exactly why artists planning a print run need to convert from pixels to centimetres (and back) before exporting, and why a tool like the Pixels to CM Converter belongs alongside Procreate in the daily workflow.