dpi
Abbreviation with 5 meanings
| Stands for | Dots per inch |
|---|---|
| Meanings | 5 |
| Categories | Units & Measurements, Medical, Business & Finance, Sports, Technology & Computing |
| Also written | DPI |
dpi has five meanings. The most common are Dots per inch (data unit) and Dry powder inhaler (pharmacy); it can also stand for Distributions to paid-in capital, Defensive pass interference and Deep packet inspection.
Meanings of dpi at a glance
| # | dpi stands for | Context |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Dots per inch | Units & Measurements › Data Unit |
| 2 | Dry powder inhaler | Medical › Pharmacy |
| 3 | Distributions to paid-in capital | Business & Finance › Finance |
| 4 | Defensive pass interference | Sports › American Football |
| 5 | Deep packet inspection | Technology & Computing › Cybersecurity |
1. Dots per inch
Units & Measurements · Data Unit Abbreviations · also used in technology
Resolution of printers and scanners: the number of ink or toner dots, or scanned samples, per linear inch. Office laser printers print at 600 to 1,200 dpi, and 300 dpi is the usual minimum for sharp printed photos.
Example: Scan the documents at 300 dpi in grayscale for the archive.
The term is often misused for screen and image resolution, where ppi is correct; an image file's "dpi" setting only tells software how large to print it. Computer mice also advertise dpi, more accurately CPI (counts per inch), for sensor sensitivity. Windows historically assumed 96 dpi for screens and classic Mac OS 72 dpi.
2. Dry powder inhaler (DPI)
Medical · Pharmacy Abbreviations
Breath-actuated inhaler that delivers a powdered drug when the patient inhales quickly and forcefully through the device. Diskus, Ellipta, HandiHaler and Turbuhaler devices are dry powder inhalers.
Example: Fluticasone-salmeterol DPI 250/50, 1 inhalation BID; rinse mouth after.
Patients must not exhale into a DPI, because moisture clumps the powder, and spacers cannot be used with them. Young children and people with severe airflow limitation may be unable to generate enough inspiratory flow. DPIs contain no propellant, so they have a lower carbon footprint than MDIs.
3. Distributions to paid-in capital (DPI)
Business & Finance · Finance Abbreviations
Ratio of the cash and stock a private equity or venture fund has actually returned to investors divided by the capital they have contributed. A DPI of 1.0x means the fund has returned all the money paid in.
Example: With DPI still below 0.5x after eight years, LPs are pressing the manager to sell more companies.
Often called the "realized multiple" because it counts only distributions, not paper gains. DPI has drawn heightened attention since 2022, as slower exit markets left many funds holding large unrealized portfolios. In printing and displays, DPI means dots per inch, an unrelated meaning.
4. Defensive pass interference (DPI)
Sports · American Football Abbreviations
Foul by a defender who illegally contacts or impedes a receiver while a pass is in the air. In the NFL the ball is placed at the spot of the foul with an automatic first down, so one DPI can gain 40 or more yards.
Example: The 45-yard DPI flag set up the go-ahead field goal.
College football caps the penalty at 15 yards unless the foul is ruled intentional, a sharp contrast with the NFL's spot foul. A DPI in the end zone puts the ball at the 1-yard line. Offensive pass interference (OPI) costs 10 yards.
5. Deep packet inspection (DPI)
Technology & Computing · Cybersecurity Abbreviations
Examining the contents of network packets, not just their headers, to identify applications, detect threats, enforce policies or censor traffic. Firewalls, ISPs and national censorship systems use DPI.
Example: The ISP's DPI throttles video streams during peak hours, according to the complaint.
Encryption limits what DPI can see, so networks either decrypt TLS through proxies or rely on metadata such as the server name. Governments use it for large-scale censorship and surveillance, as in China's Great Firewall, and its use by ISPs raises net neutrality and privacy concerns. In printing and screens DPI means dots per inch.
Related abbreviations
More data unit abbreviations
- b – Bit
- bps – Bits per second
- DWPD – Drive writes per day
- EB – Exabyte
- EiB – Exbibyte
- FLOPS – Floating-point operations per second
- FPS – Frames per second
- GB – Gigabyte
See all 36 data unit abbreviations →
More pharmacy abbreviations
- D50 – Dextrose 50%
- D5NS – Dextrose 5% in normal saline
- D5W – Dextrose 5% in water
- DIR – Direct and indirect remuneration
- DR – Delayed release
- DS – Double strength
- DSCSA – Drug Supply Chain Security Act
- DTC – Direct-to-consumer advertising
See all 134 pharmacy abbreviations →
This entry is for general education and is not medical advice. Abbreviation use varies between institutions; always confirm in context.