Picture frame sizes chart
| Frame size (inches) | Shape | Photo it holds with a mat | Usual mat opening | Pixels to fill the frame at 300 DPI |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4×6 | Shape: 2:3 | Photo it holds with a mat: No standard mat size | Usual mat opening: — | Pixels to fill the frame at 300 DPI: 1,200 × 1,800 |
| 5×7 | Shape: 5:7 | Photo it holds with a mat: 4×6 | Usual mat opening: 3.5 × 5.5 in | Pixels to fill the frame at 300 DPI: 1,500 × 2,100 |
| 8×10 | Shape: 4:5 | Photo it holds with a mat: 5×7 | Usual mat opening: 4.5 × 6.5 in | Pixels to fill the frame at 300 DPI: 2,400 × 3,000 |
| 8.5×11 | Shape: 17:22 | Photo it holds with a mat: No standard mat size | Usual mat opening: — | Pixels to fill the frame at 300 DPI: 2,550 × 3,300 |
| 11×14 | Shape: 11:14 | Photo it holds with a mat: 8×10 | Usual mat opening: 7.5 × 9.5 in | Pixels to fill the frame at 300 DPI: 3,300 × 4,200 |
| 12×12 | Shape: Square | Photo it holds with a mat: 8×8 | Usual mat opening: 7.5 × 7.5 in | Pixels to fill the frame at 300 DPI: 3,600 × 3,600 |
| 12×16 | Shape: 3:4 | Photo it holds with a mat: No standard mat size | Usual mat opening: — | Pixels to fill the frame at 300 DPI: 3,600 × 4,800 |
| 11×17 | Shape: 11:17 | Photo it holds with a mat: No standard mat size | Usual mat opening: — | Pixels to fill the frame at 300 DPI: 3,300 × 5,100 |
| 16×20 | Shape: 4:5 | Photo it holds with a mat: 11×14 | Usual mat opening: 10.5 × 13.5 in | Pixels to fill the frame at 300 DPI: 4,800 × 6,000 |
| 18×24 | Shape: 3:4 | Photo it holds with a mat: No standard mat size | Usual mat opening: — | Pixels to fill the frame at 300 DPI: 5,400 × 7,200 |
| 20×24 | Shape: 5:6 | Photo it holds with a mat: 16×20 | Usual mat opening: 15.5 × 19.5 in | Pixels to fill the frame at 300 DPI: 6,000 × 7,200 |
| 24×36 | Shape: 2:3 | Photo it holds with a mat: No standard mat size | Usual mat opening: — | Pixels to fill the frame at 300 DPI: 7,200 × 10,800 |
A mat opening is about half an inch smaller than the photo, so the mat overlaps a quarter inch on every side and holds it in place. Frame shops vary, so measure the opening before printing.
The size on the label is the size of the picture, not the outside of the frame. An 8×10 frame takes an 8×10 print, and its moulding adds an inch or more all round. Metric frames work the same way: 13×18 cm is close to 5×7, 20×25 cm to 8×10, and 21×29.7 cm is A4.
Why your photo gets cropped to fit
Frames come in many shapes, and photos come in two. A phone shoots 3:4; a camera shoots 2:3. The frame only shows the whole photo when the shapes match. When they don’t, the print lab crops the photo to fill the paper, and you lose the edges.
| Frame or print size | Phone photo (3:4) | Camera photo (2:3) |
|---|---|---|
| 4×6 | Phone photo (3:4): 11% cut off | Camera photo (2:3): Fits exactly |
| 5×7 | Phone photo (3:4): 5% cut off | Camera photo (2:3): 7% cut off |
| 8×10 | Phone photo (3:4): 6% cut off | Camera photo (2:3): 17% cut off |
| 11×14 | Phone photo (3:4): 5% cut off | Camera photo (2:3): 15% cut off |
| 12×16 | Phone photo (3:4): Fits exactly | Camera photo (2:3): 11% cut off |
| 16×20 | Phone photo (3:4): 6% cut off | Camera photo (2:3): 17% cut off |
| 18×24 | Phone photo (3:4): Fits exactly | Camera photo (2:3): 11% cut off |
| 24×36 | Phone photo (3:4): 11% cut off | Camera photo (2:3): Fits exactly |
Percent of the photo’s length or width that is trimmed when it is enlarged to fill the frame. Landscape works the same, turned on its side.
The 8×10 and 16×20 frames are the trap: they are 4:5, squarer than either photo, so a camera photo loses about 17% of its length, often someone’s head or feet. If the frame has to be 8×10, you can extend the photo to 4:5 instead of cropping it, so the whole picture fits.
Is your photo big enough for the frame?
A print held in the hand looks sharp at 300 pixels per inch; one on a wall, seen from a step or two away, looks fine at 150. A 12-megapixel phone photo (3,024 × 4,032 pixels) is sharp up to about 10 × 13.4 inches, and fine on a wall up to about 20.1 × 26.8.
- Photos saved from Facebook, Instagram or a text message are much smaller, often 1,000 to 2,000 pixels across, and print soft above 5×7. The Facebook printing guide covers how to find a bigger copy.
- Scans of old prints depend on the scan: at 600 DPI a 4×6 print becomes 2,400 × 3,600 pixels, enough for a sharp 8×12.
- The print size chart lists the pixels for every size, and the DPI checker tells you how big your own file can print.
If the photo is short of pixels for the frame, an upscale rebuilds detail at the print size rather than stretching the small copy.