Find the best copy
- 1
Look in your camera roll first
If you took the photo, the original is on your phone or in its cloud backup at full size, several times bigger than anything Instagram kept. Search by date, or by the place it was taken.
- 2
Check for a saved copy of the post
Instagram can save a copy of each post to your phone, including your filters and crop, from the camera roll or original posts setting in your account settings. That copy is smaller than the original but shaped and edited exactly as posted.
- 3
If it is someone else’s photo, ask them
Instagram has no download button for other people’s posts, and a screenshot is smaller still. For a photo of your family or friends, ask the person who posted it to send the original file.
How big an Instagram photo prints
"Sharp" is 300 pixels per inch, for prints held in the hand; "fine on a wall" is 150.
| Post shape | Typical pixels | Sharp (inches) | Fine on a wall (inches) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Square | Typical pixels: 1,080 × 1,080 | Sharp (inches): 3.6 × 3.6 | Fine on a wall (inches): 7.2 × 7.2 |
| Portrait (4:5) | Typical pixels: 1,080 × 1,350 | Sharp (inches): 3.6 × 4.5 | Fine on a wall (inches): 7.2 × 9 |
| Portrait, larger copy | Typical pixels: 1,440 × 1,800 | Sharp (inches): 4.8 × 6 | Fine on a wall (inches): 9.6 × 12 |
| Screenshot, cropped to the photo | Typical pixels: 1,080 × 1,080 | Sharp (inches): 3.6 × 3.6 | Fine on a wall (inches): 7.2 × 7.2 |
Instagram compresses as well as shrinks, so a copy prints a little softer than its pixel count suggests. Check your own file’s size before ordering.
Anything bigger than the table allows needs the original, or an upscale to the print size first. An upscale rebuilds the detail compression removed, rather than stretching what is left.
Pick a print size that matches the post
- Portrait posts are 4:5, exactly the shape of an 8×10 or 16×20, so they print at those sizes with nothing cropped.
- Square posts fit square prints: 5×5, 8×8 or 12×12. Printed at 4×6, a square loses a third of its height.
- Landscape posts are 1.91:1, wider than any standard print. Extend them to the print’s shape, or accept a crop.