Photo Print Sizes
The standard print sizes are 2.5×3.5 (wallet), 4×6, 5×7, 8×10, 8.5×11, 12×12, 11×14, 16×20, 18×24, 20×30, 24×36 inches. For a sharp print you need 300 pixels for every inch, so a 4×6 needs 1,200 × 1,800 pixels and an 8×10 needs 2,400 × 3,000. Here is every size, drawn to scale, with what it takes to print it well.
Print size chart
Pixels are listed short side first. Turn them around for a landscape print.
| Size (inches) | Shape | Sharp (300 DPI) | Minimum (150 DPI) | Common for |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2.5×3.5 (5:7) | 5:7 | Sharp750 × 1,050 px | Minimum375 × 525 px | School and sports photo packages |
| 4×6 (2:3) | 2:3 | Sharp1,200 × 1,800 px | Minimum600 × 900 px | Standard prints from a photo lab or drugstore kiosk |
| 5×7 (5:7) | 5:7 | Sharp1,500 × 2,100 px | Minimum750 × 1,050 px | Framed prints for a desk, shelf or mantelpiece |
| 8×10 (4:5) | 4:5 | Sharp2,400 × 3,000 px | Minimum1,200 × 1,500 px | Framed portraits and family photographs |
| 8.5×11 (17:22) | 17:22 | Sharp2,550 × 3,300 px | Minimum1,275 × 1,650 px | Full-page prints on a home or office printer |
| 12×12 (1:1) | 1:1 | Sharp3,600 × 3,600 px | Minimum1,800 × 1,800 px | Scrapbook and 12×12 album pages |
| 11×14 (11:14) | 11:14 | Sharp3,300 × 4,200 px | Minimum1,650 × 2,100 px | Framed wall prints in living rooms and hallways |
| 16×20 (4:5) | 4:5 | Sharp4,800 × 6,000 px | Minimum2,400 × 3,000 px | Large framed prints and canvases |
| 18×24 (3:4) | 3:4 | Sharp5,400 × 7,200 px | Minimum2,700 × 3,600 px | Posters for a wall, studio or dorm room |
| 20×30 (2:3) | 2:3 | Sharp6,000 × 9,000 px | Minimum3,000 × 4,500 px | Large wall posters and canvas prints |
| 24×36 (2:3) | 2:3 | Sharp7,200 × 10,800 px | Minimum3,600 × 5,400 px | Film and concert posters, the classic 24×36 format |
What resolution do you need to print a photo?
300 pixels per inch for a print you hold in your hand, and 150 for one framed on a wall. Multiply the print size in inches by that number to get the pixels: an 8×10 needs 2,400 × 3,000 pixels to be sharp up close and 1,200 × 1,500 to look fine on a wall. The chart above does it for every size.
The bigger the print, the further away people stand, and the less resolution it needs. A poster is usually printed at 150 DPI and a banner at 100 or less. The large-format resolution guide has the numbers by viewing distance.
Changing a photo’s DPI setting to 300 doesn’t help on its own: it changes a label in the file, not the pixels. If your photo has fewer pixels than the size needs, the print comes out soft. Why photos print blurry, and how to fix it.
How big can I print my photo?
Enter your photo’s size in pixels to see how it holds up at every print size, and how much a lab would crop to make it fit.
- 2.5×3.5Sharp1152 DPI, loses 5% to croppingFit for 2.5×3.5
- 4×6Sharp672 DPI, loses 11% to croppingFit for 4×6
- 5×7Sharp576 DPI, loses 5% to croppingFit for 5×7
- 8×10Sharp378 DPI, loses 6% to croppingFit for 8×10
- 8.5×11Sharp356 DPI, loses 3% to croppingFit for 8.5×11
- 12×12Sharp from 1.5 ft252 DPI, loses 25% to croppingFit for 12×12
- 11×14Sharp from 1.5 ft275 DPI, loses 5% to croppingFit for 11×14
- 16×20Sharp from 2 ft189 DPI, loses 6% to croppingFit for 16×20
- 18×24Sharp from 2 ft168 DPI
- 20×30Sharp from 2.5 ft134 DPI, loses 11% to croppingFit for 20×30
- 24×36Sharp from 3 ft112 DPI, loses 11% to croppingFit for 24×36
Sharp means 300 pixels per inch or more, which holds up in your hand. Below that, a print still looks sharp from far enough away, and the label says from how far. Big prints are seen from further back, so they need fewer pixels per inch: a 24×36 poster looks sharp from a few feet at about 80.
Why prints crop your photo
A print size is a shape as well as a size. Phones shoot 3:4, most cameras 2:3, and social posts are often square, while a 5×7 is 5:7 and an 8×10 is 4:5. When the shapes differ, a lab fills the paper by trimming the photo, and the trim usually lands on whoever is standing at the edge.
8×10 is where people notice it most. Its 4:5 shape is squarer than any camera, so the lab trims about 6% off the long side of a phone photo and about 17% off a camera photo, which is usually the top of someone’s head or the person at the end of the row.
The alternative is to extend the scene to the print’s shape instead, adding more of the same background so nothing in the original is lost. That’s what extending a photo does, and it sharpens the whole image in the same pass.
Print size questions
What are the standard photo print sizes?
The standard sizes, in inches, are 2.5×3.5 (wallet), 4×6, 5×7, 8×10, 8.5×11, 12×12, 11×14, 16×20, 18×24, 20×30, 24×36. 4×6 is the everyday print from a lab or kiosk, 5×7 and 8×10 are the usual frame sizes, and 16×20 and larger are posters and wall prints.
What size is a wallet photo?
2.5×3.5 inches. That's exactly half a 5×7 in each direction, so four wallets print on one 5×7 sheet. For a sharp wallet print you need 750×1,050 pixels.
How many pixels do I need for an 8×10 print?
2,400 × 3,000 pixels for a sharp print at 300 DPI. At 1,200 × 1,500 it still looks fine framed on a wall, but softness starts to show up close.
What DPI should a photo be for printing?
300 DPI (pixels per inch) for prints you hold, like 4×6 and 5×7. Large prints are seen from further away, so 150–200 DPI is usually enough for a poster.
What resolution do you need to print a photo?
300 pixels per inch for a print held in the hand, and 150 for one on a wall. Multiply the print's inches by that: a 5×7 needs 1,500 × 2,100 pixels and a 16×20 on a wall needs 2,400 × 3,000.
Is 72 DPI good enough to print?
The DPI number alone doesn't decide it; the pixels do. A file marked 72 DPI with 2,400 × 3,000 pixels prints a sharp 8×10. Changing the label to 300 without adding pixels makes no difference to the print.
Why does my photo get cropped at 8×10?
Because 8×10 is a 4:5 shape, squarer than a phone photo (3:4) or a camera photo (2:3). The lab trims about 6% off a phone photo's long side and 17% off a camera photo's to make it fit. Extending the background to 4:5 instead keeps everything in the picture.
Why does my photo get cropped when I print it?
Because the print is a different shape from the photo. Phone photos are 3:4 and a 4×6 print is 2:3, so the lab trims the sides to make it fit. Extending the scene to the print's shape keeps the whole photo instead.
How big can I print a phone photo?
A typical 12-megapixel phone photo (4,032×3,024 pixels) prints sharp up to 8.5×11 (letter size), and looks fine up to 18×24 from a normal viewing distance. Beyond that it needs upscaling first.
Printing customer files every day? Resly Studio batch-upscales them to print size.