SizeSpec

How to crop a photo to 4x6 or 8x10 for printing

Updated · 2 min read

Short answer

4x6 is a 3:2 shape, 5x7 is 7:5 and 8x10 is 5:4. Crop your photo to that shape before printing, or the lab will crop it for you. From a 4:3 phone photo, a 4x6 print cuts about 11 percent of the height and an 8x10 cuts about 6 percent of the width.

The shapes of common prints

  • 4 x 6 in

    Shape
    3:2
    Pixels at 300 PPI
    1800 x 1200 px

  • 5 x 7 in

    Shape
    7:5
    Pixels at 300 PPI
    2100 x 1500 px

  • 8 x 10 in

    Shape
    5:4
    Pixels at 300 PPI
    3000 x 2400 px
Print sizes, shapes and pixels at 300 PPI
PrintShapePixels at 300 PPI
4 x 6 in3:21800 x 1200 px
5 x 7 in7:52100 x 1500 px
8 x 10 in5:43000 x 2400 px

300 pixels per inch is a common target for photo prints. Labs differ, so check the size your lab asks for.

What each print cuts from your photo

  • Phone, 4032 x 3024 (4:3)

    4 x 6
    336 px of height, 11%
    5 x 7
    144 px of height, 5%
    8 x 10
    252 px of width, 6%

  • Camera, 6000 x 4000 (3:2)

    4 x 6
    nothing
    5 x 7
    400 px of width, 7%
    8 x 10
    1000 px of width, 17%

  • Video frame, 1920 x 1080 (16:9)

    4 x 6
    300 px of width, 16%
    5 x 7
    408 px of width, 21%
    8 x 10
    570 px of width, 30%
How much a crop removes, landscape photos
Your photo4 x 65 x 78 x 10
Phone, 4032 x 3024 (4:3)336 px of height, 11%144 px of height, 5%252 px of width, 6%
Camera, 6000 x 4000 (3:2)nothing400 px of width, 7%1000 px of width, 17%
Video frame, 1920 x 1080 (16:9)300 px of width, 16%408 px of width, 21%570 px of width, 30%

How to crop for a print

  1. 01Pick the print size and look up its shape in the first table.
  2. 02Crop the photo to that shape, keeping the subject away from the cut edges. Photoshop, Photos and most phone apps offer these ratios. See how to crop a photo in Photoshop and on iPhone.
  3. 03Check that the cropped photo has enough pixels. If it has fewer than the table asks for, the print may look soft. See does cropping reduce image quality.
  4. 04Order the print at the same size and turn off any automatic crop, if your lab has that option.

A portrait photo works the same way with the shape turned on its side: 6 x 4 becomes 4 x 6, and the cut falls on the height instead of the width.

Frequently asked questions

Why is part of my photo cut off when I print it?
The print has a different shape from your photo, so the lab crops it to fit. Crop it yourself first to decide what stays.
How many pixels do I need for a 4x6 print?
About 1800 x 1200 pixels at 300 pixels per inch.
Is a 8x10 print the same shape as 4x5?
Yes. Both are 5:4, so an 8x10 crop also works for a 4x5 print.

Selling online? Do a whole batch at once

SizeSpec crops and resizes a batch of product photos to the size each marketplace asks for and gives you one ZIP. It crops from the centre or pads the image on white, and it works in your browser, so your files are never uploaded. It does not offer free-hand cropping of a single picture.

Try it free

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