Photo print sizes

Standard photographic print sizes are used in photo-

graphic printing. Cut sheets of paper meant for printing
photographs are commonly sold in these sizes.

Size names

They are often denoted with a code of the format nR,

where the number n represents the length of the shorter
edge in inches. In the normal series, the long edge is the
length of the short edge plus 2 inches (10" or less) or 3
inches (11" and above). The alternative Super series,
denoted SnR, has an aspect ratio of 3:2 (or as close as
possible) and thus provides a better fit for standard 135
film (35 mm) at sizes of 8 inches or above.

In Japan, the same print sizes (and several additional ones)

are known by different names. The Japanese L is
equivalent to 3R, while 2Ltwice the sizematches 5R.
KG represents the size of a traditional 4"6" (4R)
Japanese postcard (hagaki).[1] The nP or cut (? kiri)
series are defined in reference to a full page size (?
zenshi) of 457560 mm, with smaller numbers (fewer
cuts) indicating larger sizes.[2]

Unlike ISO 216 paper sizes, the aspect ratios of

photographic prints vary, so exact scaling of prints is not
always possible. However, there are some logical
correspondences between the sizes, noted below when
applicable.
Many of the standard sizes are the same as sheet film
formats, and are appropriate for making contact sheets
from these films.

Common sizes
US JP Alias Size Pixels Aspect Notes
code cod (in. at ratio
e & 300 PPI
mm
)
Wallet 2 600 3:2 (1.5)
3 900
(51

76)
2R Wallet 2 750 7:5 (1.4) older
1050 standard
3
(63.
5
89)
E 3 974 16:11 Size in
1417 (1.45) inches is
4 approxim
(82. ate.
5
120)
3R L 9 3 1050 10:7
13 cm, 5 1500 (1.43)
B7, (89
[
Enprint
3]
127)
Chou 3.5 1050 16:7 envelope
#4 2430 (2.29)[a] size
8.1
 (90

205)
PC Hagaki, 3.9 1170 3:2 postcard
A6 1740 (1.5)[a] size
5.8
(100

148)
4R KG 10 4 1200 3:2 (1.5) standard
15 cm 6 1800 135 film
(102 & print
size
152)
4D, 4 1350 4:3 new size
6D 6 1800 (1.33) for most
(114 consume
r level
152) digital
cameras
and
Micro 4/3
cameras[4
]

Chou 4.7 1410 2:1 envelope

#3 2790 (2.0)[a] size
9.3
(120

235)
5R 2L 13 5 1500 7:5 (1.4) twice the
18 cm, 7 2100 size of a
B6 (127 3R print

178)
 Ofuku 5.8 1740 4:3 postcard
Hagaki, 2370 (1.33)[a] size
A5 7.9
(148

200)
6R 8P 15 6 1800 4:3 twice the
20 cm 8 2400 (1.33) size of a
(152 4R print

203)
18 7 2100 19:14 for B&W
24 cm 9 2850 (1.36) paper
(178

240)
8R 6P 20 8 2400 5:4 Can be
25 cm 10 3000 (1.25) used for
(203 contact
prints
254) from
810
film.
S8R 6P 20 8 2400 3:2 (1.5) closest
W 30 cm 12 3600 approxim
(203 ation to
A4
305) (210297
mm),
twice the
size of a
6R print
24 9 2850 24:19 for B&W
30 cm 12 3600 (1.26) paper
(240

305)
10R 4P 10 3000 6:5 (1.2)
12 3600
(254

305)
S10 4P 10 3000 3:2 (1.5) At 14 in
R W 15 4500 (368 mm)
(254 , the
Japanese
381) 4PW size
is slightly
shorter
than
S10R.
11R 28 11 3300 14:11
36 cm 14 4200 (1.27)
(279

356)
S11 11 3300 17:11
R 17 5100 (1.55)
(279

432)
12R 12 3600 5:4
15 4500 (1.25)
(305

381)
30 12 3600 4:3 for B&W
40 cm 16 4800 (1.33) paper
(305

 406)
S12 12 3600 3:2 (1.5)
R 18 5400
(305

457)
Image Size and Resolution Explained for Print and
Onscreen

One of the most confusing things for a new photographer is

understanding image size, resolution, and printing. Ill try and
explain what these things mean, and how to make the best
choices depending on what you want to do with your photos.

Megapixels and photo size

As a photographer you will already have confronted the term

megapixel when you first purchased your camera. While
technically a megapixel is equal to 1,048,576 pixels, in reality,
camera manufacturers round this number to 1,000,000 when
stating how large an image the camera will capture.

So, my camera, for example, is stated to capture 14.6 megapixel

images which is around 14,600,000 pixels per image (14.6 x
1,000,000). This information tells you nothing about the actual
pixel dimensions of the image it only tells you the total
number of pixels that comprise the image.
My camera, like most dSLRs, captures images with an aspect
ratio of 1.5. So the ratio comparing the number of pixels along
the long edge of the image, to the short edge is 3:2. Each full
size raw image is 4672 x 3104 pixels in dimension. So, by
multiplying the number of pixels along the width by those
of the height (4672 x 3104 = 14,501,888) we get the actual
number of pixels in the image. You and I might call this 14.5
MP but the camera manufacturer rounds this up and calls it a
14.6 MP camera.

You can check the width and height of an image using your
photo editing software. In Photoshop, with the image open,
choose File > File Info > Camera Data. The image above shows
this information dialogue box.

A pixel itself is a single picture element, and for our purposes

its the smallest element that your photo can be divided into. A
pixel can be only one color, and a photograph is made up of a
grid of thousands of pixels, each of varying colors that together
make up your image. You can see these pixels if you open a
photo inside a photo editing program and zoom in until you see
single blocks of color (like below). Each of these is a pixel.
Why size is important when printing

When youre printing an image you may encounter the term ppi
or pixels per inch. Most printing services, and indeed your own
printer, will require a certain density of pixels in the image (ppi)
to be able to render an print that looks good, with smooth color
transitions so you cant see each individual pixel. Typical
printing ppi values range from 150 to 300 ppi, although some
high-end magazines may require images which are 1200 ppi.

So, for example, if you want to print an image 4 x 6 inches at

300 ppi, then you need a file that has at least 4 x 300 (1200)
pixels along its short side and 6 x 300 (1800) pixels on the long
side. So, it needs to be at least 1200 x 1800 pixels in size.

To print an 8 x 10 inches at 300 ppi use the same math

multiply the printed image width and height in inches each by
300 pixels. The result is 2,400 x 3,000 pixels, which is the size
image you need to print an 8 x 10 at 300 ppi.

When cropping and sizing an image for printing, youll need to

know what ppi the image should be your printer manual or the
printing service should be able to tell you this. This is a
screenshot from the MpixPro.com website showing their
Optimal and Minimum image sizes for standard print sizes.
Their printer outputs at 250 ppi (but can handle 100 ppi images)
other services may differ so always check before preparing
your images:
Use the crop or resize feature in your software to size the image
to the desired width and height, and the ppi resolution. Here an
image cropped to a size of 3000 x 2400 pixels is being adjusted
from 72 ppi to 300 ppi in preparation for printing at 300 ppi.
There is no resampling required as the image is already the
correct dimension and only the resolution requires adjusting.
Photoshop, like other applications, will also crop an image to a
fixed size and resolution if you type these value into the tool
options bar when you have the Crop tool selected (see below).
If your image is smaller than the typed dimensions then the
image will be enlarged using the default resampling method as
it is cropped. While it isnt generally advisable to enlarge
images provided the image is already close in size to the
desired size, enlarging it a little bit generally wont cause a
noticeable loss of quality.
Sizing for screen

When it comes to displaying images on the screen you need far

less pixels than you do for printing. This is because the density
of pixels on the screen is far less than what is required for
printing. So, for example a typical monitor is 1920 by 1080
pixels in size so, to fill the monitor you only need an image that
is 1920 by 1080 pixels in size. Thats about the same size image
you need for a 4 x 6 print at 300 ppi, yet this size image
displays perfectly on a 23 inch diagonal monitor.