Photo Printing Guide
Photo printing guide – what file size do you need?
Image size Pixels
(Virtual Size of Scans)
640 x 480
1,024 x 768
1,280 x 960
1,504 x 1,000
1,632 x 1,224
2,000 x 1,312
2,240 x 1,488
2,275 x 1,520
2,272 x 1,704
2,590 x 1,920
3,008 x 2,000
4,256 x 2,848
4,536 x 3,024
5,782 x 3,946
Megapixel
rating
0.3
0.8
1.2
1.5
2.0
2.6
3.3
3.5
3.9
5.0
6.0
12.1
13.7
22.8
Print size (inches)
at 200ppi
3.2 x 2.4
5.1 x 3.8
6.4 x 4.8
7.5 x 5.0
3.3 x 6.1
10.0 x 6.6
11.2 x 7.4
11.4 x 7.6
11.4 x 8.5
13.0 x 9.6
15.0 x 10.0
21.3 x 14.2
22.7 x 15.1
28.9 x 19.7
Print size (inches)
at 300ppi
2.1 x 1.6
3.4 x 2.5
4.2 x 3.2
5.0 x 3.3
5.4 x 4.1
6.7 x 4.4
7.5 x 5.0
7.6 x 5.1
7.6 x 5.7
8.6 x 6.4
10.0 x 6.7
14.2 x 9.5
15.1 x 10.1
19.3 x 13.2
Professional / online printing
Some professional services specify lower resolutions for image sizes, so you could get away with smaller image sizes.
Kodak for example, suggests these resolutions/file sizes:
For a 4″ x 6″ print, the image resolution should be 640 x 480 pixels minimum.
For a 5″ x 7″ print, the image resolution should be 1024 x 768 pixels minimum.
For an 8″ x 10″ print, the image resolution should be 1536 x 1024 pixels minimum.
For a 16″ x 20″ print, the image resolution should be 1600 x 1200 pixels minimum.
For a 20″ x 30″ print, the image resolution should be 1600 x 1200 pixels minimum.
For a Wallet-size print, the image resolution should be 320 x 240 pixels minimum.
Quality vs file size
This guide shows you the kind of quality you can expect when you’re printing out your photos.
Digital camera resolution vs print quality
| Capture Resolution | Video Display | 2×3″ | 4×5″ 4×6″ | 5×7″ | 8×10″ | 11×14″ | 16×20″ | 20×30″ |
| 320×240 | OK | Good | OK | Crap | Crap | Crap | Crap | Crap |
| 640×480 0.3 Megapixel | Good | Excellent | Good | Crap | Crap | Crap | Crap | Crap |
| 800×600 | Excellent | Photo Quality | Very Good | Reasonable | Crap | Crap | Crap | Crap |
| 1024×768 | Excellent | Photo Quality | Excellent | Good | OK | Crap | Crap | Crap |
| 1280×960 1 Megapixel | Excellent | Photo Quality | Photo Quality | Very Good | Good | Crap | Crap | Crap |
| 1536×1180 | Excellent | Photo Quality | Photo Quality | Excellent | Very Good | OK | Crap | Crap |
| 1600×1200 2 Megapixel | Excellent | Photo Quality | Photo Quality | Photo Quality | Very Good | OK | OK | Crap |
| 2048×1536 3 Megapixel | Excellent | Photo Quality | Photo Quality | Photo Quality | Excellent | Good | OK | OK |
| 2240×1680 4 Megapixel | Excellent | Photo Quality | Photo Quality | Photo Quality | Photo Quality | Very Good | Good | OK |
| 2560×1920 5 Megapixel | Excellent | Photo Quality | Photo Quality | Photo Quality | Photo Quality | Excellent | Very Good | Very Good |
| 3032×2008 6 Megapixel | Excellent | Photo Quality | Photo Quality | Photo Quality | Photo Quality | Photo Quality | Excellent | Very Good |
| 3072×2304 7 Megapixel | Excellent | Photo Quality | Photo Quality | Photo Quality | Photo Quality | Photo Quality | Excellent | Excellent |
| 3264×2448 8 Megapixel | Excellent | Photo Quality | Photo Quality | Photo Quality | Photo Quality | Photo Quality | Photo Quality | Excellent |
| 10 Megapixel + | Excellent | Photo Quality | Photo Quality | Photo Quality | Photo Quality | Photo Quality | Photo Quality | Photo Quality |
Crap – Horribly pixelated blocky mess, like something out of 1987
OK – Looks reasonable enough, but nowhere near photo quality
Good – Preety good all round, with a fair bit of detail
Very Good – This will be fine for most uses, unless you get up reeeeal close
Excellent – As good as a photo for most purposes
Photo Quality – Woohoo! Fantastic quality print, fill of detail and perfect for your picture frame or for showing off your very best shots.