How large can I print my photos?
/Many of us like to print our very best photographs to hang in our house, give away as a gift or venture into selling it as art. These are the print-worthy photographs, as I like to call them. When it comes to printing a photograph we all seem to quickly reach the question that many have asked time and time again; how large can I print my photo?
When I started researching printing myself, what I found online was that many articles started off good, but lost the reader with technicalities and didn’t do a good job of giving any visual reference, while some were just plain wrong. Therefore I decided to finally write this article and share one of the steps to making the perfect print. I won’t get to technical in this as I want as many as possible to be able to gain something from this article.
To answer the seemingly simple question of ‘how large can I print my photos’, we first need to understand how image resolution relates to print resolution.
dpi vs ppi
You may have heard terms such as ppi and dpi being used in reference to printing and there is a very common misconception that dpi and ppi are the same when they in-fact are not. Just break it down, Dots Per Inch and Pixels Per Inch. Doesn’t even ring close to the same now does it? So why does so many use the terms interchangeably?
From software manufacturers, I’m looking at you Adobe Lightroom, to reputable photography outlets and online speakers talk about ppi when they really mean dpi obviously helps with the confusion.
Let’s break the two down.
ppi
Pixels Per Inch refers to and electronic device screen, this can be your TV, computer, phone or tablet, as long as it is an electronic screen. It refers to the pixel density per inch of the device screen, meaning how many pixels there are in an inch.
See my The truth about megapixels article to learn about pixels.
Take an 1080p HDTV as an example, which has an image resolution of 1920 x 1080 px. They come in all different sizes, but the same image resolution no matter their size. The pixel density, (ppi) will differ between sizes as illustrated in the table
| Image resolution | Screen Size | Pixels Per Inch |
|---|---|---|
| 1920 x 1080 px | 32” | 68.84 ppi |
| 1920 x 1080 px | 40” | 55.07 ppi |
| 1920 x 1080 px | 43” | 51.23 ppi |
Source: Calculations done with DPI / PPI calculator.
As the screen becomes smaller, more pixels are needed to create a crisp image, while larger sizes requires less pixels to create a crisp image. This is because of the viewing distance. The larger the screen, the further away you will view it and vice versa. As a result we use less but larger pixels to fill the image area of 1920 x 1080 px to make the image appear nice and crisp and vice versa.
If I have a 32” HDTV and I export a photo at 1 ppi or 2880 ppi won’t matter as the device screen have a fixed pixel density that we cannot change. Simply review the example photos below which are exported at 1500px on the long edge with varying degrees of ppi and you will see they all look the same.
The only time ppi matter is when exporting a photo to physical dimensions such as centimetres or inches.
If I want to fill a 1080p screen, I simply export my photo at the appropriate image resolution in pixels, the ppi or dpi depending on software you use won’t matter as it is an electronic device screen.
dpi
A representation of how a printer reproduces an electronic screen pixel during print, e.g. a printed pixel.
Dpi on the other hand refers to physical print devices. Printers do not create pixels they create dots of ink on a paper hence Dots Per Inch. One printed pixel can be made up of several dots of ink. When looking at a low resolution print up close, it will be blurry and you will be able to distinguish individual dots and sometimes even gaps. As you move the print further away from you, our eyes cannot distinguish the individual dots as the viewing distance becomes greater and the photo appears sharp.
A good example of this is newspapers that print at 72 dpi which is why you can easily see the dots in photos in newspapers. Similarly huge billboards that you can see from the motorway may be printed anywhere between 1 - 52 dpi, because we are so far away from the billboard it looks good, but stand just a few feet away you will see large dots and squares.
To illustrated this, I printed the same photo at the same dpi as the previous examples. You can clearly see how, at lower resolution the print becomes blurry and edges jagged because we do not have enough dots per inch to make a smooth transition. However, if you step away from the computer screen you will see it start to appear just as sharp as the higher resolution prints as the viewing distance becomes greater.
The prints were done on a standard home printer and to save time and ink, the photos were printed small, 20x19 cm with the lowest quality setting and then digitized.
So… how large can I print then?
By now it should be pretty clear that dpi and ppi are not at all the same. You should also know that viewing distance plays a large role in how much print resolution, (dpi) you need for a print to look good. This means that larger prints needs less dpi because we will stand further away from the print, while smaller prints are view close-up and will need a higher dpi to look good.
So… how much space do you have? You could essentially fill an entire wall with a single print as long as you can stand far enough away from it, and the print resolution (dpi) would be so low any camera would be able to produce such a print, but walk up close to it and it won’t be looking that great.
In all seriousness though, not many of us will cover an entire wall with a single print, we are more likely to print at standard ISO paper sizes or any of the common photography print sizes. Depending how large images your camera takes you will be able to print at certain sizes and dpi’s natively without any enlargements.
If we take a 12.1 megapixel (MP) camera that produces an image that is 2832 x 4256 px could print at the following sizes at the given print resolution (dpi).
| Media | Print Resolution | Dimensions (metric) | Dimensions (imperial) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Billboard / Posters | 36 dpi | 2.04m x 3.06m | 6’ 8¼” x 10’ 0⅝” |
| Newspaper | 72 dpi | 99.9cm x 150.1cm | 39.3" x 59.1" |
| Magazine | 150 dpi | 48cm x 72.1cm | 18.9" x 28.4" |
| Standard resolution print | 300 dpi | 24cm x 36cm | 9.4" x 14.2" |
| Medium resolution print | 600 dpi | 12cm x 18cm | 4.7" x 7.1" |
| High resolution print | 1200 dpi | 6cm x 9cm | 2.4" x 3.5" |
Source: Calculations done with Megapixel Calculator and Vester Kopi.
But how do you know what size you can print at with your camera? We can calculate that.
Let’s say our camera produces a photo with an image resolution of 1920x1080 px (1080p), and we want to print at 300 dpi, we use the formula px ÷ dpi to get the maximum print size at the given print resolution (dpi).
1920 ÷ 300 = 6.4 inches
1080 ÷ 300 = 3.6 inches
We can make a print that is 6.4 x 3.6 inches (16.26 x 9.14 cm) @ 300 dpi.
The following tables provides you with how many megapixels (MP) your camera needs to produce to make a print at the given size and print resolution (dpi). The tables show WxH in portrait orientation in ascending order.
If you like to learn about megapixels check out my article The truth about megapixels.
Common photo print sizes
| Size Code | WxH (mm) | WxH (in) | MP @ 36 dpi | MP @ 72 dpi | MP @ 150 dpi | MP @ 300 dpi | MP @ 600 dpi | MP @ 1200 dpi | MP @ 2400 dpi |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2R | 63.5 x 89 mm | 2.5 x 3.5 in | 0.01 | 0.05 | 0.20 | 0.79 | 3.15 | 12.62 | 50.45 |
| 3R | 89 x 127 mm | 3.5 x 5 in | 0.02 | 0.09 | 0.39 | 1.58 | 6.31 | 25.23 | 100.91 |
| 4R | 102 x 152 mm | 4 x 6 in | 0.03 | 0.12 | 0.54 | 2.16 | 8.65 | 34.61 | 138.42 |
| 4D, 6D | 114 x 152 mm | 4.5 x 6 in | 0.04 | 0.14 | 0.57 | 2.42 | 9.67 | 38.68 | 154.71 |
| 5R | 127 x 178 mm | 5 x 7 in | 0.05 | 0.18 | 0.79 | 3.15 | 12.62 | 50.45 | 201.83 |
| 6R | 152 x 203 mm | 6 x 8 in | 0.06 | 0.25 | 1.08 | 4.29 | 17.22 | 68.87 | 275.48 |
| 8R | 203 x 254 mm | 8 x 10 in | 0.10 | 0.41 | 1.80 | 7.17 | 28.77 | 115.09 | 460.34 |
| S8R | 203 x 305 mm | 8 x 12 in | 0.12 | 0.50 | 2.16 | 8.61 | 34.55 | 138.20 | 552.78 |
| 10R | 254 x 305 mm | 10 x 12 in | 0.16 | 0.62 | 2.70 | 10.81 | 43.23 | 172.91 | 691.66 |
| S10R | 254 x 381 mm | 10 x 15 in | 0.19 | 0.78 | 3.38 | 13.50 | 54.00 | 216.00 | 864.00 |
| 11R | 279 x 356 mm | 11 x 14 in | 0.20 | 0.79 | 3.46 | 13.86 | 55.42 | 221.69 | 886.77 |
| S11R | 279 x 432 mm | 11 x 17 in | 0.24 | 0.97 | 4.20 | 16.81 | 67.26 | 269.01 | 1076.07 |
| 12R | 305 x 381 mm | 12 x 15 in | 0.23 | 0.93 | 4.05 | 16.21 | 64.85 | 259.36 | 1037.48 |
| S12R | 305 x 457 mm | 12 x 18 in | 0.28 | 1.12 | 4.86 | 19.44 | 77.78 | 311.11 | 1244.43 |
Source: Paper sizes compiled from Wikipedia, dpi calculations done with Vester Kopi.
ISO standard 'A' sizes
| Size Code | WxH (mm) | WxH (in) | MP @ 36 dpi | MP @ 72 dpi | MP @ 150 dpi | MP @ 300 dpi | MP @ 600 dpi | MP @ 1200 dpi | MP @ 2400 dpi |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| A10 | 26 x 37 mm | 1.0 x 1.5 in | N/A | 0.01 | 0.03 | 0.13 | 0.54 | 2.15 | 8.70 |
| A9 | 37 x 52 mm | 1.5 x 2.0 in | N/A | 0.02 | 0.07 | 0.27 | 1.07 | 4.29 | 17.24 |
| A8 | 52 x 74 mm | 2.0 x 2.9 in | 0.01 | 0.03 | 0.13 | 0.54 | 2.15 | 8.59 | 34.35 |
| A7 | 74 x 105 mm | 2.9 x 4.1 in | 0.02 | 0.06 | 0.27 | 1.08 | 4.34 | 17.34 | 69.37 |
| A6 | 105 x 148 mm | 4.1 x 5.8 in | 0.03 | 0.13 | 0.54 | 2.17 | 8.70 | 34.69 | 138.76 |
| A5 | 148 x 210 mm | 5.8 x 8.3 in | 0.06 | 0.25 | 1.08 | 4.34 | 17.40 | 69.37 | 277.50 |
| A4 | 210 x 297 mm | 8.3 x 11.7 in | 0.13 | 0.50 | 2.18 | 8.70 | 34.80 | 139.21 | 556.85 |
| A3 | 297 x 420 mm | 11.7 x 16.5 in | 0.25 | 1.00 | 4.35 | 17.40 | 69.69 | 278.42 | 1113.65 |
| A2 | 420 x 594 mm | 16.5 x 23.4 in | 0.50 | 2.01 | 8.70 | 34.81 | 139.49 | 556.89 | 2227.50 |
| A1 | 594 x 841 mm | 23.4 x 33.1 in | 1.00 | 4.01 | 17.42 | 69.69 | 278.98 | 1115.12 | 4460.39 |
| A0 | 841 x 1189 mm | 33.1 x 46.8 in | 2.01 | 8.03 | 34.88 | 139.49 | 557.98 | 2231.87 | 8927.46 |
| 2A0 | 1189 x 1682 mm | 46.8 x 66.2 in | 4.02 | 16.07 | 69.75 | 278.98 | 1115.95 | 4463.73 | 17854.93 |
| 4A0 | 1682 x 2378 mm | 66.2 x 93.6 in | 8.03 | 32.14 | 139.49 | 557.98 | 2231.87 | 8927.46 | 35710.01 |
Source: Paper sizes compiled from Paper Sizes, dpi calculations done with Vester Kopi.
The takeaway
We need to take into account the size of the print, the viewing distance and the print resolution, all play their part. This is why it is so difficult to give a one-fits-all answer to the seemingly simple question of ‘how large can I print my photos?’. I hope the print size tables will help you get an idea of how large you can print and that you also take into account the viewing distance and dpi which we will talk more about in the upcoming article’s The perfect print.
Personally I print most of my work between 240 - 300 dpi that I display in my home as this is sufficient for the most part at the sizes I print. If I know people will walk up close and inspect the print I increase the print resolution (dpi) if needed.
Thanks for reading and if you liked this article please share it with others.
Until next time, go measure your walls for the next grand print!
