A photograph is one moment of life that remains in memory for many years. No matter what happens, but when you take a photograph in your hand, time seems to return back. Yes, you can’t return the past, but no one forbids remembering!
No one can imagine their life without pictures. Every important event should be captured on photo paper. Even those who don't like taking photos for their own use can't refuse them on documents. Sooner or later, everyone goes to a photo studio in order to take a passport photo or make a portfolio.
What are the sizes of photos for printing?
Due to different purposes, there are several image sizes, each of which performs a separate function. What are the sizes of photos for printing? Since the popularity of such a procedure is growing, accordingly, there are a lot of formats. We are talking about small sizes - this is a 3 by 4 passport photo or a regular photo album 10 by 15 or 13 by 18.
Photography is not a vital thing. You can live without pictures, because all memories are stored in memory. But, thanks to advanced technologies, we still have the opportunity to look at the captured moments and remember the moments. It's amazing that ideas like this pop up in our heads.
To prolong the happy moment, they take a snapshot, whether it is a wedding or the birth of a child - everything is captured. After that, you just need to print the received photos and put them in your album. More recently, people used film, and now digital technology has forced it out of the market. A big plus of progress is that the resulting image is visible immediately, that is, there is no need to wait and think about how the photo turned out.
Photos for documents
The most common type of photo is a passport photo, which has several requirements that must be met. One of the main ones is a 3 by 4 photograph. The size must comply with the regulations, otherwise the documents will not be accepted for consideration.
When submitting a package of documents, state authorities require two photographs. Such a photo is taken within a few minutes and is completely ready for further use. In addition to the passport, they are often photographed for student documents or a driver's license. A 3 x 4 photo is printed, the size of which is identical to the passport version. Although it should be borne in mind that sometimes a 3.5 by 4.5 photograph is accepted for a passport.
The photo salon knows all the standards, so do not worry. It is enough just to tell which document you need to take a photo. After all, photographers know what sizes photos are for printing. Professionals in their field have a full hand, every day dozens of people pass through them.
amateur photos
Among the common species, there is also an amateur photo. These are simple photographs that depict both people and nature. The most popular format is a 10 x 15 photograph. A standard size in which the outlines of a person or object are clearly visible. Ideal for photo album decoration.
These are not all formats. But the question arises, what are the sizes of photographs for printing. There are quite a lot of them, for example, you can highlight a picture of A4 landscape format, and speaking the language of a photographer, then 21 by 30 centimeters. This size is used for large pictures, usually for the purpose of creating a portfolio, since all the features of a person are clearly visible on it. The 13 x 18 photo is also in demand - this is a slightly smaller format. Usually used to decorate a portrait.
How do pixels affect photo quality?
Pixels are the smallest unit of size, in other words, the number of dots in an image. When there are few such points, the image is blurry, with fuzzy contours. A large number of pixels makes the photo bright and clear, it can be enlarged to almost any size, for example, make it 21 by 30.
The quality of the photo and its size depend on the maximum resolution. Today, there are almost no devices left that take low-quality pictures. Since even the most ordinary phones have a camera with two pixels in their arsenal.
This indicator determines in what format the photo can be printed in the future. Although such a standard size as 10 by 15, in any case, it turns out. The fewer pixels, the worse the quality of the photo. If the most ordinary photo can be easily arranged in a size of 10 by 15, then, for example, it will not be possible to enlarge it, since the picture will not be clear.
If you want to take a high-quality professional photo, you need to contact a photo studio. The photographer, like no one else, knows how to properly direct the light, will help you choose a beautiful pose. A professional will adjust the photo to the required format and print it on photo paper.
How to print a photo of the required size?
There are also two options for printing a photo. Although now this service is in less demand, as many people are just on the computer. But, you can see that these are completely different feelings. After all, when you hold a photograph in your hand, as if you are getting closer to the displayed moment.
In order to hold a photo in your hand, you need to print it, and you can do this in two ways: at home or in the salon. At home, most often they print photos of a standard size of 10 by 15. But a photo of a larger format cannot always be made of high quality, because it depends on the size of the photo paper and on the capabilities of the printer.
Why so many photo sizes?
The fact is that in life there are different events that I would like to remember for a long time. The most common image format cannot convey the whole atmosphere. When you take a larger photo, for example, in a 21x30 format, you immediately become a participant in those happy moments.
Time runs restlessly forward, and thanks to the photo, a person remains unchanged. So you can experiment and arrange a picture in different formats, then see which photo will most harmoniously fit into an album or apartment interior.
» Table of standard photo printing formats
To prepare files for printing in one of the standard formats (from 10x15 to 30x90 cm), you can use this table.
| format name | linear dimensions, cm | file sizes in pixels | ||
| 300dpi | 320dpi | |||
| 10x15 | 15.2 x 10.2 | 1795 x 1205 | 1915 x 1285 | |
| 11x15 | * | 15.2 x 11.0 | 1795 x 1299 | 1915 x 1386 |
| 15x15 | 15.2 x 15.2 | 1795 x 1795 | 1915 x 1915 | |
| 15x20 | * | 20.3 x 15.2 | 2398 x 1795 | 2557 x 1915 |
| 15x22 | 22.4 x 15.2 | 2646 x 1795 | 2822 x 1915 | |
| 20x30 | 30.5 x 20.3 | 3602 x 2398 | 3843 x 2557 | |
| 21x30 | 30.5 x 21.0 | 3602 x 2480 | 3843 x 2646 | |
| 30x30 | 30.5 x 30.5 | 3602 x 3602 | 3843 x 3843 | |
| 30x40 | * | 40.3 x 30.5 | 4760 x 3602 | 5077 x 3843 |
| 30x45 | 45.7 x 30.5 | 5398 x 3602 | 5757 x 3843 | |
| 30x90 | 90.0 x 30.5 | 10630 x 3602 | 11339 x 3843 | |
* An asterisk indicates formats with an aspect ratio of 4:3. Pictures from digital cameras can have an aspect ratio of both 4:3 and 3:2, depending on the manufacturer and the characteristics of individual models.
File sizes in pixels are calculated based on the print resolution of equipment that prints standard formats - 320 dpi.
Urgent photo printing and photo book printing are performed with a resolution of 300 dpi.
Note:
A small part of the image will always be bleeded, regardless of the values of the "crop" parameter. This is due to the technical tolerances of printing machines for paper play. We do not recommend placing significant image fragments (for example, signatures) closer than 2 mm from its edge.
In cases where the aspect ratio of the image and the selected print size are the same, we recommend choosing the bleed (borderless) cropping mode. This will avoid narrow white streaks around the edges of the printout, which can occur due to natural play when the paper is fed.
In order to print an image "pixel by pixel" without scaling, you must select the "real size" cropping mode. In this case, to compensate for paper backlash, we recommend preparing files with a margin for width and height, but no more than plus 60 pixels on each side.
Photography is an important part of every person's life. Some make a living by taking professional photographs, which are then printed for advertising. Some simply photograph memorable moments of life that are so nice to keep in a home album. The main thing is that the photo card turned out to be of high quality. To do this, you need to choose the right format. In this article, you will learn what formats and sizes of photos for printing exist and which ones are suitable for various purposes.
Pixel
To understand the sizes and form factors of images, choose them correctly, and then print them, you must first understand a few important concepts.
One such concept is the pixel. In every modern photograph there are hundreds or thousands of square, less often rectangular, shapes. A pixel is the smallest component of an image that represents a specific color. Image values can be indicated with their help, but it is important to understand that they do not determine the size of the frame, but only its resolution. A frame consisting of pixels can be stretched as much as you like, but the larger the format, the lower the quality of the image.
Linear size
The next definition is a linear dimension. It determines the format of the image to be printed. This is the width and height of the image after printing, expressed in millimeters. In order to print a photo, it is important to take into account the number of pixels, because its quality depends on it.
DPI
Another concept is DPI. This is an abbreviation of the words "dots per inch", which translates as "dots per inch". As you might guess, DPI defines the number of dots per inch (25.4mm. images). This is important when printing because it can affect the format. The higher the DPI value, the better the image quality will be. Usually pictures with a DPI value of 150 are of good quality, but it is still better if the number of points reaches 300.
When preparing a photo for printing, it is important to consider its linear dimensions, since special photo paper is produced mainly in a standard format. If the aspect ratio of the photo does not match the proportions of the paper, then the photo may be stretched in the horizontal or vertical direction. Also, if the width and height of the photo paper is larger than the image parameters, the finished photo card will come out of poor quality, the borders of the squares may be visible. Therefore, do not forget to correlate the dimensions of the sides of a digital image depending on the number of pixels and compare them with the standard dimensions of photographic paper. If necessary, you can always adjust the proportions in any photo editor that provides cropping with standard aspect ratios.
The generally accepted standard for printing photographs is 100 x 150 mm. True, it is better to take a digital image of slightly larger sizes, preferably 102 by 105 mm, this reduces the likelihood of obtaining a poor quality image. At the same time, the pixel resolution of this format must be at least 1205 by 1795. There are also other standard formats:
| millimeters | pixels |
|---|---|
| 130 to 108 | 1500 to 2102 |
| 100 to 300 | 1205 to 3602 |
| 150 to 220 | 1795 to 2646 |
| 200 to 300 | 2398 to 3602 |
| 210 to 300 | 2480 to 3602 |
| 240 to 300 | 2835 to 3602 |
| 300 to 300 | 3602 to 3602 |
| 300 to 450 | 3602 to 5398 |
| 300 to 600 | 3602 to 7087 |
| 300 to 900 | 3602 to 10630 |
There are also certain standards for large format printing. To print such a picture, it is important to keep track of the resolution of the digital image in pixels. For large format printing, there are the following options:
| millimeters | pixels |
|---|---|
| 400 to 600 | 4000 to 6000 |
| 500 to 750 | 5000 to 7500 |
| 600 to 900 | 6000 to 9000 |
| 900 to 1200 | 9000 to 12000 |
| 600 by 1800 | 6000 to 18000 |
| 1000 by 1000 | 10000 by 10000 |
| 1000 to 1500 | 10000 by 15000 |
| 1000 to 3000 | 10000 by 30000 |
Calculation of the linear size
If you are not sure which print format you need in order to get the largest possible photo of optimal quality, you can use the formula that will help you calculate one side of the photo in centimeters: LR = a * d / DPI.
In this formula:
- LR is the linear size of the specified side in millimeters;
- a is the number of pixels on a given side;
- d - inches in millimeters (25.4);
- DPI is the number of dots per inch of your image (approximately 150-300).
Consider an example: if the resolution of the desired side is 2398 “a”, and the number of points of the photograph is 300 “DPI”, then we get LR = 2398 * 25.4 / 300. Thus, LR = 203 mm, which is ideal for a photo card with a side of 20 centimeters. It remains only to choose the appropriate aspect ratio, considering, if necessary, the size of the second side.
Often people prefer to take photos for documents on their own, rather than being photographed in the salon. Such images often turn out to be unattractive for the owner, because the photographer shoots as required by the rules, without thinking that a person can use this picture for many years. But you can take a picture of yourself on your own, without violating certain requirements, while emphasizing the best outlines of your face. After the photo is ready, all that remains is to print it or do it yourself, but then the question arises which aspect ratio to choose. Different documents may require different form factors, here are the most popular ones:
- For a Russian or foreign passport, the aspect ratio of the photo must be 35 by 45 mm;
- A photo for a pension and driver's license, medical book, student ID, work permit, etc. has dimensions of 30 by 40 mm .;
- The photo parameters for a personal file are 40 by 60 mm.
Popular photo formats for printing
Also consider the popular photo formats that are most common in everyone's life:
- Ordinary family albums and photo frames are produced in A6 format, images with dimensions of 100 by 150 or 90 by 130 mm are suitable for it;
- A7 with sides of 70 by 100 mm and A8 - 50 by 70 can be suitable for small photo frames;
- They also produce large A4 photo albums, which corresponds to the size of a sheet of paper for a printer, so it can be useful for various purposes, an aspect ratio of 210 by 300 is suitable here;
- A5, corresponding to the size of a simple notebook, is also often used; sides of 150 by 200 are suitable for it;
- A3 is also often found, which corresponds to two A4 sheets, it can be useful both in the professional field and for family photography to hang on the wall, its sides are 300 by 400 mm.
Summing up, we can safely say that it is not difficult to choose the required size of photographs and the appropriate format. It is important to understand what parameters such as pixels, linear size and DPI are, so as not to get confused. Having determined the pixel resolution of digital photography, it will be easy to choose one of the most popular options for printing, both for everyday life and for professional activities and documents, and get a high-quality photo card.
1 ratings, average: 4,00 out of 5)
Hi!!!
In the 20th century, photographers did not have questions about the format of the image being created. Then it was possible to develop a photo of any size. Now there are several formats that are most popular. This is explained by the prevalence of typical photo albums, in which pictures of a non-standard format do not look very attractive.
What are the sizes of digital photos?
A regular photo printed on photo paper has only physical dimensions. Digital photography has many more properties. Theoretically, you can print almost any image. But if this process occurs at a pixel density of less than 300 dpi, then some artifacts will be displayed on the printed photo. Therefore, there are some limitations, which will be discussed below.
Photo sizes in pixels
The most important parameter is the size (resolution) of the digital image. Computer programs display photo sizes in pixels. To print a standard photo, a resolution of at least 1795 x 1205 pixels is required. A picture of this size can now be obtained by any digital camera. Even in mobile phones, cameras are already very rare that cannot save photos in this resolution.
Photo sizes in cm (centimeters)
The standard size is the one that has a physical size of 10 x 15 cm. For commemorative prints, the larger size is usually selected. Standard photo sizes also include 15 x 20 cm, 20 x 30 cm and 30 x 45 cm. High resolution images are required to print these photos. Typically, a compact, system or SLR camera is used for shooting in this case.
Aspect Ratio
An equally important parameter is the aspect ratio. This property indicates how much one side is longer than the other. The standard aspect ratio is 3:2. Most of the matrices installed in modern cameras have the same parameter. Sometimes other ratios are provided in the camera menu. When they are selected, a banal cropping of the edges of the image occurs. The resolution is then reduced to one value or another.
Often photographers choose an aspect ratio of 16:9. It's called widescreen. Now many monitors and TVs have the same parameter. On them, such pictures are displayed in full screen. But the sizes of photos for printing are also changing. The width of the printed image should be increased. When choosing a standard print format, you will have to crop a fairly decent part of the image.
photo paper
The emergence of new standards is dictated by photo paper manufacturers. No photo lab will print a picture of an unusual size for free, as this will require cutting the finished photo. And this already applies to additional services.
Small photo sizes
Several popular formats have been mentioned above. And in the table below you will find more accurate information about what photo sizes are. But this is not yet the most complete list. Recently, people regularly print pictures on A4 photo sheets. For such photos, appropriate frames have been produced for quite a long time. Also, their production can be ordered in baguette workshops.
Miniature photographs are now printed extremely rarely. The size of a small photo can be 9 x 13 cm. If you need a photo in your wallet, you will have to print it yourself on a printer or make a non-standard order in a photo salon. For photo sizes, cm is not always used as the primary unit of measure. Photos for documents (driver's license, passport, etc.) are measured in millimeters, as in this case, greater accuracy is important.
Large Format Printing: Photo Sizes
Recently, large-format printing has become very popular. This is the name of the service for printing large-sized images with an aspect ratio of 3:2 or any other. Typically, this service is required for printing banners with vector graphics for promotional or congratulatory purposes.
Photo sizes rarely allow printing in such large formats. You can see from the table above that a high quality 40 x 60 cm print would require a frame with a resolution of 4000 x 6000 pixels. Only cameras with a 24-megapixel matrix can provide such a photo.
Conclusion
It is advisable to always have the above tables at hand. With their help, you can quickly find out to what values you can reduce the size of a photo if necessary.
Services
- Seals in accordance with GOST (with the Emblem of the Russian Federation), stamps, facsimile
- Signboards, banners
- Business cards, badges, numbers
- Souvenir products
- Printing drawings (A0, A1, A2, A3)
- T-shirt printing
- Printing A4 photos (posters), text (not typeset), photo retouching
- Production of plates to order
- Calendars, invitations, stickers, collages
- Copying, laminating, binding
- Laser engraving on plastic
- Printing on mugs
- Making magnets
- Printing certificates
- Diplomas to order
Studios and printing houses are able to print pictures of different sizes - from miniature passport-sized rectangles to solid 30 × 60 cm photographs and non-standard options. It is not always clear which format to choose so as not to see digital "noise" on paper and get the same clarity as the monitor. What are the photo formats for printing? How to navigate them taking into account a specific goal? About this - in our article.
Table of typical formats
Photo paper manufacturers have set international standards for print sizes. The proportions in these standards do not correspond to the proportions in the matrices of digital cameras, which adds complexity to customers (who are used to marking A6 ... A0 for plain paper and get confused in other notations and tables) and printers (who have to adjust and manually crop images).
| Print format | Exact format size in mm | Photo resolution for printing 300dpi |
| 9×13 | 89×127 | 1051×1500 |
| 10×15 | 102×152 | 1205×1795 |
| 13×18 | 127×178 | 1500×2102 |
| 15×20 | 152×203 | 1795×2398 |
| 15×21 | 152×216 | 1795×2551 |
| 20×30 | 203×305 | 2398×3602 |
| 30×40 | 305×406 | 3602×4795 |
| 30x45 | 305×457 | 3602×5398 |
| 30×90 | 305×914 | 3602×10795 |
Photo paper 10×15 cm roughly corresponds to a sheet of plain paper A6, 15×21 cm - A5, 30×30 - A4, 30×40 and 30×45 - A3, 30×60 - A2.
If the table of formats and sizes of photographs for printing did not clarify, and the marking A6, A5, A4, A3 ... A0 does not come out of your head, you should prudently order a larger picture and ask the printers to cut it to the usual format.
For example: you want to get a full color A6 image with a resolution of 300 dpi. In this case, order a printout on paper 15×21 cm and cut off the excess, because. a 10×15 format close to A6 will be 2 mm smaller on one side than A6.
Visually, the photo paper formats will look like this:
Image printout targets and standard photo sizes for printing in cm
- Eternal classic - 10×15 cm. Such a picture will fit in any family album and frame, people with average vision can easily see it, in a small room an image of 10×15 cm will look good on the wall both solo and next to others.
- A4 (translated onto photographic paper - 20 × 30 cm) should be ordered for wall decoration. Both in a commercial interior and in a spacious room, the picture will look presentable and bright.
- 30x40 and 40x50 cm are large images that should be viewed from a distance. Typically, these sizes are chosen for interior design with an emphasis on decor. A resolution of 300 dpi, typical for small shots, is not enough in this case: a large picture is visible to everyone at once, so it must be clear and devoid of "noise", so you should take care of shooting with a modern digital camera.
- Printing portraits for documents involves using photo sizes for printing in cm. So, for a passport you will need a portrait of 3.7 × 4.7 cm, for issuing a certificate - 3 × 4 cm, for obtaining a visa - 3.5 × 4.5 cm, for a standard pass - 6 × 9 cm.
Choose the right paper so you don't have to worry about fitting an image with wide white margins and don't think about how to get back the part of the image that didn't fit. In all printing houses, photo salons and websites, format tables are usually presented. You can also ask the employee for help through feedback on the website, by phone or by contacting him personally upon arrival at the studio.
Loading...