Print Size Calculator

Drop in a photo and see the largest size it prints sharp, with a verdict for every size we make. It runs in your browser and nothing is uploaded.

Will my photo print sharp?

Drop in a photo and we read its pixel size on your device. Nothing is uploaded. You get the largest size that prints sharp, and a verdict for every size we make.

Choose a photo or drag it here
JPEG, PNG, HEIC from iPhone, TIFF up to 100 MB
Sharp means 300 pixels per inch, the lab standard for prints viewed in the hand. Wall pieces are viewed further away, so 150 to 200 still looks good on canvas and large posters.
Your results will appear here.

What gets cropped at each size?

Photos are 3:2 or 4:3, but a 8x10 is 4:5 and A4 is 1:1.41. Pick a size and drag the frame to see what stays in the print.

Choose a photo or drag it here
Load a photo to begin. Drag the image to reposition inside the frame.

What size for my wall?

Measure the wall and the furniture under it. We work out a size that looks right and where to hang it. Or start from a print size and see how it looks on three typical walls.

Guide: art should span 60 to 75 percent of the furniture below it, the centre sits about 150 cm from the floor, and the bottom edge stays 15 to 25 cm above a sofa back.
Not sure what a result means? WhatsApp us the photo and we will tell you the largest size it prints well at.

How the calculator works

Nothing is uploaded. Your browser reads the photo and does the maths on your device.

1

Reads the pixels

It takes the width and height of your photo in pixels, for example 3,000 by 4,000.

2

Divides by 300

A print needs 300 pixels per inch to look sharp in the hand. Pixels divided by 300 gives the largest sharp size in inches.

3

Checks every size

It then works out the pixels per inch you would get at each size we make and gives it a verdict.

The terms

What the words mean

Six words that come up in every printing conversation, in plain English.

12 MP

Pixels and megapixels

A digital photo is a grid of tiny squares called pixels. Megapixels is width times height in millions. A phone photo is usually 3,000 by 4,000, or 12 megapixels.

300

PPI, pixels per inch

How many pixels land on each inch of paper. The same photo spreads thinner as the print grows, so ppi falls as size rises. 300 is the lab standard.

dpi

DPI is the same idea

Dots per inch is a printer term. When a lab asks for 300 dpi, it means 300 pixels per inch at the final print size.

2 m

Viewing distance

A print you hold shows every pixel. A canvas seen from across a room does not, so 150 ppi looks just as sharp on a wall.

+30%

Upscaling

Software inventing pixels that were never captured. We can lift a photo by about a third with no visible loss. Beyond that, faces go waxy.

1 MP

Compressed copies

WhatsApp shrinks every photo to about one megapixel and screenshots are only as big as your screen. Always print from the original file.

What each verdict means

The thresholds come from printing photos every day, not from a textbook.

VerdictPixels per inchLooks sharpGood for
Sharp280 and aboveIn the hand and up closeAlbums, frames, gifts, anything at eye level
Good200 to 280From half a metreFramed prints and posters on a wall
Wall only140 to 200From a metre or moreCanvas and large posters above a sofa
Too smallUnder 140Soft at any distanceChoose a smaller size or find the original file

Common questions

Why is my photo smaller than I expected?

Chat apps compress photos to about one megapixel, enough for a 4R and no more. Ask the sender to share the original from their gallery, or send it as a file rather than a photo.

A screenshot is the size of your screen, not the photo. Open the original in your gallery and share from there.

Both compress heavily. If it is your own photo, export it from your phone or from Google Photos or iCloud at full size.

That is fine. We print HEIC files every day, and the calculator reads them in most browsers. If yours shows an error, export as JPEG from the Photos app.

A little. We can upscale by about a third without visible loss. We cannot fix a photo that was blurry or out of focus when it was taken. Send it to us on WhatsApp and we will tell you the largest size that prints well, free.