4x6 Photo Size With Examples of How It Looks in Print
A 4x6 print is the size of a standard postcard. See the exact measurements, how it compares with 5x7 and 8x10, and how many pixels your photo needs to print sharp.
A 4x6 photo measures 4 by 6 inches, which is 10.16 by 15.24 centimeters, and needs 1200 by 1800 pixels to print at 300 DPI. Its shape is 2 to 3, so a photo whose long side divides by its short side to 1.5 fills it with no crop. Add 0.125 inch of bleed on every side and the print file measures 4.25 by 6.25 inches.
Quick tips
See a 4x6 at real scale beside 5x7 and 8x10
A 4x6 is the smallest of the three and the longest in shape. The diagram draws each size on the same one inch grid, with the centimeters and the pixels each one needs at 300 DPI. Use it to judge how much of your photo each size keeps.
Watch it printed
See 4x6 standard postcards made, in 154 seconds
The 4x6 photo size at a glance
A 4x6 photo is 4 inches on the short side and 6 inches on the long side. Held in your hand, it is the size of a standard postcard, which is why a 4x6 photo slips into the same sleeves, albums and card frames as one.
The numbers to keep:
- Inches. 4 by 6, portrait or landscape.
- Centimeters. 10.16 by 15.24.
- Shape. 2 to 3, a ratio of 1.5 when you divide the long side by the short one.
How a 4x6 compares with a 5x7 and an 8x10
The three common photo sizes do not share a shape, which is why a print can come back cropped. A 4x6 is 2 to 3. A 5x7 is 5 to 7, a little squarer. An 8x10 is 4 to 5, squarer again. Take the same photo from 4x6 to 8x10 and the print keeps the full short side but loses 2 inches of the long side at the new size, 1 inch off each end. A 5x7 loses half an inch.
So choose the size by what sits near the edges. A group photo with people at both ends suits a 4x6. A portrait with space around the subject survives the move to 5x7 or 8x10. For larger wall prints, how to print photo enlargements covers the pixels and stocks a big print needs. Mounted prints start at 8 by 10 inches on 10.4 mil semi gloss, 10.4 mil hi gloss or 32# bright white uncoated paper when you want one bigger print instead of a stack of small ones.
How to crop a phone photo to 4x6
Open the photo details and read the pixel size. Divide the long side by the short side. A result of 1.5 means the photo already has the 2 to 3 shape and fills a 4x6 with nothing cut. A result of 1.33 is the 4 to 3 shape, and a 4x6 print trims about 11 percent off the short side. A result near 1.78 is the 16 to 9 shape, and the print trims about 16 percent off the long side.
Crop it yourself before you upload, so you choose what goes rather than the trimmer. Most photo editors offer a 2:3 or 4x6 crop preset; set it, drag the frame until the faces and horizon sit where you want them, and keep anything important at least 0.125 inch inside the edge, the safe zone every print file needs.
The resolution a 4x6 needs to print sharp
Print files are built at 300 DPI at the final size, and the size table above lists the pixel count for each print. A photo with more pixels than that prints fine; the printer scales it down. A photo with fewer pixels prints softer, and the loss shows first in fine text and eyelashes.
Check the source before you blame the print. A photo saved from a messaging app or a social feed is often a compressed copy of the original, well under the pixel count a 4x6 needs. Send the original file from your camera roll, set the document to CMYK if you are placing the photo in a layout, and export a PDF or a full quality JPG.
What people print at 4 by 6 inches
The 4x6 is the working size of small print. Standard postcards come in 4 by 6 inches on 14pt gloss, 16pt uncoated, 100# silk and 18pt linen among other stocks in 3 business days, starting at $16.48 for 50 at the smallest 2.5 by 2.5 inch size, so a 4 by 6 run costs more. Ready made prints come in 4 by 6 or 5 by 7 inches on 14pt uncoated cover, 50 for $15. Soft touch postcards print 4x6 on 32pt to 80pt uncoated stock with a velvet feel, starting at $29.44 for 50 at the smallest 2.5 by 2.5 inch size.
The same size carries photo thank you notes, save the date cards, real estate mailers, event handouts and prints for an album. If you want a photo on canvas instead of card, our canvas prints comparison with Vistaprint covers sizes, stretching and price.
How to order a 4x6 print that looks like the screen
Pick the stock by how the photo will be handled. 14pt gloss makes colors bright and suits a photo that goes on a fridge. 16pt uncoated or 100# silk takes a pen, so a note on the back stays readable. Soft touch at 32pt or more feels like a keepsake.
Then build the file with the photo running into the bleed, place text 0.125 inch inside the trim, and upload a PDF or JPG. Standard postcards offer a free online proof, and every order gets a free file check, which catches a low resolution photo before it prints. Start from the 4x6 postcard layout in the blank template library if you are placing the photo in a design.
Wally measures the photo before he prints it
Divide the long side by the short side
Wally checks two numbers on every photo. The pixel size must reach 1200 by 1800 for a sharp 4x6 at 300 DPI, and the long side divided by the short side should come to 1.5 or he crops it first. Then he adds 0.125 inch of bleed and prints it as a 4x6 postcard at 4OVER4.
Print 4x6 postcards →
Sizes side by side
4x6, 5x7 and 8x10 photo sizes compared
The measurements every print file starts from. Pixels are at 300 DPI, the resolution print files are built at.
| Size | Centimeters | Pixels at 300 DPI | Shape | What it keeps from a 4x6 photo |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4 x 6 in | 10.16 x 15.24 | 1200 x 1800 | 2 to 3 | The whole photo |
| 4 x 6 in file with bleed | 10.8 x 15.88 | 1275 x 1875 | Build size | The whole photo, trimmed to 4 x 6 |
| 5 x 7 in | 12.7 x 17.78 | 1500 x 2100 | 5 to 7 | Most of it, 0.5 in off the long side at 5 x 7 |
| 8 x 10 in | 20.32 x 25.4 | 2400 x 3000 | 4 to 5 | The short side, 2 in off the long side at 8 x 10 |
Specs and pricing
Standard postcard specs and pricing
The live sizes, stocks and quantity ladder for standard postcards, the product that prints a 4x6 photo on cover stock.
| Quantity | Price Per Unit | Total |
|---|---|---|
| 50 | 33.0¢ | $16.48 |
| 100 | 24.2¢ | $24.16 |
| 200 | 15.9¢ | $31.86 |
| 300 | 12.8¢ | $38.45 |
| 400 | 11.3¢ | $45.04 |
| 500 | 10.3¢ | $51.62 |
| 600 | 9.89¢ | $59.31 |
| 700 | 9.57¢ | $67.00 |
Print it
Print your photo at 4 by 6 inches
Ready-made layouts
Blank 4x6 postcard templates with bleed marked
Download a blank at 4.25 by 6.25 inches with the trim and safe zone marked, drop in your photo, and export at full size.
See it in use
Postcards customers have printed
Explore more
Where to go next
By the numbers
The 4x6 photo in four numbers
Common Questions
The 4x6 photo size, answered
How many pixels does a 4x6 print need?
1200 by 1800 pixels prints a 4x6 at 300 DPI, the resolution print files are built at. If the photo runs to the edge, build the file with bleed at 1275 by 1875 pixels. Fewer pixels still print, with softer detail in text and fine lines.
Is a 4x6 photo portrait or landscape?
Either. The size is the same 4 by 6 inches; you choose the direction when you build the file. Keep the photo and the file in the same direction so nothing is rotated or cropped on the way to press.
Will my phone photo fit a 4x6 without cropping?
Divide the long side of the photo by the short side. A result of 1.5 fits exactly. Any other result gets cropped, and the cropping section above shows how much a 4 to 3 or a 16 to 9 phone photo loses, so crop it yourself before you upload.
Is a 4x6 the same size as a postcard?
Yes, 4 by 6 inches is a standard postcard size, and 4OVER4 prints standard postcards at 4 by 6, priced in the configurator, on stocks such as 14pt gloss, 16pt uncoated and 100# silk.
What bleed does a 4x6 print file need?
Add 0.125 inch on every side, so the file measures 4.25 by 6.25 inches, and extend the photo to the new edge. Keep faces and text at least 0.125 inch inside the 4 by 6 trim line so the cut never touches them.
Can I print a 4x6 photo on thick card?
Yes. Standard postcards run on 22 stocks up to 24pt Ultra Thick Gloss Cover and 26pt Metallic Pearl Ice, and soft touch postcards print at 4 by 6 on 32pt, 48pt, 64pt or 80pt uncoated stock with a soft touch finish.
Get Started
Print your photos at 4 by 6 this week
Crop to 2 to 3, check the pixel count, add the bleed and order 4x6 postcards at 4OVER4.COM from 50 cards.
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