How to Print Photos at Home — Resolution, Paper, and Size Guide

Resolution Requirements for Printing

Print Size	Min Pixels (150 DPI)	Good Pixels (300 DPI)
4x6 inches	600 x 900	1200 x 1800
5x7 inches	750 x 1050	1500 x 2100
8x10 inches	1200 x 1500	2400 x 3000
A4	1240 x 1754	2480 x 3508
11x14 inches	1650 x 2100	3300 x 4200

Checking Your Image Resolution

Before printing, verify your image has enough pixels:

1. Use a dimension checker to see width x height
2. Divide by your desired print size in inches
3. If result is above 200 DPI, prints will look good
4. Above 300 DPI is ideal for close-viewing prints

Preparation Steps

1. Crop to print aspect ratio — Standard prints are 4:6, not 4:3 like cameras
2. Adjust brightness/contrast — Prints appear slightly darker than screens
3. Sharpen slightly — Printed images benefit from mild sharpening
4. Use sRGB color space — Most home printers expect sRGB
5. Save as maximum quality JPEG — No compression artifacts in prints

Paper Selection

• Glossy — Vibrant colors, sharp detail. Best for photos.
• Matte — No glare, softer look. Good for portraits and art.
• Semi-gloss/Satin — Balance between glossy and matte.
• Canvas — For artistic, textured prints.

Common Mistakes

• Printing a web-resolution image (72 DPI at actual size = pixelated)
• Not accounting for aspect ratio differences (4:3 photo on 4:6 paper gets cropped)
• Screen colors not matching print colors (calibrate your monitor)