Photo Print Size Chart India: 4x6 to 12x18 Explained

Choosing a photo print size sounds simple until you see the options: 4x6, 5x7, 8x10, 8x12, 12x18, all in inches, often listed in centimetres too. This chart lays out every common Indian photo print size, the aspect ratio behind each one, what it is best for, and the file resolution you need so the print comes out sharp. Get the ratio right and you avoid the single most common print disappointment: a head or a horizon cropped off.

The aspect ratio trap, read this first

Print size is two things: the dimensions and the shape. The shape is the aspect ratio, and it is where most prints go wrong. Most phones, including iPhones, shoot at a 4:3 ratio by default. But a 4x6 print is 3:2, and an 8x10 print is 4:5. None of these match each other exactly. So when you send a 4:3 phone photo to a 4x6 print, the lab has to crop a strip off the top and bottom, or the sides, to make it fit. Usually that is fine. Sometimes it clips someone at the edge of the frame. The fix is to leave a little breathing room around your subject when you shoot, and to check the crop preview before you order.

The photo print size chart

Common Indian print sizes, smallest to largest, with the resolution to aim for at about 300 pixels per inch:

• Passport (35x45 mm): documents, applications, ID. Shot to a fixed spec, not a creative size.
• 4x6 inches (10x15 cm), ratio 3:2: the everyday standard. Albums, wallets, casual prints, gifting a stack of memories. Aim for about 1200x1800 pixels.
• 5x7 inches (13x18 cm), ratio close to 5:7: small desk and table frames, a step up from standard for a single nice photo. Aim for about 1500x2100 pixels.
• 6x8 inches (15x20 cm), ratio 3:4: a comfortable small-portrait size, good for a bedside or shelf frame. Aim for about 1800x2400 pixels.
• 8x10 inches (20x25 cm), ratio 4:5: the classic framed portrait size, the one most picture frames are built for. Aim for about 2400x3000 pixels.
• 8x12 inches (20x30 cm), ratio 3:2: matches the native shape of most camera and phone photos, so it crops the least. A great wall-print size. Aim for about 2400x3600 pixels.
• 12x18 inches (30x45 cm), ratio 3:2: the common large statement size, a poster-scale print for a wall seen from across a room. Aim for about 3600x5400 pixels.

How to pick the right size

Three quick questions settle it:

• How far away will it be seen? A print on a desk is viewed from a foot away and can be small; a print on a living-room wall is viewed from across the room and needs to be large to have presence. Distance, not the room, decides size.
• What shape is the photo? A landscape photo wants a landscape print; a portrait wants a portrait print. Forcing one into the other is what causes ugly crops. Pick the size whose ratio is closest to your photo's.
• What does the file allow? A big print of a small file looks soft. Check your photo against the resolution numbers above, or against our fuller photo resolution printing guide, before sizing up.

Prints, or a frame, or canvas?

Size also depends on the product. Loose photo prints are for albums, gifting and frames you already own. If you want it wall-ready, a photo frame arrives printed and ready to hang in sizes from 8x8 up to 54x54 inches, and a canvas print gives you large, frameless wall art. For wall sizing specifically, our canvas print size guide mocks each size up above a real sofa.

A note on resolution, because size cannot fix it

The pixel numbers above are minimums, not guarantees. Photographers treat about 300 pixels per inch as the standard for sharp prints viewed at arm's length, and a 12x18 print of a 1200x1800 file will still look soft no matter what, because the file simply does not have the detail to fill that size. This is why we have a person check every order before printing: if the file you uploaded is too small for the size you picked, it gets flagged before printing, not after. We accept HEIC, JPG and PNG, so iPhone photos upload at full quality without conversion.

Order the right size, the first time

Pick your shape, match your resolution, and print. Start a photo print from ₹180, with free shipping over ₹199, COD, and delivery in 3 to 5 business days across India. 10,392+ customers, 4.4 stars. For more printing help, browse our photo prints guides.