Print Size Reference Table
Every figure below is computed by the same functions behind the aspect ratio and print resolution calculators — none of it is typed in by hand.
Standard frame sizes, in inches
| Size | Ratio | Pixels at 300 PPI | MP | 3:2 camera keeps | 4:3 phone keeps |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4×6 | 2:3 | 1200×1800 | 2.2 | 44.4% | 50% |
| 5×7 | 5:7 | 1500×2100 | 3.2 | 47.6% | 53.6% |
| 8×10 | 4:5 | 2400×3000 | 7.2 | 53.3% | 60% |
| 11×14 | 11:14 | 3300×4200 | 13.9 | 52.4% | 58.9% |
| 12×16 | 3:4 | 3600×4800 | 17.3 | 50% | 56.3% |
| 16×20 | 4:5 | 4800×6000 | 28.8 | 53.3% | 60% |
| 18×24 | 3:4 | 5400×7200 | 38.9 | 50% | 56.3% |
| 24×36 | 2:3 | 7200×10800 | 77.8 | 44.4% | 50% |
“Keeps” is the share of the source frame surviving the largest crop at that size’s ratio. A row at 100% means the camera’s shape already matches the frame and nothing is lost.
The two sizes no camera shoots
5×7 and 11×14 do not reduce — their ratios come back as 5:7 and 11:14, unchanged, because those pairs share no common factor. Every other size on the list simplifies to a shape some camera actually produces. These two never match anything, so they always cost you part of the image, whatever you shot it on.
A crop to 8×10 costs composition, not sharpness
| Source | Pixels | After crop | Kept | PPI before | PPI after |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3:2 camera | 6000×4000 | 3200×4000 | 53.3% | 400 | 400 |
| 4:3 phone | 4032×3024 | 2419×3024 | 60% | 302 | 302 |
The last two columns are identical in every row, and that is not a coincidence. Print sharpness is set by whichever axis has the fewest pixels per inch, and a ratio crop trims only the axis that had pixels to spare — so the limiting axis comes through untouched. You lose framing. You do not lose resolution.
Why big prints are not printed at 300 PPI
A 24×36 at 300 PPI would need 7200×10800 pixels — 77.8 megapixels, more than almost any camera outside a studio. The 300 benchmark assumes you are looking from reading distance, and nobody views a poster that way. At half that resolution the same print needs a quarter of the pixels, and from across a room the difference is not visible.
Sizes are nominal ready-made frame sizes in inches. Actual openings vary slightly between manufacturers, so measure the frame you have rather than trusting the label when cutting a mat.