4x6 inches to pixels

Pixel size for a 4x6 photo or postcard

At 300 DPI a 4 × 6 in print needs 1,200 × 1,800 px. At 150 DPI that falls to 600 × 900 px, which is acceptable for a casual print but visibly softer up close. At 96 DPI the same size is only 384 × 576 px, a screen size that would look blurry if printed.

Almost any modern phone or camera photo is far larger than 1,200 × 1,800 px, so resolution is rarely the problem for this size. The shape of the photo usually matters more.

Cropping photos to the 4x6 shape

A 4 × 6 print has a 3:2 aspect ratio. Many DSLR and mirrorless cameras shoot 3:2 natively, so those photos fit with no cropping. Phone photos are often 4:3. A 4,032 × 3,024 px photo printed 6 inches wide would need only 2,688 px of height, so about 336 px is trimmed from the top and bottom, or white borders appear if the lab fits the whole image instead.

Even after that crop, the photo is 4,032 px across 6 inches, or 672 pixels per inch, well above the 300 you need. If a crop would cut off something important, crop it yourself before ordering.

Using 4x6 for postcards and cards

For a printed postcard with artwork to the edge, add bleed (commonly 0.125 in per side, so 4.25 × 6.25 in or 1,275 × 1,875 px at 300 DPI) and keep text inside a safe margin. Your printer's template is the final authority on exact dimensions.

Need a different size or DPI?

Use the inches to pixels converter for any custom size, or read the DPI vs PPI guide to choose the right resolution for your project.