Jernej LeticaPhotography Tools & Stories
Photo Printing

Crop Photo for Print and Check the DPI

Pick the print size you are ordering, place the crop and see at once whether the photo is good enough. Nothing leaves your device.

Built and written by Jernej Letica

Local browser processing No image upload No account required

How to crop a photo for print

  1. Drop in one JPG, PNG or WebP photo. It opens in your browser and is turned upright if the camera stored it on its side.
  2. Choose the print size you are ordering, or Custom for your own size in cm or inches, then Portrait or Landscape. Add bleed if your lab asks for it.
  3. Drag the frame to place the crop and pull its handles to resize it. The ratio stays locked to the print.
  4. Read the DPI, the verdict, the share cut away and the largest print at 300 DPI. They change as you move the frame.
  5. Press Download JPG. The file is ready for the lab, with its DPI written in.

My two usual lab sizes on a 6000 × 4000 px photo

I print at a local lab, mostly 20 × 30 cm and A3. A 6000 × 4000 px photo has the same 3:2 shape as 20 × 30 cm, so nothing is cut and the tool reports 508 DPI. A3 landscape is less wide, so 5.7 % is cut away and it reports 342 DPI. Both are far above 300, and the download comes out at 3543 × 2362 px and 4961 × 3508 px.

A 1200 × 800 px copy of a photo is another story. At 20 × 30 cm it reaches 102 DPI and the verdict is Too soft for this size; the largest print at 300 DPI is 10.2 × 6.8 cm.

Why the print size decides the crop

A print has a fixed shape, and your photo usually has another. A 3:2 camera frame fits 20 × 30 cm exactly, but 8 × 10 in is 4:5, so a 6000 × 4000 px photo loses 16.7 % as a landscape print and 46.7 % as a portrait. If you leave that cut to the lab, it decides what goes. Here you decide.

To change only the shape with no print size in mind, the image cropper works in ratios instead.

What the DPI verdict means

DPI here is the pixels of your crop divided by the inches of the print. At 300 DPI or more the verdict is Fine. From 200 to 299 it is Fine for most prints. From 150 to 199 softness is visible up close, and under 150 the photo is too soft for that size. A tighter crop has fewer pixels, so the DPI falls as the frame gets smaller.

What you get in the download

When the crop has enough pixels, the JPG is exactly the print at 300 DPI: 3543 × 2362 px for 20 × 30 cm. When it does not, the tool keeps your cropped pixels as they are, writes the real DPI into the file and tells you it was not enlarged. Camera data and location are left out of the JPG.

Bleed adds 3 or 5 mm on each side for labs that trim after printing. The frame then shows the whole file, and the dashed line shows where the lab cuts.

Tips for better results

  • Choose the size first and the crop second; every size change resets the frame.
  • Keep faces and horizons inside the dashed line when you use bleed.
  • Ask your lab whether it wants bleed before adding it.
  • If the verdict is low, try a smaller size: the largest print at 300 DPI tells you where the photo is fine.

Privacy

Your photo never leaves your device. It is opened, cropped and saved in your browser, and nothing is uploaded.

Frequently asked questions

How do I resize a picture to print 8x10?

Choose 8 × 10 in, pick portrait or landscape and place the frame. The JPG comes out at 3000 × 2400 px at 300 DPI when your crop has that many pixels. A 6000 × 4000 px photo loses 16.7 % as a landscape print.

Why does cropping to 8x10 cut so much of my photo?

A camera frame is usually 3:2 and 8 × 10 in is 4:5, a squarer shape. Printed upright, a 6000 × 4000 px photo keeps only 3200 × 4000 px, so 46.7 % is cut away, and it still reaches 400 DPI.

Is 200 DPI good enough for a photo print?

For most prints, yes. The tool calls 300 DPI and above fine, 200 to 299 fine for most prints, 150 to 199 visible up close, and anything under 150 too soft for that size.

Will the tool enlarge a photo that is too small?

No. An undersized crop stays at its own pixels, the page says it was not enlarged, and the real DPI is written into the JPG. A 1200 × 800 px photo at 20 × 30 cm stays 1200 × 800 px at 102 DPI.

Do I have to upload my photo to crop it online?

No. The page runs in your browser, so the photo stays on your device. The saved JPG has the DPI written in, and camera data such as location is left out.

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