Print guide
Fit vs fill: why a photo gets cropped in a frame
"Why is my head cut off?" usually has nothing to do with the printer. The photo and the frame are simply different shapes.
Shapes, not sizes
Every photo and every print size has an aspect ratio — width divided by height.
- Most phone cameras shoot 4:3 by default (for example 4000 × 3000 px).
- Many cameras shoot 3:2, the same shape as a 4×6 or 8×12 print.
- An 8×10 print is 5:4 — squarer than either.
- A4 and A3 share a ratio of about 1:1.41.
- A 12×12 frame is 1:1, a square.
When the shapes differ, you have two choices.
Fit: show the whole photo
The photo is scaled so all of it is visible. Because the shapes differ, there are blank strips on two opposite sides. Good for group photos, documents and certificates where nothing may be cut.
Fill: cover the whole print
The photo is scaled until the print is fully covered, and whatever sticks out is cropped. This is what most customers expect in a frame, but something is always lost.
How much gets cropped?
| 4000 × 3000 px photo (4:3) filled into | What is kept | Cropped |
|---|---|---|
| 6 × 4 in (3:2) | full width, 2667 of 3000 px height | about 11% of the height |
| 10 × 8 in (5:4) | 3750 of 4000 px width, full height | about 6% of the width |
| 12 × 12 in (1:1) | 3000 of 4000 px width, full height | 25% of the width |
Cropping also lowers the effective resolution slightly, because fewer pixels cover the same paper. Check it with the print resolution calculator.
Practical tips at the counter
- Show the customer the crop before printing. A quick preview prevents most complaints.
- Keep faces and text away from the edges — frames, mounts and trimming all hide a few millimetres.
- For portrait frames, check the photo's orientation first. A landscape photo in a portrait frame loses far more.
- If the customer will not accept any crop, offer fit with a white or coloured border, or a size closer to the photo's shape.