Choose the shape
Choose a custom print size whose width divided by height is 16 divided by 9. For example, 16 × 9 inches and 32 × 18 centimetres share the shape, but their physical sizes differ. Keep the selected unit visible while calculating.
| Property | Example |
|---|---|
| Matching pixels | 1920 × 1080 |
| Custom print example | 16 × 9 inches |
| Portrait orientation | 9:16 |
Fill the frame
A 6000 × 4000 image filling a 16 × 9 inch rectangle retains 6000 × 3375 pixels. It removes 15.625% of the source area and gives 375 PPI. The removed height is 625 pixels; a mathematically centred crop splits that at a half-pixel boundary.
Keep the whole photo
Keeping that source whole within the same rectangle gives a 13.5 × 9 inch image. Centred placement adds 1.25-inch borders on the left and right, and the effective PPI is about 444.44. No original content needs to be cut.
What the ratio cannot tell you
A screenshot may already be 16:9 but have far fewer pixels than a camera image. A 1920 × 1080 file printed at 16 × 9 inches supplies 120 PPI. Matching the aspect ratio does not establish that the file has the detail you want at the selected size.