Choose the size for the job
Start by looking for the subject, not the centre of the file. A square crop may work well when a face or object can occupy a compact region. It can remove context from a wide group or a landscape, so check both sides before exporting.
| Measurement | Value |
|---|---|
| Inches | 4 × 4 |
| Centimetres | 10.16 × 10.16 |
| Millimetres | 101.6 × 101.6 |
| Short-edge-to-long-edge ratio | 1:1 |
Pixel examples
These examples multiply each edge in inches by the stated PPI. They describe pixel counts for the chosen size, not a universal pass or fail rule for appearance. Use the retained pixels after cropping when checking an existing photo.
| Example PPI | Pixels |
|---|---|
| 150 | 600 × 600 |
| 240 | 960 × 960 |
| 300 | 1,200 × 1,200 |
A worked example
A 3000 × 2000 landscape image cropped to its largest square retains 2000 × 2000 pixels. At 4 × 4 inches, that gives 500 PPI and removes one-third of the original area. Keep the whole photo instead and its picture area becomes 4 × 2⅔ inches, with two-thirds-inch borders above and below.
Before you print
Four 4-inch squares do not fit across the 8.5-inch width of Letter; only two do, before gaps and margins. Use the paper layout tool to calculate the actual grid rather than multiplying the number of copies by an assumed paper capacity.