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What resolution do you need for an 8x10" memorial portrait?

An 8x10" memorial portrait needs 2,400 × 3,000 pixels for a true 300 DPI print, or 1,600 × 2,000 pixels at a more forgiving 200 DPI. That is about a 7.2 MP camera if the photograph needs no cropping.

The standard memorial portrait. Sits on the register table beside the guest book, and fits a frame from any shop without custom framing or a wait.

Inches
8 × 10
Aspect ratio
4:5
Pixels at 300 DPI
2,400 × 3,000
Pixels at 200 DPI
1,600 × 2,000

Check your photograph against 8x10"

Drop the file in. It is read on your own computer and never uploaded.

Drop the photograph here

JPG, PNG, WebP or iPhone HEIC. You can paste one from the clipboard too — a photo saved from a message works.

The photograph is read on this device and never uploaded.

What each kind of photograph gives you at 8x10"

The crop to 4:5 is already taken off these figures, which is why they are lower than dividing pixels by inches. If you know roughly how many megapixels the photograph is but not its pixel dimensions, start from what you can print from a 12 MP photo — the size nearly every phone saves — or compare every megapixel count against every print size.

Effective DPI at 8x10" for common sources
Where it came fromPixelsDPI at 8x10"Verdict
A photo saved from Facebook1,536 × 2,048192Soft at this size
A photo sent by WhatsApp at standard quality1,200 × 1,600150Soft at this size
A 6x4 print scanned at 300 DPI1,200 × 1,800150Soft at this size
A 6x4 print scanned at 600 DPI2,400 × 3,600300Sharp
A 12 MP phone photo3,024 × 4,032378Sharp
An iPhone 15 or later at its default 24 MP4,284 × 5,712535Sharp
An iPhone at 48 MP, full resolution6,048 × 8,064756Sharp
A camera, 24 MP4,000 × 6,000500Sharp

What usually goes wrong at 8x10"

  • Using a copy saved from Facebook or a message. Facebook keeps at most 2,048px on the long edge, which is 192 DPI at 8x10"; WhatsApp at standard quality sends about 1,600px. The original on somebody’s phone is usually several times larger. This is one of the most common reasons a photograph will not print, and one message asking for the original often fixes it.
  • Dividing raw pixels by inches. It ignores the crop to 4:5 and overstates the resolution, sometimes badly. Every figure on this page has the crop taken off already.
  • Scanning at 300 DPI and expecting a bigger print. A 6x4 print scanned at 300 DPI is only 1800px on the long edge. Scanning the same print at 600 DPI doubles that and costs nothing but a setting, so scan high the first time — the print may go back in an album.
  • Losing the DPI tag. Some printers and layout programs size the picture from the DPI field, so a file with the right pixels but a 72 DPI tag can come out the wrong size. Every file this site produces has the DPI written into it as well as into its name.

Every size, side by side

Pixel dimensions required for each standard frame size. The last column is the camera resolution needed to reach 300 DPI with no cropping at all.
Print sizeInchesPixels at 300 DPIPixels at 200 DPICamera needed
5x7"5 × 71,500 × 2,1001,000 × 1,4003.1 MP
8x10"8 × 102,400 × 3,0001,600 × 2,0007.2 MP
A48.27 × 11.692,481 × 3,5071,654 × 2,3388.7 MP
11x14"11 × 143,300 × 4,2002,200 × 2,80014 MP
12x16"12 × 163,600 × 4,8002,400 × 3,20017 MP
A311.69 × 16.543,507 × 4,9622,338 × 3,30817 MP
16x20"16 × 204,800 × 6,0003,200 × 4,00029 MP
18x24"18 × 245,400 × 7,2003,600 × 4,80039 MP
20x24"20 × 246,000 × 7,2004,000 × 4,80043 MP
24x36"24 × 367,200 × 10,8004,800 × 7,20078 MP

Questions

8x10" questions

What resolution do you need for an 8x10" memorial portrait?
Count on 2,400x3,000 pixels to hold a true 300 DPI at this size, or 1,600x2,000 if 200 DPI will do — and for a framed portrait it usually will. Uncropped, the first of those is the work of about a 7.2 MP camera. Both figures have the trim to 4:5 taken off already.
Can a phone photo print at 8x10"?
A standard 12 MP phone photo is 3024x4032 pixels, which comes to about 378 DPI at 8x10" once it is cropped to 4:5. Comfortably over 300 DPI, so it will come out sharp.
What aspect ratio is 8x10"?
4:5, from 8 by 10 inches. Phones shoot 3:4, so reaching 4:5 means giving up some of the edges, and that is precisely why the working resolution comes in under what the raw pixel count promises.
Is 8x10" the right size for a funeral?
The standard memorial portrait. Sits on the register table beside the guest book, and fits a frame from any shop without custom framing or a wait.
Do I need to add bleed to an 8x10" print file?
Usually not — a portrait destined for a frame rarely needs any, and most shops will not ask. Where one does, expect the usual 0.125 inches all round, taking the file to 2,475x3,075 pixels at 300 DPI. Leave the face comfortably clear of that outer band, since it gets cut away.