# How do you print a 4x6 picture without cropping off the top and bottom?



## Cyborg31 (May 10, 2008)

So I got this picture 3600x2400 at 300 dpi and it's 8x12 inches according to PS.  Same ratio right?

I upload it to the photolab's site to make an order but everytime, the preview cuts off the top and bottom.  However, it's fine if I select 5x7.

So I change the dpi to 72 and it's the same.  Resized it several times and still like that.

Anyways, I'm just wondering why it fits in 5x7 and gets cropped off in 4x6 when the original picture is the same ratio as 4x6?


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## Jedo_03 (May 10, 2008)

Cyborg31 said:


> So I got this picture 3600x2400 at 300 dpi and it's 8x12 inches according to PS. Same ratio right?
> 
> I upload it to the photolab's site to make an order but everytime, the preview cuts off the top and bottom. However, it's fine if I select 5x7.
> 
> ...


 
Hi Cyborg...
Well first, check the orientation... is it portrait 4x6 or is it landscape 6x4
the way you have the dimensions up there is confusing...
3600 x 2400 is 12 x 8... 
Maybe you need to re-orient the picture
post a thumbnail...
Jedo


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## Tiberius47 (May 10, 2008)

it's all to do with aspect ratio.  That is, the length of the longest side expressed in terms of the shortest side.

4x6 means that the shortest side is 4 units (be it pixels, inches or light years) and the longest side is 6 of the same units.  if you express the longest side in terms of the shortest side, you would say that the longest side is one and a half times longer than the shortest side, or 1:1.5.

This Fits in with your dimensions, because 3600 is one and a half times 2400.  No idea why it isn't working, because the aspect ration is the same.

However, the aspect ratio for a 5x7 print isn't 1:1.5, it's actually 1:1.4.  This would require cropping and/or stretching the image slightly.

Why the website isn't displaying it correctly is beyond me....


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## Cyborg31 (May 13, 2008)

I think the aspect ratio is separate though.

These pictures are square pixels.


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## Tiberius47 (May 13, 2008)

No, aspect ration is the width of the image compared to the height.  Every picture has one, regardless of pixel size or shape.


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## Rachelsne (May 13, 2008)

I ordered prints from walmart for my immigration interview (so the quality didn't have to be perfect) from walmart, they offer prints that are slightly smaller than 4x6, so that the cropping works out.


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