# Printing 5 x 7 pictures that don't fit in the frame



## suncitybob64 (Jun 25, 2014)

I have a collection of pictures of female celebrities from the 1940's to the present from the internet that I am starting to print and post in picture frames on my walls. Here is my problem; I am printing the pictures on 5 x 7 inche photo paper and my size is 928 x 611 pixels. 

The color of the prints are great but the problem is that the actual glass size in the frame is 4 1/2 x 6 1/2 inches even though if you measure the back of it's 5 x 7 inches so I am losing a little bit on the top or bottom. Can I resize it to fit in the glass and if I am using Irfan View or Gimp 2 can they be used to fix the problem? The portraits are fine, it is the other pictures that I am concerned about.


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## sscarmack (Jun 26, 2014)

So your stealing and you want to know why they won't come out right?


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## Designer (Jun 26, 2014)

Hey, welcome, suncitybob64.  AFAIK, you can resize images, but I have no experience with doing that.  The frame/glass/print dimensions are all correct and standard.  That is why you always should leave a little room around the subject if you are planning to frame the photo.


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## KmH (Jun 26, 2014)

928 x 611 px is a 3:2 aspect ratio - a 4x6 or a 6x9. The long side of the image is 1.5x longer than the short side.
928 / 611 = 1.5 and 6 / 4 = 1,5, and 3 / 2 = 1.5

A 5x7 print has a 7:5 aspect ratio 7 / 5 = 1.4. The long side of the print is *1.4*x longer than the short side.
So you need to crop some from the long side of the image. 
How much?
611 x 1.4 = 855.4. So 928 - 856 = 72 pixels. 

Copyright law in the 1940's was different than it is today. So, don't be so sure any stealing is involved.

The Copyright Act of 1909 would apply to photos from the 1940's. Copyright Act of 1909 - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia



> . . . Under the 1909 Act, federal statutory copyright protection attached to original works only when those works were *1)* published and *2)* had a notice of copyright affixed. . . . ,state copyright law governed protection for unpublished works, but published works, whether containing a notice of copyright or not, were governed exclusively by federal law.



Back then copyright was valid for 28 years, but could be extended by renewal.
It's likely safe to assume the photos were published, if the photos do not have a copyright notice attached they are not protected by copyright law.
If the copyrights were not renewed the photos would be in the public domain.


The Copyright Act of 1976 changed that somewhat: Copyright Act of 1976 - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia


> The extension term for works copyrighted before 1978 _that had not already entered the public domain_ was increased from twenty-eight years to forty-seven years, giving a total term of seventy-five years.


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## sscarmack (Jun 26, 2014)

suncitybob64 said:


> I have a collection of pictures of female celebrities from the 1940's *to the present* from the internet....



^^^


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## KmH (Jun 26, 2014)

Ever hear of a use license?


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## WayneF (Jun 26, 2014)

suncitybob64 said:


> I have a collection of pictures of female celebrities from the 1940's to the present from the internet that I am starting to print and post in picture frames on my walls. Here is my problem; I am printing the pictures on 5 x 7 inche photo paper and my size is 928 x 611 pixels.
> 
> The color of the prints are great but the problem is that the actual glass size in the frame is 4 1/2 x 6 1/2 inches even though if you measure the back of it's 5 x 7 inches so I am losing a little bit on the top or bottom. Can I resize it to fit in the glass and if I am using Irfan View or Gimp 2 can they be used to fix the problem? The portraits are fine, it is the other pictures that I am concerned about.




Printing is always kinda tricky.

611 x 928 pixels is not the same shape as 5x7 inch paper (is more nearly 4x6 inch shape).   
611 x 855 pixels would be the same shape as 5x7 (so cropping is necessary).  This would then print 5x7 inches at 611/5" = 122 dpi, which is fairly low resolution, quite minimal.

The frame is made for old photos which typically had a 1/4 inch white border around them. Borderless printing is relatively new.

Irfanview has menu Image/Add Border which will add a border.  Use the White border option.  1/4 inch at 122 dpi would be 30 pixels wide.

This will increase the pixel dimensions by 60 pixels.  Just print that at 5x7, and the area inside the border should be 4.5 x 6.5 inches.

You will have to print this as borderless (but which will include your added border), otherwise the printer will add an unprintable area around it.  The details include some ifs and buts, it may take two tries.


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