Print Size Calculator

Pixels Needed for a 16×20 Print

For a sharp 16×20 inch print at 300 PPI you need 4800 × 6000 pixels (28.8 megapixels). At 200 PPI — usually indistinguishable on a wall — you need 3200 × 4000 pixels (12.8 MP).

Pixels needed for 16×20, by quality level

Resolution	Pixels needed	Megapixels	Quality
300 PPI	4800 × 6000 px	28.8 MP	Excellent — close viewing
200 PPI	3200 × 4000 px	12.8 MP	Good — normal distance
150 PPI	2400 × 3000 px	7.2 MP	Acceptable — wall viewing

The maths is print inches × PPI for each side: 16 in × 300 = 4800 px and 20 in × 300 = 6000 px, and 4800 × 6000 = 28,800,000 pixels = 28.8 megapixels.

Crop and aspect ratio: 16×20 is 4:5

16×20 has a 4:5 aspect ratio (16 ÷ 20 = 4 ÷ 5), the same shape as an 8×10. That is squarer than most original photos:

• A typical DSLR or mirrorless photo is 3:2 — printing it at 16×20 crops the long ends (for example, a 6000 × 4000 px file becomes 5000 × 4000 px after cropping to 4:5).
• A typical phone photo is 4:3 — closer to 4:5, but it still needs a small crop.

Plan for the crop: check that heads, hands and text are not tight against the long edges of your frame before you order. The calculator above accounts for both orientations, but cropping to 4:5 can lower your effective resolution versus the uncropped file.

Other print sizes

• Print size calculator (any pixel size)
• Pixels needed for an 8×10 print
• Pixels needed for a 24×36 print
• How big can I print an iPhone photo?