How to choose the right format for printing your photos?

We’ve all been there: a photo you love on your phone screen, but once printed… it’s a let-down. Poor framing, cropped edges, a blurry finish. Most of the time, it’s not the photo itself that’s the problem, but the format chosen for printing.

Choosing the right format for printing your photos means taking several factors into account at once: the image’s proportions, the material it will be printed on, and its intended use. A photo intended for a keepsake book isn’t prepared in the same way as a wall poster or a standard print to be placed in a frame.

At AgfaPhoto Print, every detail counts to ensure your memories are faithfully reproduced, whether on a simple print or a large-format photo printed on aluminium. This guide is here to help you make the right choices, step by step, without unnecessary jargon.

What is the best format for printing photos?

Before placing an order, there is one question many people overlook: is my image really suited to the format I want to print? The final result depends largely on how well the proportions of your photo match the chosen print format. Here’s how to make sense of it all.

How do you choose the ideal photo format for printing?

The ideal format depends primarily on two things: the proportions of your photo and where you plan to display it. A wall print doesn’t follow the same rules as a photo slipped into an album or presented in a frame.

Most digital cameras produce images in a 3:2 aspect ratio, which works very well with 10x15 cm or 20x30 cm formats. Smartphones, on the other hand, often capture images in 4:3, a squarer aspect ratio that suits 10x13 cm or 13x18 cm formats better. If you force a 4:3 image into a 10x15 cm print without taking care, the edges will be cropped, sometimes in the wrong place.

In practical terms, before choosing your print format, check the aspect ratio of your photo in the file properties or in your photo app. It’s a quick step that saves you from many unpleasant surprises.

Which photo format: 4:3 or 16:9?

Since smartphones have become our everyday cameras, the choice of shooting aspect ratio has a direct impact on the final print result. The 4:3 format is the default setting on most phones. It offers a fairly balanced frame, similar to traditional paper sizes, making it naturally compatible with standard photo prints.

The 16:9 format, on the other hand, is the cinematic format. It is found in photos taken in ‘wide-angle’ mode or directly from certain apps. It is very wide and very horizontal, which can produce beautiful results on a panoramic poster or an elongated wall print. However, on a square format or a standard print, you will have to accept black borders or crop the image.

For everyday use—prints, photo books, personalised gifts—the 4:3 format remains the most versatile. The 16:9 ratio really comes into its own on large decorative formats.

What is the ideal photo paper size: 10x15 or 13x18?

These two formats are the most popular for photo prints and, honestly, both have their uses. It all depends on what you want to do with your photo.

The 10x15 cm is the classic choice. It’s the format found in all photo albums, standard shop-bought frames and souvenir envelopes. It’s compact, easy to handle and fits perfectly with photos taken in a 3:2 ratio. If you’re printing holiday photos to put in an album or send to family, this is probably the most logical choice.

The 13x18 cm offers a little more surface area, which really changes the way a photo is perceived. Details stand out better, faces are more prominent and the overall effect is more generous. It is a format well suited to portraits, group photos or any image you wish to frame and display in a room. It is also better suited to photos taken in 4:3, as the proportions are closer to this ratio.

The formats available at AgfaPhoto Print for photo printing

At AgfaPhoto Print, photo prints are available in several formats to cover all needs:

The 10x15 cm remains the standard for everyday prints. The 10x10 cm, a square format, is designed for Instagram photos or any image composed around a centred frame. The 13x18 cm is a step up for portraits and photos you really want to showcase. Finally, the 15x20 cm is the obvious choice when you want a print with presence, without going as far as a large wall-hanging format.

Each format has its own logic. The best approach is to start with the aspect ratio of your photo, then choose the format that best suits it to avoid any unwanted cropping.

What is the best file format for printing photos?

The print size is one thing. But the file format you send to print is another, and it’s just as important. A poorly chosen or overly compressed file can cause even the most beautiful photos to lose quality. Here’s what you need to know before sending your images.

Which image format offers the highest quality?

In terms of pure quality, the RAW format comes out on top. This is the unprocessed format produced by digital cameras. No compression, no data loss, and maximum flexibility for editing. If you shoot in RAW and want a high-end print, this is the ideal starting point.

The problem is that RAW files cannot be printed directly. They must first be converted to a compatible format. This is where TIFF and high-quality JPEG come in. TIFF preserves all image information without lossy compression, making it the format of choice for large prints where every detail counts. JPEG, exported at maximum quality, remains a very solid option for the vast majority of everyday uses.

Key takeaway: the quality of a print depends as much on the image resolution (at least 300 dpi for a sharp print) as on the file format. A JPEG properly exported at 300 dpi will produce excellent results. A poorly converted or low-resolution RAW file will not.

Which is better: JPG or PNG?

For photo printing, JPEG is clearly the most suitable format. It was designed for photos, handles gradients and colour nuances very well, and produces files of a reasonable size without sacrificing quality, provided you don’t push the compression too far.

PNG, on the other hand, is a lossless format that excels in a completely different context: logos, illustrations, and visuals with solid blocks of colour or transparent backgrounds. For a landscape photo or a portrait, it won’t offer you anything more than a good JPEG, and the file will be significantly larger.

In practical terms, if you’re exporting your photos from Lightroom, Photoshop or even your smartphone to have them printed, choose JPEG at maximum quality. Save PNG for your graphic designs or montages with transparency.

Good news: AgfaPhoto Print accepts both formats for printing your photos. Simply select your file when placing your order and we’ll take care of the rest.

How can I print in the right format? The options available at AgfaPhoto Print

Now that you know how to prepare your files and choose your aspect ratios, it’s time to get down to business. At AgfaPhoto Print, there’s a wide range of formats available, whether you’re looking for an intimate print or a centrepiece to hang in your living room. Here’s an overview of the options.

Landscape and portrait photo books: available formats

The photo book is undoubtedly the most comprehensive medium for telling a story through images. A trip, a year with the family, a wedding… these are the kinds of projects where the book’s format truly changes the reading experience.

At AgfaPhoto Print, landscape photo books are available in 21 cm × 15 cm and 30 cm × 21 cm. The former is well suited to compact projects, easy to leaf through and make a lovely gift. The latter offers a generous surface area that really showcases the photos, particularly panoramic shots and double-page spreads.

Portrait photo books, meanwhile, are available in the same sizes: 21 cm × 15 cm and 30 cm × 21 cm. The vertical orientation changes the dynamic of the pages and is particularly well suited to portraits, family photos or projects centred on faces.

Before you start, remember to check that your photos are correctly oriented to match the chosen format. A photo taken in portrait mode placed in a landscape book without adjustment will inevitably lose some of its visual impact.

Photo posters: from 20×20 cm to 84×118 cm

The photo poster is one of the most direct ways to make an image stand out. No complex layout, no mounting to assemble. Just a large photo that commands attention in a space.

AgfaPhoto Print offers posters in a range of sizes from 20×20 cm up to 84×118 cm. This range covers a wide variety of uses. A 20×20 cm size is ideal for a desk or a small hallway. An 84×118 cm poster, on the other hand, makes a real statement on the wall, designed for large spaces.

What matters most for a successful poster is the resolution of the source file. The larger the print size, the sharper the image must be. Below 300 dpi in the final format, the result can become blurry or pixelated, especially on large formats. If you are unsure about the resolution of your photo, check it in the file properties before placing your order.

Choosing the right format is the first step in looking after your memories

Choosing the right format for printing your photos is no trivial decision. It’s what makes the difference between a photo you glance at casually and an image that really catches the eye, whether it’s sitting on a desk or displayed large on a wall.

From the aspect ratio to the print size, the file type and the final medium, every choice matters. But once you understand the logic behind it all, it becomes quite natural. You simply need to start with the photo itself, decide what you want to do with it, and work through the process in that order.

At AgfaPhoto Print, the product range is designed to support all these projects, from the simplest to the most ambitious. All you have to do is choose and let your photos exist in a different way than just at the bottom of a phone.