4x6 Postcard Photo Size: Pixels, Cropping & Bleed

Finished card size and print canvas size are different

The card you hold is 6 inches wide and 4 inches tall in landscape orientation. Printing extends the artwork beyond that edge so small trimming variations do not leave an unwanted white sliver. That extra artwork is called bleed.

Vantage's standard postcard template uses a 6.25 × 4.25 inch canvas. That adds 0.125 inch on each edge before trimming. Keep faces and meaningful details comfortably inside the preview, and do not place your own text against the edge of the photo. These measurements describe standard 4x6 postcards, not the separate holiday product.

Pixel dimensions to aim for

Multiply each dimension in inches by 300 to calculate the pixel target. Pixels per inch (PPI) describes the image resolution; print specifications often use ‘DPI’ as shorthand. Changing a file's DPI label alone does not add real detail.

• Finished landscape 6 × 4 inches: 1800 × 1200 pixels at 300 PPI.
• Landscape canvas with bleed, 6.25 × 4.25 inches: 1875 × 1275 pixels at 300 PPI.
• Original photos larger than these targets give you more room to crop. Enlarging a small screenshot cannot recover detail already lost.

Why a large photo can still crop badly

A wide panorama and a tall portrait have different shapes from a landscape postcard. Filling the card requires cropping part of the image. Total megapixels alone cannot tell you whether the subject will fit.

For example, a 2400 × 1600 photo covering a 6.25 × 4.25 canvas retains approximately 2353 × 1600 pixels before trimming, about 376 PPI. A 1200 × 1600 portrait forced into the same landscape canvas retains approximately 1200 × 816 pixels, about 192 PPI. Both calculations assume an edge-to-edge photo, not a framed layout or collage.

Try the free checker to compare your dimensions. It estimates the amount of cropping and resolution, but cannot judge focus, lighting, compression, or whether an important face would be cut off. Your final editor preview remains the place to choose the composition.

A simple photo preparation checklist

Use the camera original when possible. A screenshot of a photo, or an image downloaded from a messaging thread, may have fewer pixels than the original. Check the file information on your phone or computer for width and height.

• Choose a sharp photo with a clear subject and some space around it.
• Avoid repeatedly saving or compressing the file before uploading.
• Preview faces, horizon lines, and any text after cropping.
• For a collage, check each photo separately; a sharp large image does not fix a blurry neighboring image.
• Let the Vantage editor create the postcard layout. You do not need to draw postage or address areas onto your photo.