How to Print Custom Size Photos

Photos have standard print sizes which most professional print labs usually make. Because print sizes are standard, the printers have all the necessary photographic paper needed to complete the job. If you are printing photos on your home printer, standard photo sizes make the job simple because standard sized paper is widely available for home printers. If an occasion arises in which you need a custom size photo, it can be difficult to get it printed exactly to size. However, there are a few helpful hints to make your printing successful.

Determine the size you want to print your picture. Photographs are measured in length by width. The standard measure is inches or centimeters depending on where you are located in the world.

Find the next size up in terms of standard photo sizes. The goal is to find standard photo paper that will contain the printed image in the size you desire. Standard photo sizes are: 4 x 6, 5 x 7, 8 x 10, 11 x 14 and 16 x 20. If you want something bigger than this, you will need to contact a store that specializes in poster prints.

Create a photo layer in an image editing program that is all white. Size this layer to be the standard photo size you decided on in Step 2.

Import your custom photo to the program. Add it as a layer on top of the white layer created in Step 3. Center the photo on top of the layer.

"Flatten" the layers which means combine them into one object instead of two distinct objects. Save the new image as a picture file: JPG, TIFF, BMP, or other picture file format.

Print the photograph on standard sized photo paper you chose in Step 2. If the image is too large to print on your home computer, upload it to a photo printing website. Order the image in the size chosen in Step 2.

Keep the white edges as a border or, if you want to frame the picture to the custom size, trim the edges off with a paper cutter.