# Exporting photos for Costco printing.



## jguenther2 (May 14, 2013)

I want to export bulk photos in bulk, 4x6, 5x7, and 8x10 for Costco printing. What resolution, ppi, should I set each of these at for the best picture quality.


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## SRFolino (May 15, 2013)

jguenther2 said:


> I want to export bulk photos in bulk, 4x6, 5x7, and 8x10 for Costco printing. What resolution, ppi, should I set each of these at for the best picture quality.



300 pixels per inch.  So a 4x6 would be 1200 x 1800; a 5x7 would be 1500 x 2100 and an 8x10 would be 2400 x 3000.  Acceptable results can sometime be obtained with resolutions as low as 250 PPI.


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## clee01l (May 15, 2013)

jguenther2 said:


> I want to export bulk photos in bulk, 4x6, 5x7, and 8x10 for Costco printing. What resolution, ppi, should I set each of these at for the best picture quality.


You don't need to set a resolution in the EXIF.  This field is ignored by most modern print hardware.  You do need to honor the minimum pixel dimensions that *SRFolino* described. And since these are three different aspect ratios (4x6, 5x7, and 8x10), you will need to crop the original image to fit each aspect ratio before you do the three exports


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## carogray (Oct 22, 2018)

Thanks so much just saw this as I am about to go and take my photos to costco... you say acceptable results can sometime be obtained with resolutions as low as 250 PPI would would be the best resolution for 8 x 10?  thank you so much for your time.. 



SRFolino said:


> 300 pixels per inch.  So a 4x6 would be 1200 x 1800; a 5x7 would be 1500 x 2100 and an 8x10 would be 2400 x 3000.  Acceptable results can sometime be obtained with resolutions as low as 250 PPI.


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## clee01l (Oct 22, 2018)

The math is simple 8"x250ppi by 10"x250ppi.  2000X2500


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## Replytoken (Oct 23, 2018)

Unless the file size is a problem, such as if you have a poor internet connection or limited storage space, I tend to leave my files at maximum resolution.  Most modern labs can handle the extra resolution without any issues.  I do verify that I have acceptable resolution for printing, but otherwise do not worry about it.  Now, if I do not have acceptable resolution for my needs/requirements, then that is a different story.  And if file size is a problem, then I usually reduce the file quality to something around 75.  This generally allows prints with no visible loss of quality.

Good luck,

--Ken


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