Help: About Prints
- The Gallery print process and paper
- Archival quality
- Print quality
- Sizing images to aspect ratios
- Avoiding unwanted cropping
- Zoom & Trim printing option
The Gallery print process and paper
The Kodak Gallery uses the latest printing technology available to deliver high-quality photographic Prints from your digital photos.
We print your photos on high-quality Kodak paper, a resin-coated, silver-halide color paper optimized for digital printers. A light source inside our digital printers exposes the photographic paper pixel by pixel. This process mimics traditional photography, in which light from the subject exposes photographic film inside of a camera. All Prints up to 8 x 10" are available in a choice of matte or glossy finish.
Archival quality
In photography, the term "archival quality" suggests that Prints are durable and chemically stable. The Prints you order from the Gallery have the same archival quality as Prints made from 35mm film.
Print quality
At the Gallery, providing you with the highest quality Prints is our priority. A yellow warning symbol 
appears in the Cart next to any image that is below the minimum recommended Print resolution. This warning symbol indicates that the Print may be blurry, washed out or pixilated in the size you chose.
Although the Gallery will print any of your photos to the size you choose, some photos - depending on the number of pixels in the image - just look better when printed at a specific size. Use the following general guidelines when sizing images to aspect ratios.
To get high-quality Prints no matter what the size, your photos should meet the following minimum recommended image resolution requirements. If your photo has a resolution below our recommendations, your Prints may be low-quality.
| Print Size | Minimum recommended megapixels for Print size |
Minimum recommended resolution (pixels) |
|---|---|---|
| Wallet | 0.1 | 360 x 240 |
| 4 x 6" | 0.6 | 930 x 620 |
| 5 x 7" | 0.7 | 1008 x 720 |
| 8 x 10" | 1.3 | 1280 x 1024 |
| 16 X 20" | 1.8 | 1600 x 1200 |
| 20 X 30" | 2.2 | 1600 x 1200 |
Also see Understanding Digital Image Resolution.
Sizing images to aspect ratios
The aspect ratio of a photo is the relationship between its height and width. For example, a square image has an aspect ratio of 1:1 because the width and height are equal.
Aspect ratio is important when printing a photo in the following standard sizes: Wallet, 4 x 6", 5 x 7", 8 x 10", 16 x 20" and 20 x 30". As long as the relationship between your image and the chosen Print size is standard for the height and width of the photo, the entire image will fit on the Print. If the dimensions of the photo are too tall or too wide, or square, the image will not occupy all of the space on the Print.
The following aspect ratios are standard:
| Print Size | Aspect Ratio |
|---|---|
| Wallet | 1:1.5 |
| 4 x 6" | 1:1.5 |
| 5 x 7" | 1:1.4 |
| 8 x 10" | 1:1.25 |
| 16 X 20" | 1:1.25 |
| 20 X 30" | 1:1.5 |
The Gallery uses a technique called Zoom & Trim to automatically adjust a photo's dimensions to fit the desired Print size.
You can adjust the aspect ratio of your photos using any standard imaging-editing application. See Converting images to JPEG.
Avoiding unwanted cropping
If your photo is too wide, too tall or square, it will not fit the standard Print sizes: Wallet, 4 x 6", 5 x 7" and 8 x 10". To remedy this, the Gallery's photo development laboratory (like traditional photo labs) uses the Zoom & Trim technique to automatically fit your image to the Print size you ordered.
To turn off Zoom & Trim globally for all of your Print orders:
- Go to My Account > Advanced Print Options.
- Select Zoom & Trim Off.
To turn off Zoom & Trim for a specific Print in your order:
- From the Cart, click the Adjust cropping link under the Print that you want to change.
- Uncheck the checkbox next to Zoom & Trim.
To crop photos in albums you have created, use the Crop feature of our Edit & Borders tool.
To minimize cropping, be sure your photo has the proper aspect ratio before you upload it for printing.
Tip: Each time you trim a photo, some resolution will be lost.
Zoom & Trim printing option
Each Print size has its own slightly different rectangular shape (known as the aspect ratio). For example, an 8 x 10" print is proportionately taller and narrower than a 4 x 6" Print.
To make your image fit these varying Print shapes, photo labs usually enlarge the image slightly and crop out what doesn't fit. At the Gallery, this process is called Zoom & Trim. Note: Zoom & Trim cannot be turned off for wallet-size Prints.
Changing Zoom & Trim Settings
To turn Zoom & Trim On/Off globally for all of your Print orders:
- Go to My Account > Advanced Print Options.
- Select Zoom & Trim On/Off, depending on your preferences.
To turn Zoom & Trim On/Off for a specific Print in your order:
- From the Cart, click the Adjust cropping link under the Print that you want to change.
- Check/uncheck the checkbox next to Zoom & Trim, depending on your preferences.
To crop photos in albums you have created, use the Crop feature of our Edit & Borders tool.
To minimize cropping, make sure your photo has the proper aspect ratio before you upload it for printing.
Tip: Each time you trim a photo, some resolution will be lost.
Zoom & Trim ON
Most photographers prefer their photos to be printed out to all four edges of the photo paper, so it is standard practice at our digital lab (and at most photo processors) for Zoom & Trim ON to be the default setting. However, some cropping may occur on objects near the edges of the Print, as in this example.
Zoom & Trim OFF
Turning Zoom & Trim OFF centers your photo, and usually results in white borders on both sides of the Print. We recommend turning Zoom & Trim OFF only if it is essential to show the entire image (for example, if your photo is square or has been manipulated to be very wide or very tall).
Zoom & Trim UNAVAILABLE
The message "Zoom & Trim Applied" appears in the Cart under photos that you have edited (for example, by adding a border or removing red-eye) and saved using the Gallery's Edit & Borders tool. When you order a Print of an edited photo, Zoom & Trim will automatically be applied and cannot be turned off. Be sure to use the Adjust cropping link to preview each Print and ensure that you are satisfied with the cropping that will be applied.
Still can't find what you're looking for? Please email Customer Service with any questions you may have.