With your pixel dimensions, the width to height ratio is 1.75:1. For a 4X6 print, the ratio is 1.5:1. So, yes, there will be some cropping involved. Basically, you choice is to let the printing service do the cropping, or do it yourself and get it the way you want it. I don't know what editing software you use, but basically it will be a matter of cropping to reduce the largest pixel dimension without changing the smaller dimension, so that the image size ration is 1.5:1.

The only way to know what DPI the printing service will use when printing is to ask them. I suspect it would not be less than 200, and they might even bump it up to 300.

Bill, Is your math wrong? 4 X 1.5 = 6 / 2848 x 1.5 = 4274. this would result in a 0.3% difference nothing to be concerned about.

Hey, I didn't say it would be a large crop. :-) The point is, who do you want to be in control of the crop, you or the printing service? Whether or not it's a matter of concern depends on the shot, and what you are willing to lose in a crop. Sometimes, a small crop can be artistically, if not mathematically important....

By the way, if you google "pixels to inches", you can get hits on several conversion/ratio calculators - some you can use online, some you can download.

A few issues you have to be aware of. If the machine printing the picture is a Frontier or Noritsu, the machine will automatically change the resolution. Additionally even if your original proportion is 2:3 it may crop slightly because there could be a 20 pixel per side allowance.

The best size/resolution for a 4x6 to be printed commercially is 1200x1800 pixels at 300PPI. So the easiest way to prepare an image to be printed is to make sure one dimension fits and add canvas to the other dimension to make the final image 1200x1800 pixels, then convert it to the sRGB color space.

If your resolution is changing when you change pixel dimensions, you need to change them both independently by unchecking resample and first change the pixel dimensions and then the resolution.

In Photoshop I have a droplet that automatically sizes for a 4x6 adding white canvas to the side that doesn't fit.

A final thought. The resolution you're seeing when you open your images is something the camera makers program into the EXIF. Digital cameras only capture actual pixels and produce a file in height and width, not density of the pixels within a file, which can be changed non destructively by unchecking resample.

Quote:
I have a question about printing 4 x 6 pictures that I hope someone can help with. I currently have a Nikon D90 camera that I set the settings to Jpeg fine / large for picture taking. When I view this picture in my paint shop pro the picture information noted is 2848 x 4288 at 200ppi. What is the best method for printing 4 x 6 pictures? Since the aspect ratio is the same 3:2 if I just send this file as is to the lab and request 4 x 6 pictures, will it print exactly as what I see on the computer screen or will it be cropped? Will the ppi remain at 200 or will the printing equipment adjust to the higher ppi? Is it better for me to resize or crop in photoshop before sending out? When I resize the larger picture to 4 x 6 my ppi increases to 714. Will the printing machine remove some pixels? Sorry for all the questions...just want to clear up my confusuion on this subject. Looking for the best quality 4 x 6 picture.