ilovecollage

Prepare a photo collage for printing

Print quality depends on the exported pixel dimensions, the source photos and the physical print size. Choose those together before you spend time on the design.

Calculate the pixels you need

Multiply the print width and height in inches by your target pixels per inch (PPI). At 300 PPI, an 8 × 10 inch print needs 2400 × 3000 pixels. Ask your print service for its preferred resolution and bleed requirements.

Use the A4 canvas or a matching aspect ratio

The A4 preset in ilovecollage starts at 2480 × 3508 pixels. Other presets can suit photo prints when their aspect ratio matches the paper. Check the width and height shown in Export; choosing a shape alone does not guarantee the resolution you need.

Check the individual photos

A large output file cannot restore detail that is missing from a source photo. A heavily cropped picture uses only a portion of its original pixels. Zoom into the export preview and look for softness, particularly in faces and small text. Use original files instead of compressed screenshots when possible.

Choose an export scale and format

The export dialog offers higher scales only when the resulting canvas fits the supported size limit. The editor allows up to 8192 pixels per side and 40 million pixels overall, so some large presets cannot use every scale.

PNG preserves sharp text and graphics; a high-quality JPEG can be suitable for a photo-heavy design. Follow your printer's requested format. The pixel dimensions determine the available detail; ilovecollage does not promise a particular embedded DPI tag, bleed setup or CMYK print profile.

Review before ordering

Keep important subjects and text inside a comfortable margin. Preview the downloaded file and check the print service's crop, paper size and orientation. Make a small proof if color or fine details matter.

Open the collage maker

Guide by Sports619 · Updated 4 October 2026