Postcard maker
A postcard is one photograph and about fifteen words, printed at a size where every flaw shows. It is worth building at the real print resolution from the start: 6 x 4 inches at 300 DPI, one strong image, and type that stays clear of the trim.
- Size
- 6 x 4 in - 1800 x 1200 px at 300 DPI (the built-in preset)
- Photo
- At least 1800 px on the long edge, or it prints soft
- Safe margin
- 4 to 5 mm clear of every edge
- Export
- PDF at 300 DPI
What makes it work
- Check the photo has the pixels A picture that fills a 6 x 4 card needs about 1800 pixels across. A phone photo has plenty; a picture saved off a website usually does not, and no amount of scaling adds detail back.
- Grade it before you place it Print is less forgiving than a screen - dark areas go muddy and heavy contrast gets heavier. Lift the shadows slightly in Film Lab and the printed card matches what you saw.
- One line of type, placed in the calm Find the quietest part of the photograph and put the words there. A postcard with a headline fighting the image looks like an advertisement.
- Design the back as its own page If the card is printed both sides, build it as a two-slide project - front and back - and export both pages into one PDF.
- Keep the trim in mind Hold text 4 to 5 mm inside the edge. If the printer asks for bleed, size the canvas to their bleed dimensions and run the photograph out past the trim line.
Templates that fit: Postcard strip
Open the editor · Browse the how-to guides
- What size is a postcard?
- 6 x 4 inches is the common size - 1800 x 1200 pixels at 300 DPI, which is the built-in preset. A5 (148 x 210 mm) is the usual larger alternative and also ships as a preset.
- How do I print both sides?
- Build it as a two-slide project, front on slide one and back on slide two, then export as PDF. Each slide becomes one page, which is what a printer expects for a double-sided card.
- Why does the PDF matter?
- The PDF is written at 300 DPI, so the page arrives at its true physical size. An image file has no physical size of its own, which leaves the scaling to whoever opens it.