A reference from the Enchanta journal
Photo book sizes, in inches and centimeters
Every common photo book size, what it measures, how many pages it reads well at, and the kind of book it suits. The sizes come from six printers' own product pages, checked on September 17, 2026.
If you only need one answer
Choose by length first: 20 to 44 pages, 8×8; 45 to 84 pages, 10×10 or 8.5×11 portrait; 85 pages or more, 11×8.5 landscape or 12×12. Then let the photos' shape decide.
| Inches | Centimeters | Shape | Offered by | Reads well at | Suits |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5×5 / 5.5×5.5 | 13×13 / 14×14 | Square | 3 of 6 | Under 30 pages | A small gift, or one day told in a handful of photos |
| 8×6 | 20×15 | Landscape | 2 of 6 | Under 40 pages | A weekend away, a short trip, a book to post to someone |
| 8×8 / 8.5×8.5 | 20×20 / 22×22 | Square | 5 of 6 | 20 to 44 pages | A first book, a gift, a single event |
| 8×11 / 8.25×11 / 8.5×11 | 20×28 / 21×28 / 22×28 | Portrait | 4 of 6 | 45 to 84 pages | A family year that shelves beside ordinary books; portraits; pages with writing |
| 10×10 | 25×25 | Square | 4 of 6 | 45 to 84 pages | The family yearbook, a baby's first year |
| 11×8 / 11×8.25 / 11×8.5 | 28×20 / 28×21 / 28×22 | Landscape | 5 of 6 | 85 pages and up | A big trip, landscapes, wide group photos |
| 12×12 | 30×30 | Square | 4 of 6 | 85 pages and up | A coffee-table book, a wedding, a long archive |
| 13×11 / 14×11 | 33×28 / 36×28 | Landscape | 2 of 6 | 85 pages and up | A long archive, or a book of photographs meant to be seen large |
Also offered, by one printer each: 6×4 in (15×10 cm) · 6×6 in (15×15 cm) · 6×8 in (15×20 cm) · 7×7 in (18×18 cm) · 8×10 in (20×25 cm) · 9×6 in (23×15 cm) · 9×7 in (23×18 cm) · 10×8 in (25×20 cm) · 11×14 in (28×36 cm). The page counts in "Reads well at" and "Suits" are our editing guidance, not printer limits.
A chart to keep
Download the common sizes as a 1000×1500 PNG, ready to print or save.
The size in the name is not always the size of the page
A printer names a book by its nominal size, and the trimmed page can come out smaller. One printer's 7×7 book, for example, lists its trimmed pages at 6.75×6.63 inches. Near-identical sizes are grouped in one row above for that reason: an 8×8 and an 8.5×8.5 are the same book on a shelf. If a photo has to reach the edge, design to the printer's own trim and bleed numbers, not to the name.
Lay-flat is a binding, not a size
Lay-flat is a way of binding the pages, and it comes in several of the sizes above, so choose the size first. What lay-flat can limit is length: two of the printers checked cap their lay-flat books at about 100 pages. It earns its place when a photo crosses the fold as a two-page panorama, or when the book will be handled and opened flat. Why the fold matters is in why photo books are made of spreads, not pages.
How long a photo book can be
At the printers whose pages state a range, the shortest book is 20 to 30 pages and the longest runs from 100 to 400 pages, depending on the binding. Pages are added two at a time, because every sheet has a front and a back. Few books should be anywhere near the ceiling: the photo book calculator works out the length from how many photos you would keep.
Questions people ask
What is the most common photo book size?
The 8.5×8.5 square and 11×8.5 landscape (inches, width first) are each offered by five of the six printers checked here. The 8.5×11 portrait, 10×10 square and 12×12 square follow, at four of the six. Near-identical sizes, such as 8×8 and 8.5×8.5, are counted together.
What size photo book should I get?
The size you'll pick up. Let the length decide, not how big you want the book to look: under about 44 pages reads well at 8×8; 45 to 84 pages earns 10×10 or an 8.5×11 portrait; past that, a 12×12 or a large landscape. If you don't know the length yet, count the photos you would miss first; the page count follows from that. More in how many photos do you need for a photo book.
What are photo book sizes in centimeters?
8×8 in is 20×20 cm, 10×10 in is 25×25 cm, and 12×12 in is 30×30 cm. A portrait 8.5×11 in is 22×28 cm; the same book turned landscape, 11×8.5 in is 28×22 cm. A book's trimmed page can come out a little smaller than its listed size.
Square, portrait, or landscape?
Match the photos you kept. A book of wide scenes and group photos wants landscape. A book of people, or one with writing on the pages, sits well in portrait, and shelves beside ordinary books. Square is the forgiving middle: it holds both orientations without much cropping. The parts of a book, cover to closing spread, are in the anatomy of a photo book.
Sources, checked September 17, 2026: Blurb · Shutterfly · Mixbook · Artifact Uprising (1) · Artifact Uprising (2) · Mpix (1) · Mpix (2) · Lulu. Sizes only; prices and paper options change too often to chart.
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