Mixed sizes
Passport, wallet, frame, school, scrapbook, and reference photos can share one page.
Precision photo printing for macOS
Print photos at the exact size on Mac.
PrintExactly is a native Mac photo-printing layout app. Set each Photo Frame's size in inches, cm, or mm. Mix sizes and copies on one sheet, check printer margins, then review 100% scale before printing.
- macOS 13+
- Photos stay on your Mac
- No account required
Version 1.4.1 · Released · English and German
5 Frames on Page256 DPI minimumA4 Page portrait
Task workflow
Three steps to print at the exact size on Mac.
Direct answer. Choose the Page for the printer and paper you will actually use, set each Frame's physical width and height in inches, cm, or mm rather than pixels, then print at 100% through the macOS print panel with Scale to Fit off and measure one test print with a ruler.
Choose the Page (printer and paper)
Pick the Mac printer you will actually use and set the Page to a paper that printer reports — A4, US Letter, 4 × 6, or a stock from the printer's own media list. Borderless media shows up directly on the canvas because the page size menu matches the printer's real media list.
Size each Frame and arrange copies
Set the Frame width and height in millimeters, centimeters, or inches, then place the photo, snap to guides, and set copies per item. Auto Arrange packs mixed sizes and copies across the sheet so different finished sizes can share one Page.
Check DPI and margins, then print at 100%
Read the per-item effective DPI, confirm nothing important sits outside the printable area, then print through the macOS print panel at 100% scale with Scale to Fit off. Measure one test print with a ruler before committing to the full job.
Practical guides
Choose by task, then read the detailed guide.
Each guide walks one job end to end, from Page choice to the final 100% print check.
- Print a photo at an exact sizeSet Frame width and height in inches, cm, or mm.
- Print multiple photos on one PageMix finished sizes and copy counts on one sheet.
- Diagnose a photo that prints the wrong sizeCheck scaling, paper size, and borderless expansion.
- Calibrate a printer for measured outputMeasure a test Page and save a per-printer correction.
- Save and reuse a layoutReuse Page setup and Frame layouts with other photos.
Layout library
One sheet can hold the whole photo job.
Start from 18 standard page presets — A3, A4, A5, A6, B4/B5, Letter, Legal, Tabloid, envelopes, and photo sizes — matched to the papers your printer actually reports, then combine finished sizes with custom measurements and add crop marks, bleed, spacing, or borders when the job needs trimming.
Ready to trim
Add cut marks and bleed without losing sight of the final physical dimensions.
Reusable presets
Save Page setup and Frame layouts as named presets, including a reusable single-page ID layout with multiple copies of an existing photo. Photos and Content adjustments like crop, fit, and rotation are not included, and applying a preset does not create copies. Applying a preset checks paper compatibility and clipping and warns when the layout may not fit. Read the reusable-layout preset guide.
Use cases
Photo printing jobs that need real dimensions.
From wallet copies to scrapbook inserts, each photo keeps its own finished size while the whole sheet stays ready for trimming and printing.
Scrapbook and journal photo printing
Print small photos at exact custom sizes, mix portrait and landscape images on one sheet, and add cut marks for clean trimming.
Small photos for crafts and models
Lay out reference photos, miniature inserts, and custom-size craft images in millimeters, centimeters, or inches, with bleed and cut marks when needed.
School and wallet photo packages
Print several wallet copies of the same portrait alongside 4 × 6 or 5 × 7 school photos without duplicating the source image.
Photographer package prints
Build mixed-size portrait packages, set copies per image, and check effective DPI and printer margins before output.
Photos sized for frames
Set 4 × 6, 5 × 7, 8 × 10, or custom dimensions to match a measured frame opening, then review scaling before printing.
Existing passport and ID photo layouts
Lay out copies of an existing 2 × 2 in, 35 × 45 mm, or custom ID photo with cut marks. PrintExactly does not check government photo compliance.
Print the exact size
Move from layout to a real Mac print.
PrintExactly sets each Frame, checks the printable area, and prints through the macOS print panel at 100% scale.
Output checks
Exact size is a property of the whole print job.
A correct Frame size can still fail when paper, printer margins, borderless mode, or driver scaling changes the output. PrintExactly matches the page menu to your printer's real paper list, draws the printable area as a red dashed guide on the canvas, and leaves driver-specific controls visible in the macOS print panel.
- Page sizes matched to the selected printer’s real papers, including borderless media
- Red dashed printable-area guide shows where ink can land; per-item effective DPI warns when Content is too soft
- Prints on the exact driver paper selected, without page scaling
Per-printer physical calibration
Some printers reproduce every layout slightly larger or smaller on a given axis, even with the paper matched and driver scaling off. PrintExactly saves an independent horizontal and vertical correction measured from a test Page, applied to printed Frames and Content, and can be enabled or disabled per printer at any time. See the printer calibration guide for the workflow, the 80–120% per-axis window, and the test-print measurement. Calibration cannot remove paper feed, mechanical, ink-spread, driver scaling, or borderless expansion tolerances — a ruler measurement of one test print is the final check.
Calibration workflow — the on-screen sequence, not a measurement of printed output:
- Print a sample — print the uncorrected ruler test Page.
- Enter the measured width and height — type the measured X and Y in the unit shown; each field flags an empty, non-numeric, or out-of-range value, and Save stays disabled until both are valid.
- Save the correction — the sheet stays open with the printer, the horizontal and vertical corrections, and the enabled or disabled state; a new record is enabled and an existing disabled record stays disabled.
- Verify with a regular layout — enable Use Physical Calibration, print a known Frame size at 100% with Scale to Fit off, and measure it. The uncorrected sample or reprint is not the check.
OUTPUT INSPECTORReady
Illustrative summary of the workspace readout — not printed measurements, and not a screenshot of the macOS print dialog.
210 mm297 mm
- Page
- A4 portrait · 210 × 297 mm
- Printable Area
- Unverified · No Printer selected
- Frames
- 5 on the sheet
- Content
- 256 DPI minimum
The readout summarizes the active layout. The macOS print dialog is still the source of truth for output scale — keep it at 100% and turn off Scale to Fit.
Compact referencePage, Photo Frame, Image Content — three layers and four Fit modes
Page is the paper size, orientation, margins, and the printer-reported printable area. Photo Frame is the finished physical position and size on the Page, including border, bleed, and cut marks. Image Content is the source pixel grid fitted or cropped inside a Frame. After this definition, the workspace shortens them to Page, Frame, and Content.
Four persistent Content Fit modes decide how Content behaves inside a Frame: Fit keeps every pixel inside the Frame; Crop to Fill fills the Frame edge to edge with a focal point; Fit Width matches Content width to Frame width; Fit Height matches Content height to Frame height. Fit Width and Fit Height scale Content proportionally to match the chosen Frame dimension without resizing the Frame, and they work alongside Content Alignment in both the canvas and the printed output.
Difference
Basic printing versus measured layouts.
Basic print workflow
Generic Mac print
- Single photos and same-size contact sheets
- Limited mixed physical sizing
- Output checks mostly at print time
Exact-size sheet layout
PrintExactly
- Different finished sizes together on one sheet
- Printable-area warnings while arranging
- Per-printer physical calibration
- Persistent Fit Width and Fit Height Content modes
- Effective DPI, bleed, crop marks, and 100% scale checks
Choose by print task
Start with what you need to put on paper.
These tools solve different print jobs. Pick the one whose input and finished output match yours.
Multiple photos on one sheet
Arrange several photos, mixed finished sizes, and copies on the same paper.
PrintExactlyOne large image across pages
Tile a poster, map, blueprint, pattern, image, or PDF over multiple sheets.
Use PrintTilerLabels from spreadsheet rows
Merge Excel or CSV rows into labels, name badges, and personalized documents.
Use PrintPiperFAQ
Exact-size printing, answered.
Short answers for the decisions that most often change real output.
How do I print a photo at an exact size on Mac?
Set the Frame width and height in millimeters, centimeters, or inches, arrange it on the real paper size, check the printable area and effective DPI, then print through the macOS print panel at 100% scale with Scale to Fit off. Read the exact-size printing guide.
Why does my Mac print a photo smaller than the size I entered?
Scale to Fit, a mismatched paper size, borderless expansion, or printer-driver scaling can change physical output. PrintExactly matches the page size menu to your printer's real paper list, and the macOS print dialog still shows 100% or Actual Size for the final check. Read the wrong-size diagnosis guide.
Can I print borderless photos at an exact size?
Only when the printer driver offers that paper as borderless. Borderless output depends on the selected printer and the loaded stock — a sheet that is borderless on one printer may be bordered on another, and borderless expansion is driver-dependent. PrintExactly picks the borderless stock from your printer's real media list, but the printed dimension can still shift, so a single test print and a ruler measurement are required when the dimension matters.
Can I put different photo sizes on one sheet?
Yes. PrintExactly can place 2 × 2, wallet, 4 × 6, 5 × 7, 8 × 10, and custom-size photos together, with separate copy counts for each item.
What does per-printer physical calibration do, and what does it not do?
Calibration prints a test Page, lets you measure the result, and saves an independent horizontal and vertical correction that is applied to printed Frames and Content. You can enable or disable it per printer at any time. After a successful sample the measured width and height fields start empty, and saving keeps the sheet open with the printer, both corrections, and the enabled or disabled state. The sample and any reprint stay uncorrected, so verify with a regular layout at 100% scale rather than the test Page. Resetting saved corrections asks for confirmation first. It compensates for consistent scaling drift on a given printer; it does not eliminate paper feed, mechanical, ink-spread, driver scaling, or borderless expansion tolerances, so a ruler measurement of one test print is still required. Read the printer calibration guide.
What do Fit Width and Fit Height do for Content inside a Frame?
Fit Width matches Content width to the Frame width; Fit Height matches Content height to the Frame height. Both modes are persistent Content Fit choices. They scale Content proportionally to match the chosen Frame dimension without resizing the Frame, and they work alongside Content Alignment in both the canvas and the printed output.
Can I save and reuse a layout preset?
Yes. Save Page setup and Frame layouts as named presets, update an existing preset or save a new one, then reuse it with other photos. Presets do not include photos or Content adjustments such as crop, fit, or rotation. When you apply one, PrintExactly checks current printer paper compatibility and clipping and warns if the layout may not fit; it does not switch the selected printer or resize the layout to fit. Read the reusable-layout preset guide.
How do I choose my measurement unit in PrintExactly?
On first launch, PrintExactly asks for your preferred unit — inches, centimeters, or millimeters. You can change the unit later from Settings. For the app language, choose Follow System, English, or Deutsch in Settings.
Do my photos leave my Mac?
No. Selected photos are processed locally for layout and printing. PrintExactly does not require an account or upload photo content for layout processing.
Ready for output
Print the size you actually chose.
Exact dimensions. One print-ready sheet. Made for Mac.