What is a 3:2 aspect ratio?
The 3:2 aspect ratio is among the most popular photography print sizes and productivity-focus computer displays. It was first used in 35 mm film[1] to store a landscape 3:2 or portrait 2:3 still photography.
It's also the trending aspect ratio for modern laptop displays and monitors optimized for productivity since it provides a taller viewing area than the standard 16:9 display, which is excellent for working on documents and spreadsheets.
For example, Microsoft Surface Pro[2], the new 2-in-1 Dell XPS 13[3], and other recent Windows laptops use a 3:2 ratio display for better productivity and provide better tablet experiences in both landscape and portrait mode.
The aspect ratio has a standard format of 3:2 or W:H, where W is the width, and H is the height of an image, screen, or container. In digital space, the measurement unit is in pixels. You can pronounce it "three-by-two" or "three-to-two" aspect ratio.
3:2 ratio formula
You can use the three-by-two ratio formula to determine if an image or display has a 3:2 aspect ratio.
First, you must determine the width and height of your image, video, or screen in centimeters, inches, or pixels. Then, divide the width by the height. If the result is 1.5, it has a 3:2 aspect ratio.
To find a new width (W) from a desired height (H):
To find a new height (H) from a desired width (W):
3:2 resolutions for printing
Below are the minimum resolution requirements for different quality levels when printing 3:2 photos to ensure prints maintain a high level of detail and clarity.
6 x 4 inches.
This is the landscape orientation of the most common 4” x 6” in photo size in print. This size is perfect for framed photos, greeting cards, and postcards.
| Width (px) | Height (px) | Printing Resolution |
|---|---|---|
| 432 | 288 | 72 dpi (lowest) |
| 1,218 | 812 | 203 dpi (low) |
| 1,800 | 1,200 | 300 dpi (1x - standard) |
| 3,600 | 2,400 | 600 dpi (2x) |
| 7,200 | 4,800 | 1200 dpi (4x) |
| 8,640 | 5,760 | 1440 dpi (4.8x) |
18 x 12 inches.
| Width (px) | Height (px) | Printing Resolution |
|---|---|---|
| 1,296 | 864 | 72 dpi (lowest) |
| 3,654 | 2,436 | 203 dpi (low) |
| 5,400 | 3,600 | 300 dpi (1x - standard) |
| 10,800 | 7,200 | 600 dpi (2x) |
| 21,600 | 14,400 | 1200 dpi (4x) |
| 25,920 | 17,280 | 1440 dpi (4.8x) |
36 x 24 inches.
| Width (px) | Height (px) | Printing Resolution |
|---|---|---|
| 2,592 | 1,728 | 72 dpi (lowest) |
| 7,308 | 4,872 | 203 dpi (low) |
| 10,800 | 7,200 | 300 dpi (1x - standard) |
| 21,600 | 14,400 | 600 dpi (2x) |
| 43,200 | 28,800 | 1200 dpi (4x) |
| 51,840 | 34,560 | 1440 dpi (4.8x) |
3:2 resolutions for display
Below are the 3:2 resolutions on digital cameras, laptops, and monitors. Use our pixel-per-inch calculator to determine your device's pixel density classification and compare it to others.
| Width (px) | Height (px) | Pixel Count | Device |
|---|---|---|---|
| 480 | 320 | 153,600 | HVGA |
| 1536 | 1024 | 1,572,864 | Surface Laptop Go 12.45″ |
| 1800 | 1200 | 2,160,000 | Surface Go 10″ |
| 1920 | 1280 | 2,457,600 | Surface Go 10.5″ |
| 2160 | 1440 | 3,110,400 | Surface Pro 3 12″ |
| 2256 | 1504 | 3,393,024 | Surface Laptop 13.5″ |
| 2400 | 1600 | 3,840,000 | Surface Laptop Studio 14.4″ |
| 2496 | 1664 | 4,153,344 | Surface Laptop 15″ |
| 2736 | 1824 | 4,990,464 | Surface Pro 12.3″ |
| 2880 | 1920 | 5,529,600 | Surface Pro 13″ |
| 3000 | 2000 | 6,000,000 | Surface Book 13.5″ |
| 3240 | 2160 | 6,998,400 | Surface Book 15″ |
| 3300 | 2200 | 7,260,000 | ASUS Zenbook S Ultra 13.9″ |
| 3840 | 2560 | 9,830,400 | Huawei MateView 28.2″ |
| 4500 | 3000 | 13,500,000 | Surface Studio 28″ |
Common 3:2 screen sizes
Here are the width, height, and diagonal of various 3:2 image, video, or screen sizes in inches and centimeters. Our easy-to-use screen size calculator has tools, formulas, and examples to help you calculate screen dimensions and area.
| Diagonal | Width | Height |
|---|---|---|
| 1″ 2.54 cm | 0.83″ 2.11 cm | 0.55″ 1.41 cm |
| 2″ 5.08 cm | 1.66″ 4.23 cm | 1.11″ 2.82 cm |
| 3″ 7.62 cm | 2.5″ 6.34 cm | 1.66″ 4.23 cm |
| 4″ 10.16 cm | 3.33″ 8.45 cm | 2.22″ 5.64 cm |
| 5″ 12.7 cm | 4.16″ 10.57 cm | 2.77″ 7.04 cm |
| 6″ 15.24 cm | 4.99″ 12.68 cm | 3.33″ 8.45 cm |
| 7″ 17.78 cm | 5.82″ 14.79 cm | 3.88″ 9.86 cm |
| 8″ 20.32 cm | 6.66″ 16.91 cm | 4.44″ 11.27 cm |
| 9″ 22.86 cm | 7.49″ 19.02 cm | 4.99″ 12.68 cm |
| 10″ 25.4 cm | 8.32″ 21.13 cm | 5.55″ 14.09 cm |
| 11″ 27.94 cm | 9.15″ 23.25 cm | 6.1″ 15.5 cm |
| 12″ 30.48 cm | 9.98″ 25.36 cm | 6.66″ 16.91 cm |
| 13″ 33.02 cm | 10.82″ 27.47 cm | 7.21″ 18.32 cm |
| 14″ 35.56 cm | 11.65″ 29.59 cm | 7.77″ 19.73 cm |
| 15″ 38.1 cm | 12.48″ 31.7 cm | 8.32″ 21.13 cm |
| 16″ 40.64 cm | 13.31″ 33.81 cm | 8.88″ 22.54 cm |
| 17″ 43.18 cm | 14.14″ 35.93 cm | 9.43″ 23.95 cm |
| 18″ 45.72 cm | 14.98″ 38.04 cm | 9.98″ 25.36 cm |
| 19″ 48.26 cm | 15.81″ 40.15 cm | 10.54″ 26.77 cm |
| 20″ 50.8 cm | 16.64″ 42.27 cm | 11.09″ 28.18 cm |
| 21″ 53.34 cm | 17.47″ 44.38 cm | 11.65″ 29.59 cm |
| 22″ 55.88 cm | 18.31″ 46.49 cm | 12.2″ 31 cm |
| 23″ 58.42 cm | 19.14″ 48.61 cm | 12.76″ 32.41 cm |
| 24″ 60.96 cm | 19.97″ 50.72 cm | 13.31″ 33.81 cm |
| 25″ 63.5 cm | 20.8″ 52.84 cm | 13.87″ 35.22 cm |
| 26″ 66.04 cm | 21.63″ 54.95 cm | 14.42″ 36.63 cm |
| 27″ 68.58 cm | 22.47″ 57.06 cm | 14.98″ 38.04 cm |
| 28″ 71.12 cm | 23.3″ 59.18 cm | 15.53″ 39.45 cm |
| 29″ 73.66 cm | 24.13″ 61.29 cm | 16.09″ 40.86 cm |
| 30″ 76.2 cm | 24.96″ 63.4 cm | 16.64″ 42.27 cm |
| 32″ 81.28 cm | 26.63″ 67.63 cm | 17.75″ 45.09 cm |
| 34″ 86.36 cm | 28.29″ 71.86 cm | 18.86″ 47.9 cm |
| 40″ 101.6 cm | 33.28″ 84.54 cm | 22.19″ 56.36 cm |
| 42″ 106.68 cm | 34.95″ 88.76 cm | 23.3″ 59.18 cm |
| 43″ 109.22 cm | 35.78″ 90.88 cm | 23.85″ 60.58 cm |
| 48″ 121.92 cm | 39.94″ 101.44 cm | 26.63″ 67.63 cm |
| 50″ 127 cm | 41.6″ 105.67 cm | 27.74″ 70.45 cm |
| 55″ 139.7 cm | 45.76″ 116.24 cm | 30.51″ 77.49 cm |
| 58″ 147.32 cm | 48.26″ 122.58 cm | 32.17″ 81.72 cm |
| 60″ 152.4 cm | 49.92″ 126.8 cm | 33.28″ 84.54 cm |
| 65″ 165.1 cm | 54.08″ 137.37 cm | 36.06″ 91.58 cm |
| 70″ 177.8 cm | 58.24″ 147.94 cm | 38.83″ 98.63 cm |
| 75″ 190.5 cm | 62.4″ 158.51 cm | 41.6″ 105.67 cm |
| 77″ 195.58 cm | 64.07″ 162.73 cm | 42.71″ 108.49 cm |
| 83″ 210.82 cm | 69.06″ 175.41 cm | 46.04″ 116.94 cm |
| 85″ 215.9 cm | 70.72″ 179.64 cm | 47.15″ 119.76 cm |
| 86″ 218.44 cm | 71.56″ 181.75 cm | 47.7″ 121.17 cm |
| 97″ 246.38 cm | 80.71″ 205 cm | 53.81″ 136.67 cm |
| 98″ 248.92 cm | 81.54″ 207.11 cm | 54.36″ 138.08 cm |
FAQs
How do I calculate the 3:2 aspect ratio?
The 3:2 aspect ratio is a screen or image format that proportionally contains three units horizontally for every two vertically. It can be calculated by dividing the width by height and getting a value of 1.5.
For example, the ratio between the width and height of the HD+ (1200 x 800), Full HD+ (1920 x 1280), and 4K+ UHD+ (3840 × 2560) resolutions are equal to 1.5.
What would the optimal distance between my eye and a 3:2 monitor be?
The optimal distance depends on the size of your 3:2 monitor. To find it, you need to adjust the distance so the monitor screen covers a recommended 30° of your total eye's field of view.
Use our ideal TV distance calculator to help you determine an optimal distance to place your 3:2 monitor or TV. Here are some calculated results:
- 13.5" screen is 1.75 ft (0.53m)
- 15" screen is 1.94 ft (0.59 m)
- 28" screen is 3.62 ft (1.1 m)
Alternatively, you can use the ideal TV size calculator to help you find an optimal screen size for your preferred viewing distance.
