Print size guide at a glance
The short answer, size by size: where each one works on a wall, and the smallest photograph that can carry it. The sections below give the reasoning and the full range, including canvas, metal, wood and the mug.
| Size | Where it works | Shortest side needed |
|---|---|---|
| A4 paper | A desk, a shelf or a group of frames | 1,250 px |
| A3 paper | On its own above a small table or chest | 1,700 px |
| A2 paper | The usual wall size for a single picture | 2,400 px |
| 50x70 cm paper | Above a sofa or a bed | 2,850 px |
| 70x100 cm paper | A big wall seen from across the room | 3,950 px |
| 60x80 cm canvas | Above a sofa, with no frame needed | 3,350 px |
What we sell, and in what
Paper prints come in five sizes: A4, A3, A2, 50x70 cm and 70x100 cm, all on one stock, a 250 gsm uncoated off-white archival paper. Framed, the range is deliberately shorter. That paper only exists framed at A3 and A2, in a black or natural wood moulding behind plexiglass, so those are the only two framed paper sizes on offer. The others are not being held back; they do not exist in this stock.
Canvas is stretched at 30x40, 40x50, 50x70 and 60x80 cm, and framed canvas at 30x40, 40x50 and 50x70 cm, with a black, dark wood or natural wood frame. Metal comes at 30x40, 40x50 and 50x70 and wood at 30x40 and 40x50. Off the wall there is an 11oz mug and a 500ml bottle.
Which size suits which wall
A4 is a sheet of office paper. It belongs on a desk, a shelf, or in a group of frames where no single picture has to carry the room. A3 is the smallest size that works on its own above something, and A2 is the one most people actually want when they say a print for the wall.
Above a sofa or a bed, viewed from across a room, go to 50x70 cm or 70x100 cm on paper. The largest stretched canvas, 60x80 cm, does the same job. The rule of thumb that survives contact with real rooms is simple enough: the further back people stand, the bigger it needs to be, and very few people regret the larger of two sizes they were torn between.
Why A3 is exactly twice A4
A4 is 210 by 297 mm, which is 62,370 square millimetres. A3 is 297 by 420 mm, which is 124,740. That is precisely double, and it isn't a coincidence: the A series is built so that each size is two of the next one down, with the proportions held constant, and it is defined by ISO 216. The practical upshot is that off-the-shelf frames fit without anything being cut to size, and that stepping up one A size doubles the wall area instead of adding a bit.
The pixels each size actually needs
When you upload, every size is graded against your file. The picture is scaled to cover the print area and then cropped, so the tighter of the two dimensions decides, and anything landing below roughly 140 dots per inch is withdrawn, not sold to you. Three hundred is what we aim at. The numbers below are the minimum shortest side, rounded up, measured against the print file each size uses, not the trimmed sheet.
- A4 paper: about 1,250 pixels on the short side
- A3 paper: about 1,700
- A2 paper: about 2,400
- 50x70 cm paper: about 2,850
- 70x100 cm paper: about 3,950
- 30x40 cm canvas: about 1,700
- 40x50 cm canvas: about 2,250
- 50x70 cm canvas: about 2,800
- 60x80 cm canvas: about 3,350
- 30x40 cm metal or wood: about 1,750
- 11oz mug: about 600
A modern phone photograph, straight off the phone, usually clears A3 comfortably and often A2. What it won't clear is a screenshot of itself, which is why preparing the photograph is worth two minutes before you start.
Framed, or frame it yourself
The framed sizes are A3 and A2 in black or natural wood, and the print fills the moulding: there's no mount, and the glazing is plexiglass, not glass. If you want a mount, or an unusual colour, buy the paper print at a standard A size and take it to a framer, which the A series makes straightforward.
What to read next
Size is the last decision in this stage. If you haven't chosen a treatment yet, the studio styles covers what each one does, and the format pages say what each material physically is. When you are ready, the preview is free.
