Wall Art Sizes: Chart of Ratios, Frames and Pixels

Standard wall art sizes come in shape families. In inches: 2:3 (4x6, 12x18, 24x36), 3:4 (12x16, 18x24), 4:5 (8x10, 16x20), plus 5x7 and 11x14. In metric: the ISO A sizes (A4, A3, A2, A1) and frames such as 30x40, 40x50 and 50x70 cm. Pick the family first, then the size that fits your wall.

Thinking in families answers the question most size charts skip: which sizes one picture can be printed at without cropping. The charts below give every size with its shape, its metric or inch twin, and the pixels a digital file needs.

Wall art sizes chart by ratio

Ratio is the long side divided by the short side. Every size in a row has the same shape, so a file made for one prints at the others with nothing cut off.

The ISO numbers come from ISO 216: A4 is 210 x 297 mm, A3 297 x 420, A2 420 x 594, A1 594 x 841, and the height divided by the width of every A size is the square root of two, about 1.414. That is why an A4 file scales to A3 or A2 without a crop. US Letter (216 x 279 mm) is a different shape, and so is 11x17.

Standard wall art sizes in inches and centimetres

The same chart sorted by size, with conversions (1 inch = 2.54 cm):

Some near-twins are easy to mix up. 30x40 cm and 12x16 in are the same shape but not the same size; a 12x16 print (30.5 x 40.6 cm) is about half a centimetre too large for a frame made for 30x40 cm. A3 and 12x16 differ by more than a centimetre on the long side.

What size should printable wall art be? Pixels per size

A printable file has no size in inches, only pixels. How large it prints well depends on how many pixels land on each inch. Printful, which prints posters to order, strongly recommends files at 300 DPI. Multiply each side in inches by 300:

So a printable sold as "one file for 2:3 sizes" should be at least 7200 x 10800 pixels if it promises 24x36. Printful's minimum for paper products is much lower, 75 DPI, so a smaller file still prints; it is the 300 figure that keeps it sharp. Printful also asks for files in the sRGB colour profile (sRGB IEC61966-2.1) and converts them to CMYK for printing.

Frame sizes: why an 8x10 frame can hold a 5x7

A frame is named after its inside size, the space the picture or the mat fills. IKEA's frame guide says it plainly: its frame sizes refer to the inner dimensions. Add a mat (IKEA calls it a mount) and the frame holds a smaller picture:

The mat's window is cut slightly smaller than the picture so it overlaps the edges and holds the print in place. IKEA's 30x40 cm RÖDALM lists a mount opening of 20 x 29 cm for a 21 x 30 cm picture: half a centimetre hidden on every side. Leave that margin free of signatures and lettering.

When you buy a frame, check two numbers: the picture size with the mat, and the picture size without it. Then print the file in the matching size from the tables above.

Wall art print sizes at print counters

Most of these sizes can be printed without a specialist lab. Walgreens Photo lists prints and enlargements at 4x4, 4x6, 5x7, 6x8, 8x8 and 8x10, and posters at 11x14, 16x20, 20x30 and 24x36. Staples lists custom posters at 12x18, 16x20, 18x24, 24x36 and 36x48, on matte or gloss paper.

Notice what is missing. Neither list has the ISO A sizes, and Walgreens has no 3:4 poster size, so an 18x24 file is a Staples-type order. Before you buy a printable, check that its sizes match the place you plan to print. Our guide on how to print wall art walks through home printers, print counters and online labs step by step.

Most popular wall art sizes for printables

We do not have sales numbers, and we will not guess at them. What we can say from the charts above is which files cover the most frames:

• A 4:5 file covers 8x10 and 16x20, both sold by Walgreens and Staples, and 40x50 cm frames.
• A 3:4 file covers 12x16 and 18x24, plus 30x40 cm frames.
• A 2:3 file covers 4x6, 12x18, 20x30 and 24x36: Walgreens' two largest posters and two of Staples' poster sizes.
• An ISO file covers A4 to A1 and comes close to 5x7 and 50x70 cm.
• 11x14 needs a file of its own.

So a printable pack with one large file per ratio covers more frames than a pack with one small file per size.

How to choose the size for your wall

Once you know the sizes, the wall decides between them. Two habits help:

1. Measure the space and the furniture under it, then cut paper to the size you are considering and tape it up for a day.
2. Count the frame and mat in the size. A 30x40 cm frame showing an A4 print takes 32 x 42 cm of wall in IKEA's RÖDALM.

For several pieces together, our gallery wall ideas give layouts with exact frame sizes, spacing and hanging height. For mirrors, shelves, textiles and other things to hang next to prints, see our wall decor ideas. Everything else on printed decor is in the wall art and prints section. If you are sizing a picture for a screen rather than a wall, the logic is the same but the numbers are pixels on glass: see phone wallpaper size.