What Size Print Should You Buy?

Well, what size print should you buy? Like all good answers, it depends. The graphic to the right shows several common print sizes to scale. One thing I can say is that while there is no “wrong” or “bad” picture size, most people will end up in that bottom-left corner. It all depends on your situation.

Below I’ll go through each size and explain why you might choose a particular size and what you can use it for. I promise to revisit this later this year with some better visual examples.

Before you get there, however, one thing I would like you to take away from this is just how much difference there is between sizes. A 5x7 and 8x10 don’t sound that different, but an 8x10 is actually more than twice the size in area (35 square inches vs 80 square inches) and an 11x14 is almost twice the size of an 8x10.

At the end, I’ll give you a couple tips that may help you with deciding what sizes to purchase.

5x7

Don’t let the fact this is the smallest size on the chart make you think this isn’t worth buying. This is a great shelf or mural size. For a single print, many frames will be size appropriate to accompany other décor without always standing out or taking away from other feature pieces. If you want it to pop, you can get 8x10 inch frames that are matted to 5x7. These also work great for kid portraits. I have a twin frame with 5x7 portraits of my niece and nephew and this looks great as a feature piece on a side table.

If you want to make a photo/gallery wall or use a collage frame. This is an excellent size to frame individually around a medium size print like a 12x12 or an 11x14 if you want to create a small photo wall. This size also works well to cut-to-fit in a collage frame that has many prints of different sizes and shapes.

8x10

The 8x10 is a workhorse. It’s one of the most common answers when people are asked to name print sizes. In the olden days of yore (the early 2000s and before) the 8x10 glossy headshot was the staple of Hollywood and talent agencies. The 8x10 is also generally the smallest of what most people would consider “fine art” prints. 8x10s work great as stand-out/feature pieces on a larger shelf. Especially if you wanted to have a remembrance shelf, you can have an 8x10 behind with various mementos arrayed in front or beside without losing the print in the clutter.

It can also hold its own on a smallish wall, say up to 3 feet wide, especially if matted in an 11x14 frame. By this, I mean it won’t seem like an inappropriate size to fit the space. Stairways and hallways are common places to hang 8x10 family portraits, especially if these spaces are a little wider or open on one side. In tighter quarters, a 5x7 in an 8x10 frame would work as well.

12x12 & 11x14

These two sizes are almost exclusively used on walls. They both do well on their own on medium walls or only need a couple prints of this size to make a good looking gallery section on a wall. They also lend themselves to creating both symmetrical and asymmetrical gallery areas in a variety of locations.

12x12 and other square sizes also stand out when all the other nearby shapes are longer on one side. If you have a 12x12 print on one side of a section, with two stacked 5x7 prints on one side you can create a nice 3-piece set in an area less than two feet wide, provided you don’t mat the prints.

Alternatively, you could make arrange the smaller prints on both sides or above and below for a more symmetrical look. These same rules apply with an 11x14 print, but you have the added bonus of deciding whether to make your primary piece a portrait (vertical) or landscape (horizontal) focus.

20x30

This where you enter the range of STATEMENT PIECE in a home. These will stand out on an 8-10 foot wide wall and will do well on their own. You can make a gallery wall with only a few other prints to support this focus piece. Any size print would work for this, even 5x7, though I would use few larger frames with matting rather than a bunch of frames that fit exactly.

Because these are larger pieces, they can be significantly more expensive and most people will purchase one or two as they’re seen as investments.

Pro Tips

If you’re just starting to buy art or are doing a total revamp, both frames and prints can get expensive. You know what’s cheap? Cardboard! Just measure out cardboard from packages, cereal boxes, etc. and use some painter’s tape to put those on the wall and figure out your sizes and layouts before you buy anything. The second tip is that all frames list the GLASS size. When measuring your cardboard, add a couple inches to both dimensions to include any framing material.

‘Til next time.