How to resize art for every print size
Short answer: start from your largest, highest-quality file, crop it once to each of the five ratios around the part that matters most, export each at 300 DPI, and check every crop before you sell.
The steps
- Start from the original, not an exported JPG of a JPG. More pixels give sharper large prints.
- Pick the focus point: the face, the subject or the signature that must stay in every version.
- Crop to each ratio around that point: 2:3, 3:4, 4:5, 11:14 and ISO.
- Export at the largest size of each ratio at 300 DPI.
- Check every file at full size for cut-off edges and soft details.
Common mistakes
- Stretching instead of cropping. Changing the shape without cropping distorts circles and faces.
- Text too close to the edge. Leave a margin, because some frames cover a few millimetres.
- Enlarging a small file a lot. It still prints, but fine lines look soft.
PrintRatios does steps 3 to 4 in one go: click where the focus should be, preview the five crops, and download them together.
Get every print ratio from one artworkUpload one artwork, preview every crop, then download all five ratios at 300 DPI in one ZIP.Make my 5 print files
Questions people ask
Should I stretch my art to fit a ratio?
No. Crop it. Stretching distorts the image.
How much margin should I leave?
A few millimetres of safe space on every side, since frames and mats can cover the edges.
More guides
- Etsy digital print sizes: which files to include
- 2:3 ratio print sizes
- 3:4 ratio print sizes
- 4:5 ratio print sizes: 8×10, 16×20 and more
- 11×14 print size
- A sizes for printing: A5, A4, A3, A2, A1
- 8×10 vs A4: what's the difference?
- How many pixels do you need to print at 300 DPI?
- 24×36 poster size
- 18×24 print size
- Landscape print sizes: the same ratios, turned sideways