What size suits your wall?
Measure the sofa, bed or sideboard the picture will hang over, or the bare wall if there is nothing under it. Pick a print and we show every size we sell it in, drawn to scale over your space.
| Size | Wide | Share of space | Price | Choose |
|---|
You see the size, finish and price again on the print's page before you pay.
See this print at this sizePrint sizes at a glance
These are the sizes on sale today. Each artwork's product page shows which of them it comes in, with live prices.
| Format | Size | In millimetres |
|---|---|---|
| Poster | A4 | 210 x 297 |
| Poster | A3 | 297 x 420 |
| Poster | A2 | 420 x 594 |
| Poster | 50x70 cm | 500 x 700 |
| Poster | 70x100 cm | 700 x 1000 |
| Framed poster | A3, A2 | 297 x 420, 420 x 594 |
| Canvas | 30x40 to 60x80 cm | 300 x 400, 400 x 500, 500 x 700, 600 x 800 |
| Framed canvas | 30x40 to 50x70 cm | outside the frame: 352 x 452, 452 x 552, 552 x 752 |
| Metal | 30x40 to 50x70 cm | 300 x 400, 400 x 500, 500 x 700 |
| Wood | 30x40, 40x50 cm | 300 x 400, 400 x 500 |
A4 vs A3: which is bigger?
A3 is bigger. It measures 297 x 420 mm, exactly twice the area of an A4 sheet at 210 x 297 mm. A2 doubles it again. Because each A size keeps the same shape, a picture that fits A4 will fit A3 and A2 without a new crop.
The centimetre sizes are a slightly different shape. A 50x70 cm poster is a touch squarer than A2, so the preview on each product page shows exactly what is printed.
Which size for which wall
Above a sofa or a bed: 50x70 cm or 70x100 cm, or a pair of A2 prints side by side. A small print over a large piece of furniture tends to look lost.
In a hallway: A3 or A2 in portrait suits a narrow wall. Our lighthouse prints are portrait-shaped for this reason.
Beside a desk or a door: A4 or A3. Hang it at eye height for someone standing, or a little lower above a desk.
In a bathroom: damp doesn't suit paper, canvas or wood. If you hang a print there, choose a well-ventilated room and keep it away from the shower.
Portrait or landscape?
Every print in our collection is printed portrait, taller than it is wide. A sailing boat with its mast up and a lighthouse are tall subjects, so you get the whole picture. A harbour, an estuary or an open sea is a wide scene, so its sides are trimmed to fit. Each product page shows the print exactly as it will be trimmed at the size you choose, so check it there.
See our lighthouse prints for tall subjects, and our coastal prints for harbours and coves. If you want a wide photo of your own printed wide, our photo prints can do that.
Framed print sizes
Our framed posters come at A3 and A2, in black or natural wood. Gelato, who make them for us, list the frame as 12 mm wide and 22 mm deep, with a plexiglass front. Check the product page if the frame has to fit a tight alcove.
Our framed canvases come in black, dark wood or natural wood. Gelato give their outside sizes as 352 x 452 mm for the 30x40 cm canvas and 452 x 552 mm for 40x50 cm. The 50x70 cm canvas measures 552 x 752 mm framed. The frame is 14 mm wide and 32 mm deep.
Canvas or framed print?
A framed poster has a crisp edge and suits fine detail, such as rigging or a distant lighthouse. Canvas has a soft, textured surface and the picture wraps round the edge, so it needs no frame. Metal gives bright, sharp colour; wood lets a little warmth show through. Choose the finish that suits the room.
How to measure your wall
Measure the width of the wall or the furniture below it. As a starting point, many people choose art about half to two thirds of that width. This is a common decorating rule of thumb, not a standard, so trust your eye.
Cut paper to the size you're considering and tape it to the wall. Live with it for a day. If it feels small from across the room, go up a size. For a print of your own photo, upload it first: the tool shows which sizes the file can support.
When you're ready, browse every artwork with its sizes and prices, or read our guide to choosing a boat photograph.
Craig Fearn runs Still & Wake, a UK studio that prints marine art and personal boat prints to order. He writes the guides and journal here, and every fact in them links to the body that published it.