Guides · Printing and framing
How to print a digital art download
Unzip the download, then pick the file whose shape matches your frame: 2:3 for 4x6 up to 24x36, 4:5 for 8x10 and 16x20, 3:4 for 12x16 and 18x24, A-series for A4 and A3. Print it at 100% or “actual size”. A home printer handles up to Letter or A4; larger prints need a print shop or online lab.
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Which file do I print for my frame?
A printable pack usually has one file per ratio, named with its ratio and largest size. Find your frame in the table and print the file in the same row. When no file has your frame's shape, the closest one is shown with what it trims.
| Frame | File to print | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 4×6 | 2:3 | Same shape: prints with nothing cut |
| 5×7 | A-series | A 5:7 file if the pack has one; otherwise this file, which trims 1% from the top and bottom |
| 8×10 | 4:5 | Same shape: prints with nothing cut |
| 8.5×11 | 11:14 | Closest shape: trims 2% from the sides |
| 11×14 | 11:14 | Same shape: prints with nothing cut |
| 11×17 | 2:3 | Closest shape: trims 3% from the sides |
| 12×16 | 3:4 | Same shape: prints with nothing cut |
| 12×18 | 2:3 | Same shape: prints with nothing cut |
| 16×20 | 4:5 | Same shape: prints with nothing cut |
| 18×24 | 3:4 | Same shape: prints with nothing cut |
| 20×30 | 2:3 | Same shape: prints with nothing cut |
| 24×36 | 2:3 | Same shape: prints with nothing cut |
| 8×8 | 4:5 | A 1:1 file if the pack has one; otherwise this file, which trims 20% from the top and bottom |
| 10×15 cm | 2:3 | Same shape: prints with nothing cut |
| 13×18 cm | A-series | Closest shape: trims 2% from the top and bottom |
| A5 | A-series | Same shape: prints with nothing cut |
| 20×30 cm | 2:3 | Same shape: prints with nothing cut |
| A4 | A-series | Same shape: prints with nothing cut |
| 30×40 cm | 3:4 | Same shape: prints with nothing cut |
| A3 | A-series | Same shape: prints with nothing cut |
| 40×50 cm | 4:5 | Same shape: prints with nothing cut |
| 50×70 cm | A-series | A 5:7 file if the pack has one; otherwise this file, which trims 1% from the top and bottom |
Some packs add 1:1 or 5:7 files (1:1 for 4×4, 5×5, 6×6, 8×8, 10×10, 12×12, 16×16, 20×20; 5:7 for 5×7); use them when your frame has that shape.
How do I open the download?
Downloads usually come as one or more ZIP files: get all of them (a name ending in _1-of-3 means there are three). On Windows, right-click a ZIP and choose Extract All; on a Mac, double-click it; on an iPhone or iPad, open it in the Files app and tap it. Inside are the image files and often a PDF guide.
Can I print it at home?
Up to the size of your paper. At actual size, a home printer with the usual 0.25 in margin fits up to an 8x10 on Letter and an A5 on A4. An 8x10 on A4, or a print as big as the sheet, prints 1 at 97% or borderless (on A4). Open the file, choose Print, set the scale to 100% or “Actual size” and the paper type you loaded, and check the first print with a ruler. Printing at actual size at home has the details and a page layout for several copies.
How do I order it from a print shop or online lab?
- Send the file for your frame's shape, and ask for the exact size (for example “16 × 20 in”).
- If the shop's preview shows a crop or a border you didn't expect, you have the wrong file for that size, or it has defaulted to another size.
- Choose the paper there: matte, lustre or gloss is a matter of taste, and matte shows the least glare under lights.
- Above the largest size in the file's name, the print is enlarged and softer up close.
What if no file matches my frame?
Use the closest file from the table (it trims a little), print the whole image smaller with a border, or ask the seller, who may make another size on request. For personal printing, and if the seller's terms allow it, Photo to Frame can crop or fit the closest file to your exact frame and make a page to print at home. It runs in your browser, so the file isn't uploaded anywhere.
Why does the print look cut off or have white edges?
Either the file and the frame are different shapes, or the print dialog scaled it. Why prints get cut off walks through both.
Frequently asked questions
Which file do I print for an 8x10 frame?
The 4:5 file. 8x10 and 16x20 are both 4:5, so the same file prints either size; ask for, or set, 8 × 10 in.
Can I print the 2:3 file at 8x10?
Only by cropping: 17% of the height has to go. Use the 4:5 file instead, or ask the seller for one.
My frame is 8.5 × 11. Which file should I print?
None is exact, but the 11:14 file comes closest: filling 8.5 × 11 trims 2% from the sides. The seller may also make one on request.
Can I print a download bigger than the largest size listed?
Yes, but it is enlarged and looks softer up close. Divide the file's pixels by 150 for the largest size that still looks acceptable from a step back.
Why does my print have white edges?
The print was scaled to fit inside the printer's margins, or the file is a different shape from the paper. Print at 100% / Actual size, use the file that matches the frame's shape, or choose borderless if your printer has it.
Sources and how the numbers were worked out
Pixel, crop and size figures on this page are calculated from the same size data the FrameReady tools use (inches or millimetres × DPI), not copied from elsewhere.
- FrameReady print size chart (which ratio each size belongs to)
- Print photos at actual size at home (sheet layouts)