Art Print Sizes: A Practical Guide to Choosing Scale

Size is the decision people get wrong most often when buying art online. A print that looks commanding on a screen arrives and turns out to be the size of a magazine. The image was never the problem — the scale was.

Here is how to choose a size with confidence, in centimetres, before you buy.

Standard print sizes at a glance

Most fine-art prints cluster around a handful of dimensions. Rough guidance on where each one belongs:

• Small (roughly 20×30 cm): desks, shelves, narrow alcoves, and the satellite pieces in a gallery wall. Viewed from within a metre or two.
• Medium (roughly 30×40 to 40×50 cm): the everyday workhorse. Bedroom walls, hallways, above a console or a desk. Also the most common size in a grouped arrangement.
• Large (roughly 50×70 cm): the smallest size that reads as a genuine focal point in a living room. Good above a sideboard or as the anchor of a mixed group.
• Extra large (70×100 cm and above): statement work. Above a sofa or bed, or alone on a large empty wall. This is where a single piece can carry an entire room.

Exact dimensions for every ArtMarket work are listed in the Details section on each product page, so you can check before ordering. Sizes vary by piece — many are photographic works with their own proportions rather than fixed poster formats.

Sizing to the wall

Above furniture

Aim for artwork spanning two-thirds to three-quarters of the furniture width beneath it:

• 140 cm sideboard → around 90–105 cm of art
• 200 cm sofa → around 130–150 cm of art
• 160 cm double bed → around 105–120 cm of art

That total can be one piece or several hung as a set. Three 40×50 cm prints with 6 cm gaps span about 132 cm — a good fit above a standard sofa.

On an empty wall

A piece hung alone should occupy roughly 60% of the available wall width. It is very hard to go too big on a large blank wall and very easy to go too small — undersized art on a wide wall is the most common scale error in homes.

In tight spaces

In hallways, landings and narrow returns you are viewing from close range, so detail beats scale. A 30×40 cm print you pass at arm's length delivers more than a large one you can never step back from.

Remember the frame

The print is not the finished object. Framing adds real footprint, and a mat adds a lot:

• A 5 cm mat plus a 2 cm frame turns a 30×40 cm print into a 44×54 cm object on the wall.
• A generous mat is a design choice, not padding — it gives the image breathing room and makes a modest print read as more considered.

So when you calculate against the two-thirds rule, calculate with the framed dimensions. Our framing guide covers mat widths, glazing and frame choice in detail.

Test it before you buy

The most reliable trick costs nothing: cut a sheet of newspaper or kraft paper to the framed dimensions and tape it to the wall. Live with it for a day. You will know immediately whether it wants to be bigger — it usually does.

Pair that with our hanging height guide and you can place the piece precisely before anything arrives.

Shipping and handling for larger prints

Every ArtMarket print — regardless of size — ships unframed and rolled in a sturdy protective tube, so large pieces travel just as safely as small ones and arrive ready to frame. Standard EU delivery is typically 3–7 business days, and orders over €200 ship free.

Browse the full collection, or go straight to statement pieces if you already know the wall needs something big.