Is a 16 x 20 Canvas Print the Ideal Size?
- Why a 16 x 20 Canvas Print is Ideal
- How to Create Photography Packages
- What Should the Resolution be for a 16 x 20 Canvas Print?
- What is the Price for a 16 x 20 Canvas Print?
- When to Use Other Sizes
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- What to Look for in a FIne Art Printing Studio
- The Trick to Making Your Photos Fine Art
- How to Sell Photo PrintsHow to Sell Photo Prints
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Printing your images as a canvas enlargement or providing your photography clients the option of purchasing a canvas print of the photography you did for them is a nice way to generate excitement about your photography and create a lasting image of the value of your work. A 16 x 20 canvas print is one of the best sizes for these purposes.
There are other sizes for canvas prints, and other types of prints, but a 16 x 20 canvas print is easy to fit into most decors and is also a simple add-on sale for your professional photography packages.
Artbeat Studios is one of my favorite sources for canvas prints of any size. Their 16 x 20 canvas prints are both high-quality and reasonably priced.
Table of Contents:
Why a 16 x 20 Canvas Print is Ideal
photo by Larisa Rudenko via iStock
A 16 x 20 canvas print is an ideal size because it fits into what has been considered a “normal” enlargement aspect ratio for many years. This ratio is 5:4, which is different from the aspect ratios of Full Frame 35mm and APS-C formats, namely 3:2, and the MFT ratio of 4:3.
What’s odd to many photographers is that the “standard” sizes of 8 x 10 and 16 x 20 don’t fit into the full frame of either of the digital formats based on the old 135 35mm film sizes or the other popular size and ratio of Micro 4/3rds (MFT) format. In order to get a print in the 5:4 aspect ratio of 16 x 20 canvas prints, you will need to do some cropping.
So, how do we get from that to a 16 x 20 canvas print being ideal? Basically, inertia. The 5:4 aspect ratio was one of the formats that started very early in popular photography. The 4 x 5 inch and 8 x 10 inch large film formats were common even before film came into vogue, being formats previously used in glass plate and metal plate photography.
The print sizes of 8 x 10 and 16 x 20 remained popular even though some of the more common cameras in use used film rolls that produced negatives measured as 6 x 9 cms, 6 x 7 cms, and a 6 x 6 square format. And some think Instagram invented square format! These format sizes and ratios go back decades to well over a century ago for some.
The main point is that a 16 x 20 canvas print enlargement is an ideal format because it is a size and shape that viewers have been used to probably all of their lives. It works whether the print is oriented vertically or horizontally. It also works because it’s big enough to be noticed on the wall in an average-sized room. So, a 16 x 20 canvas print is a good option for your enlargements.
Learn More:
How to Create Photography Packages
photo by Sinenkiy via iStock
Photography packages are a way photographers can increase profits, adding together different photography products at a discount that the client may not have considered as separate purchases.
A couple of 16 x 20 canvases can increase the perceived value of everything else you’ve delivered for them because a 16 x 20 canvas print is a different style of enlargement that gathers a lot of attention.
Other photographic products to include in a photography package could be hardcover or softcover photo books, photo greeting cards, or specialty items such as coffee mugs, calendars, and metal or acrylic prints.
What Should the Resolution be for a 16 x 20 Canvas Print?
What should the resolution be for a 16 x 20 canvas print? Instead of megabyte count, such as a 6MB or 20MB image file, looking at the pixel count per side works better. The minimum for a nice 16 x 20 canvas is a file 2000 x 2500 pixels, while a better resolution would be more like 4800 x 6000 pixels.
Some subjects might actually be able to be printed as a 16 x 20 canvas print with a lower resolution, since the canvas medium itself can support a variety of artistic styles. As an example, a low-resolution, grainy black and white image can take advantage of the properties of canvas to produce an interesting print.
Keep in mind that the same thoughts of resolution and pixel count will also work for a 20 x 16 canvas print since that’s simply a vertical format of the same dimensions as a 16 x 20 canvas print.
What is the Price for a 16 x 20 Canvas Print?
photo by istankov via iStock
What is the price for a 16 x 20 canvas print? Actually, the pricing is very reasonable, since a 16 x 20 is still within what many companies print as regular sizes for their enlargements.
At Artbeat Studios, a 16 x 20 canvas print comes in at just $113.99 for one printed as a 1.5” gallery wrap. The gallery wrap is the thickness of the wood frame onto which the canvas is stretched.
When to Use Other Sizes
photo by ChristinLola via iStock
The 16 x 20 canvas print might be an ideal size for most images and many customers, but being able to print in a variety of sizes is beneficial. Since a 16 x 20 canvas print requires us to crop our digital file, another size that supports the entire frame area of the image might be preferred, such as a 16 x 24 or an 8 x 12 print.
Artbeat Studios prints canvas wraps in sizes from 3 x 6 inches all the way up to 48 x 96 inches (which is 4 x 8 feet!) and can handle most of the aspect ratios for digital photography including some of the panoramic styles of images.
Whether you choose a classic enlargement size such as a 16 x 20 print or opt for any of the sizes based on where it will be displayed or what aspect you’re using, you and your customers will appreciate the artistic appeal of a high-quality canvas wrap print.