Print Products Guide, Part 1: How to Choose Print Sizes - Northwest Arkansas Portrait and Event Photography by L. Michelle Images

Welcome! Today we'll be starting a series on choosing print products. With so many options available it’s easy to feel overwhelmed when ordering prints after you’ve had your photos made. To make things easier for you we’re going to be going over every aspect of print products from size all the way to finish options. In this part of the series we will be going over how to choose the best print size to fit your needs. 

Before we get into the specifics of size I want to share a few tips that will help you visualize a print in your mind and make choosing the best size for you very simple!

Think About Content

When you’re choosing a print size for a photo take into consideration the content of the photo. It may seem fairly obvious but people often order prints in sizes too small to do the photo justice. If you are ordering a family or group portrait upgrading that 5x7 to an 8x10 makes a huge difference in the amount of detail visible in the print. Subtle emotions can be lost in smaller print sizes with a lot of content. 

Shape

Just when you thought you’d never use freshman geometry! Prints come in several size ratios so when choosing a print size make sure to consider what you want it to look like. An 11x14 print is a normal rectangle, a 20x20 is square and a 12x24 is a long rectangle. Square prints can be the center of a wall gallery or just to add a bit of contemporary flair to your home. Long rectangles are great for when you want a collage or storyboard. 

Material

Do you want an image on photographic paper or on canvas? Are you going to frame your product? These are things to think about that can make a huge difference in the appearance of your print. A smaller print size can be easily overwhelmed by chunky frames. A gallery wrap canvas can be displayed several ways; by itself, in a collection on a wall, or on an easel. Personally I think that standalone canvas pieces look better in larger sizes. Think about how you want your image to be viewed. Is it part of an overall story you want to tell or a standalone piece?

Clients often have questions regarding what size prints they should order after their session. Maybe you want to display a certain print on a wall or you want to fill a few frames at your parents house. Print sizes can be confusing and often misleading. All too often clients place orders for prints thinking that they will be getting a wall size when in actuality the print size isn’t very large at all!

Small Sizes

4x6 

This is the standard size for prints being put into a store-bought album. These store-bought albums are becoming less common in homes. You can also frame this size print but the photo is going to be very small, so its best to display this size on an end table or nightstand. I prefer a larger size for display, but taste differs from person to person. 

5x7

A 5x7 print is my personal favorite for smaller display on nightstands, end tables, and desks. It’s small enough that it won’t look out of place in an office but large enough that you can see a bit more detail than with a 4x6. It may not seem significant, but the difference in the size of a 4x6 and a 5x7 is actually quite large. This is also a good size for greeting cards! 

8x10

So I’ve probably lost a few people at this point. You’re probably wondering why I’d categorize an 8x10 as a small print. Isn’t that a pretty big photo? It’s deceiving to think about it in terms only of dimensions. 8x10 sure sounds large, and it is for display on a mantle or buffet cabinet, but it is not a size that is meant to be put on a wall. When a photo is displayed on a wall, people are going to be viewing it from at least 3-5 feet away (I’ll be covering appropriate viewing distance later!)
From that distance there’s hardly any detail visible in an 8x10 photo print. The color of a baby’s eyes get lost easily in a family portrait, facial expressions aren’t as visible in group portraits, and other important nuances in a moment are left out because so much is squeezed into a small size. 
This is still one of the best sizes for display on smaller surfaces, but even upgrading to an 11x14 gives so much more room to tell a story with a small price difference. 

Large Sizes for Wall Display

11x14

An 11x14 is the smallest size I would recommend for wall display, and it’s one of the most common sizes for that purpose. I love the 11x14 size. It’s large enough to provide detail in, for example, senior portrait or bridal portrait closeups. Its also small enough that it doesn’t take up a large portion of the wall, allowing you to decorate around it. It’s just a great size! You can always go bigger for full length or group portraits but an 11x14 print is still one of my top recommendations. 

16x20

This is the next step up from an 11x14 but as you can tell by just looking at the dimensions it is quite the jump. This is an excellent size for wall display for practically any image you have in mind. This is one of my personal choices for wedding and bridal portraits. 

20x30 or 24x30

These two sizes are very similar, in fact the only real difference is that a 24x30 has more of a square shape than a 20x30. I also suggest these sizes for large wall prints of portraits. Both of these sizes are great choices for any type of portrait that you want to showcase in your home. They look amazing above a fireplace or accent furniture or in a nursery to showcase your newborn. Images in these sizes serve as great centerpieces for a room since they draw somebody’s attention as soon as they enter the space. 

While not every print size is featured here this is a great reference point when considering how you want to display your photos. Every other print size falls somewhere within this range. Keep these points in mind when deciding how you want your images to look in your home. 

Later this week we'll be going over finishing options and materials. Don't forget to enter for our portrait session giveaway by March 1st! Visit us on Facebook and follow us on Instagram to see what we're up to! 

See you soon!

- L

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