Why Doesn’t My Whole Image Fit?
Aspect Ratio
Images can come in a wide range of aspect ratios, which is the main reason for why an image will not fit as intended.
Aspect ratio is “the ratio of the width to the height of an image or screen”. Most pictures are taken in an aspect ratio of 4:5 aspect ratio (which translates to 8×10, 16×20, etc). With panoramic shots or cropped images, this can change the aspect ratio.
Changing the Aspect Ratio
We cannot change the aspect ratio on images, short of cropping them. When uploading your image you may see it doesn’t fit the entire picture on the canvas.
This image of a map of the United States is a great example!
This was uploaded for the 16×20 size, but you can see that it doesn’t fit completely. A bit of both the left and right sides are cropped off. We can move it over one way or the other, but then it will crop off more of the opposite side. We cannot “grow” the area, or zoom out, as there is no extra space above or below, so there is no image to take up those areas.
Pictures in Frames
A good way to think about it is a picture in a frame. When getting a frame, you always want to get the perfect size for your image. If you have a photograph that is 8×12, an 8×10 frame will not fit because it will crop the image out of the frame. If you get a frame that’s too large (such as a 10×12), it will fit lengthwise, but then there is that extra space above it that the photograph cannot fill (as there is no more photograph).
The frame, like the canvas, needs to fit the aspect ratio of the image.
What Can We Do?
A picture can certainly be manipulated to fit a certain aspect ratio, but none are ideal solutions:
- Cropping – This is what our site offers, and will crop the image to fit the aspect ratio of the size you have chosen
- Squashing/Stretching – This is not something we offer, and is not recommended. This would be to either stretch the image or squash it to fit the new size. It can result in things looking unnatural (especially when blown up to print on canvas). This editing can also cause pixelation to the image, due to editing.
- New Size/Image – This is the ideal solution, finding the size that perfectly fits your image (or the image that perfectly fits your canvas size)
What is the Best Type of Image or File to Use?
Most images will work great! Images from Facebook, Instagram, and cellphones make great prints!
We can accept the following types of files:
- .jpeg or .jpg
- .tif or .tiff
Other photo types:
PDF File–If you have a PDF file for printing, you will need to convert it to a JPEG or TIFF file format to upload and order. Many photo editing applications can do this, as well as several free online converters.
Physical Print-If you have a physical photograph you want to use, we recommend having the image scanned as a jpeg file at a resolution of 600 DPI in order to get the best quality photo to us. Your local printing company, FedEx Kinko’s, or Office Depot are some of the places where you can get your image scanned.
Negative-If you have a negative you would like to print, we recommend contacting your negative to a local photography shop and having them create a digital file for you.
How Will I Know if My Image Will Look Good or Has High Enough Resolution?
We want to make sure that your image is going to look great printed at the size you selected! We provide a few options to ensure the best possible print.
File Size / Image Resolution:
If the size of your image file uploaded is too small you will immediately receive a message stating, “We’re sorry, but your image is too small for the selected product size. Please replace the image or choose a smaller product size.”
If you don’t receive an error message after uploading your image, then the file size is passable (however this does not guarantee a clear image, as our uploader only checks the file size).
Blurry, Grainy, or Dark Image:
If you are concerned about other types of image quality issues, we recommend selecting our Professional Review service to have an artist personally examine your image and provide any needed enhancements.
Professional Review Includes:
- Examination of your image for quality issues such as blur or grain.
- Adjustment of brightness, contrast, and sharpness as needed.
- Personalized assessment of your image sent via email.
- Highly recommended for darker or heavily shadowed images.
What Color Profile Do You Use?
All of our images are printed in the color space Adobe RGB.
An embedded ICC profile of Abobe RGB will ensure accurate color when printed.
Recommended File Size and Pixel Specification
The size of your file is a helpful measurement to determine how large we can make a print without it becoming distorted or pixelated.
Below are the recommended file requirements in order to produce a high-resolution print with good clarity.
Size guidelines for some of our standard sizes
(These are general size guidelines, please note that if the image is out of focus, grainy, or low-resolution files where the resolution has been manually increased the image may not work.)
| Canvas Size | Min File Size | Min Pixels |
| 8 x 10 | 100kb | 640 x 800 |
| 11 x 14 | 200kb | 720 x 960 |
| 16 x 20 | 1Mb | 641 x 960 |
| 20 x 24 | 1.4Mb | 1080 x 1920 |
| 24 x 36 | 1.5Mb | 1448 x 2170 |
| 30 x 40 | 3Mb | 1200 x 1600 |
| 40 x 60 | 4.5Mb | 3456 x 5184 |
Can I increase the resolution of my small file?
We have found that increasing the resolution of a small file does not typically enable us to successfully enlarge the image. Our experience is that the file is still soft or pixelated when we attempt to enlarge a file where the resolution has been manually increased to the desired canvas size.
Your best bet is to investigate if you have the largest file available. If you do have the largest size available, your options are adjusting to a smaller canvas or sending a new image.