On the wall
Sizes, frames and formats: what the paper actually is, and how big it needs to be.
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This is the stage where the question stops being about motorbikes and starts being about a wall. Most of it comes down to two things people guess at: how the paper sizes relate to each other, and how much wall a print needs around it. Both have answers, and neither is a matter of taste. The paper sizes are a published standard, and the rest is measuring, so you don't have to stand back and hope.
The three main formats, side by side
Every artwork in the shop comes in these three wall formats, so the choice is about the wall and how you want it finished.
| Format | Sizes | Good to know |
|---|---|---|
| Poster | A4, A3, A2, 50 × 70 cm, 70 × 100 cm | Unframed, so you choose the frame |
| Framed print | A3, A2 | In a black or natural wood frame |
| Canvas | 30 × 40, 40 × 50, 50 × 70, 60 × 80 cm | Stretched over a 2 cm wooden frame, with no glass |
Why A sizes and 50 × 70 cm do not mix
The A sizes come from one international standard, ISO 216. Each one is half the size above it: A3 is 297 × 420 mm, exactly half of A2 at 420 × 594 mm, so the two share the same proportions. 50 × 70 cm sits outside that family. It is a slightly squatter shape, so an A2 frame will not take it, and trimming it to fit would cut into the picture. Measure the frame you have before you choose the size.
Measuring before you buy
The cheapest test is a sheet of newspaper. Cut it to the size you are thinking of, tape it to the wall and look at it from where you usually sit. As a rough guide, A3 suits a shelf or a narrow gap, A2 or 50 × 70 cm sits well above a sofa or sideboard, and 70 × 100 cm wants a big wall seen from across the room. Leave about a hand's width of clear wall around each print, and for a framed print, measure the outside of the frame, not just the picture.
The short answers
Print sizes and framing
A 50 × 70 cm print is bigger than A2, and it is not an A size at all.
Wall art ideas
Most motorcycle wall art fails the room it hangs in.
The reading, in order
- Is 50x70 cm A3?
- Print sizes and framing
- Posters
- Framed prints
- Canvas prints
- The Great Roads series
- The Race Day series
- Wall art ideas
The whole route
The route ends here. The first stage starts back at what the words mean, and the questions index holds every short answer on this site.
Written by Craig Fearn, Throttlefolio. Last updated .
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