Art and Craft Supplies
Photo to canvas print.
A canvas has its own shape, so the photo gets cropped to fit. Enter the photo pixels and the canvas size to see the crop, the resolution you get and the biggest canvas the photo can carry.
ppi = kept pixels across / print inches across. A 4000 x 3000 px photo on a 20 x 16 in canvas loses 6.25% to cropping and prints at 187.5 ppi.
Photo and canvas
Fit
Fill the form and press Calculate.
Worked example
A 4000 x 3000 px photo (4:3) for a 20 x 16 in canvas (5:4) with no wrap. The photo is wider than the canvas shape, so the width is trimmed: height stays 3000 px and width becomes 3000 x 20 / 16 = 3750 px. That removes 6.25% of the pixels and prints at 3750 / 20 = 187.5 ppi. At a 150 ppi target the photo supports a canvas up to 25.0 x 20.0 in. The same photo on a 36 x 24 in canvas gives 111.1 ppi, which is below 150. Adding 1.5 in of wrap on each side makes the print area 23.0 x 19.0 in and the resolution 157.9 ppi.
How it works
The photo is cropped to the aspect ratio of the print area, which is the canvas face plus any wrap on every side. Whichever side of the photo is too long is trimmed. The pixels that remain, divided by the print width in inches, give the effective pixels per inch. The largest canvas is the kept pixels divided by your target ppi, less the wrap.
The target ppi is your choice. 150 ppi is a common rule of thumb for canvas, not a published standard, and the right figure depends on viewing distance and the printer. Upscaling software can add pixels but cannot add detail.
Sources and basis (opened 2026-10-08): 1 in = 2.54 cm from Inch (Wikipedia). The 150 ppi default is a common rule of thumb, not a published standard.
FAQ
What size canvas can I print from a 4000 x 3000 photo?
At 150 ppi, up to about 25 x 20 in for a 5:4 canvas. A different canvas shape crops differently, so check yours in the calculator.
Why does the canvas crop my photo?
The photo and the canvas have different aspect ratios. A 4:3 photo on a 5:4 canvas has to lose some width to fill the canvas without stretching.
What ppi do I need for a canvas?
There is no single standard. 150 ppi is a common working target, but the right figure depends on the printer and the viewing distance. Follow the printer's own file guide.
What is the wrap or bleed on a gallery canvas?
On a gallery wrap the image continues around the stretcher bars. Enter the bar depth so that wrapped part counts as print area and the crop and ppi stay honest.
Does it change anything if my canvas is portrait and the photo is landscape?
The calculator turns the canvas to match the photo, so a 16 x 20 in portrait canvas is treated as 20 x 16 in for a landscape photo.
Disclaimer
Results are arithmetic from the numbers you enter. Print quality also depends on sharpness, noise and the printer. This does not guarantee how a given print will look.