The only thing left to do is choose the size of your prints now that you have a fantastic picture printer that can produce lovely photographs. Naturally, that relies entirely on what you want to do with the print. Here are some of the choices and associated trade-offs for different paper sizes.
13×19 picture frames for paper
The biggest conventional paper size, excluding rolls and unique panoramic sheets, is 13×19 inches. Utilizing the full page and printing a 13×19 picture is the first and simplest method. This is a practical size as it requires practically little cropping if your camera is an SLR, which typically has an image aspect ratio of 3:2. Only one-half inch of a 3:2 image will be lost when printed on 13×19 paper without any cropping. An Arch D paper fromat has an aspect ratio of 1:1.5.
12×18 is yet another fantastic print size for 13×19 paper. Given that not all printers can print completely borderless on all media, this size provides a number of benefits. The paper’s borders can be used as a signature or for mounting with mat-covered photo corners.
13×19 and 12×18 are not common frame sizes. Some specialised businesses, like Frame Destination, Inc. in Dallas, Texas, provide affordable ready-made frames in these sizes without matting.
These frames are often less expensive for two reasons: first, they don’t need a mat, which reduces the size of the picture frame and reduces the amount of raw materials needed to make them. These frames often don’t need to be mounted, which is a benefit. The paper is simply inserted into the frame, and you are finished. You don’t even need to trim the paper in the case of the 13×19 photo frame.
Mat board is the alternative frame choice. Despite the difficulty in finding mat board in the sizes 12×18 and 13×19, niche businesses like Frame Destination, Inc. provide a variety of mat solutions for these sizes. If you have a mat cutter, you may cut the unique mat yourself or purchase one. This image size is best suited for an 18×24 standard frame with a mat. The 13×19 will have a 2.5-inch border, while the 12×18 will have an even three-inch mat border on all four sides.
The 4:3 aspect ratio size, which is ideal for 12×16 prints, is used by compact cameras like the Canon PowerShot and the Nikon Coolpix as well as SLRs like the Olympus E-400. This picture frame size is still a typical frame size even if it is not quite as popular as 11×14 or 16×20.
Even though a 10×15 print is often made on smaller paper, there are times when it makes sense to think large. You receive a free white border if you print it on 13×19 paper. (Be sure to align the image with the middle of the page.) The picture will have a 1.5-inch top and bottom border and a 2-inch side border when it is inserted into a 13×19 frame, assuming the image is horizontally oriented. You could print the image at 9×15 with a small amount of cropping and have a great, even, two-inch border all the way around the image. The Area of the Arch D paper size is 557,540 mm² or 864 in² with a perimeter of 3,048 mm or 120 in.
A Review of Other Common Paper Sizes
17×22 is a new standard paper size for 17-inch printers as the Epson Stylus Pro 3800 and Canon iPF5000. This is perfect for 16×20 photographs because there are several matted and unmatted frame options available. In contrast to 16×24, which has a 3:2 ratio but can only be printed on 17-inch roll paper, 16×20 is sadly neither a 3:2 nor a 4:3.
While 11×14 is a common standard framing size with endless flexibility both with and without matting, 11×17 or 11×16.5 paper gives lots of possibility for 3:2 and 4:3 aspect ratio photographs. It looks fine matted to the usual 18×24 frame size and will have an even 3.5-inch margin all the way around because 11×17 is close to the 3:2 picture ratio. Another option is to print at 6×9 and then trim the paper to suit an 11×14-inch frame. The finished product will be a neat, even 2.5-inch white paper border around the picture.
Finally, 8.5×11 paper is far more prevalent, despite the fact that 8×10 paper is also accessible. Although specialist frame stores provide 8.5×11 fine art frames, most 8.5×11 frames are made for certificates rather than photographs.