Print files
Canvas Print File Size at 300 DPI (Including Wrap)
Canvas SKUs need the print face plus wrap inches, usually at 300 DPI for small canvases or 150 DPI for large walls. Keep faces out of the wrap zone.
Direct answer
Canvas print file size is the front width and height plus wrap on each side, converted to pixels at the DPI the template lists (often 300 for small canvases, 150 for large). Example: a 16×20 with 1.5 in wrap each side is 19×23 in of image — 5700×6900 pixels at 300 DPI. Download the partner template. Do not upload a trim-size 16×20 JPEG and hope the sides stretch.
Paper posters trim. Canvas wraps. If a face sits on the left edge of a landscape, it folds around the stretcher and looks like a cropped ear in the room. POD dashboards shade a wrap zone for this reason. Artists still upload 8×10 JPEGs into 16×20 canvases.
Read the live template. This guide is the mental model, not a substitute for Printful’s current PNG.
- 1
Download the current canvas template
Note wrap, DPI, and exact pixels.
- 2
Pin the subject in the safe zone
Not in the wrap.
- 3
Export to the template pixel box
Front plus wrap, not trim-only.
- 4
Upload that file to the POD SKU
Keep the Etsy mockup separate.
Face plus wrap equals the pixel box
Front 12×16 in with 1.5 in wrap on all sides → 15×19 in of artwork. At 300 DPI: 4500×5700 pixels. At 150 DPI: 2250×2850. The shop tells you which DPI.
Corner folds eat extra. Busy corners (signatures, tiny type) vanish. Keep signatures inside the safe zone, not on the wrap.
| Part | Inches | Pixels at 300 DPI |
|---|---|---|
| Front only (wrong file) | 16 × 20 | 4800 × 6000 |
| + 1.5 in wrap each side | 19 × 23 | 5700 × 6900 |
| Typical 150 DPI large canvas | 19 × 23 | 2850 × 3450 |
Focal point belongs in the safe zone
Pin an eye or product so it stays on the front. The focal-point crop should not center a face that then sits 0.5 in from the wrap line.
Edge-to-edge patterns wrap easily. Portraits do not. If the painting is a tight headshot, offer paper or a larger canvas so the wrap is background.
Prep in Reopic, finish in the template
Use Studio to crop a custom ratio that matches the full template inches (front + wrap), export 300 DPI, then drop that file into Printful/Gooten’s generator. Or crop to the front and add wrap in their tool if they mirror edges — mirroring a face is worse than giving them extra image.
Printful, Gooten, and local shops still win if their pixel box disagrees with this article.
150 DPI canvases are not a free pass
A 40×60 canvas at 150 DPI is still a huge pixel file. A 12×12 at 150 DPI will look soft in an office viewed from two feet. Match DPI to viewing distance and to the template, not to a rumor that “canvas is always 150.”
FAQ: canvas print file size 300 DPI
Do canvas prints need 300 DPI?+
Small canvases viewed up close often do. Large wall canvases may be 150 DPI on the template. Follow the SKU.
How do I calculate wrap pixels?+
Add wrap inches to each side of the front, then multiply by the template DPI.
Can I use a poster file for canvas?+
Only if it already includes wrap or the shop mirrors edges. Most poster files are trim-size and will stretch the sides.
Where should the focal point go on canvas?+
On the front, with margin from the wrap. Gallery wrap will hide the outer inch or more.
