Tips for Choosing the Correct Border Size for Your Prints

When working with an expert on art or photographic prints, one of the most common elements artists and photographers debate is border sizes and their effect on an image. Does the ideal border proportion exist?

If so, should the border wrap around the image, or would it look best without one? While these are fantastic inquiries to determine the perfect finishing touch for a print, they can often overwhelm your decision-making.

This post contains tips for choosing the correct border size for your prints, facilitating the printing process. Continue reading below to learn more!

How To Select Border Sizes

Determining the ideal border proportions for your prints can be time-consuming, which is why it helps to learn border standards and how they calculate aesthetically pleasing proportions. As a rule of thumb, the illustration should occupy up to 80 percent of the entire print.

Depending on the print’s orientation, the border on the shorter sides takes up 10 percent of the width, while the top portion takes up 7 percent of vertical space. Finally, the bottom border uses 13 percent of the print’s height. Using these border dimensions, you’ll have enough room to add descriptions and signatures.

Consider Your Print’s Sheet Size

To get some background on the printing process, it helps to know that inkjet printers typically produce illustrations on rolls of canvas. The unstretched material remains unaltered until after the printing stage when experts cut images from the roll.

The “sheet size,” otherwise known as an image’s cut size, determines its final dimensions. These values will affect the sheet size when choosing border sizes, as the cut will accommodate the borders outside of the print.

For example, ordering a 36x24-inch print with a 1-inch border can still result in a 36x24-inch reproduction; however, the paper’s cut will be 38x26 inches.

Avoid Combining Embedded Margins and Borders

Embedded margins are another solution to help you attain the ideal border for your prints and are common among artists and photographers. While they appear identical to borders, margins act as space within the image rather than outside the print.

It would be wise to incorporate embedded margins sparingly before producing prints. Adding extra margins can result in an incorrectly sized image.

Choosing the correct border size for your prints isn’t always as straightforward as it seems. With specific proportions and overall aesthetics to consider, you want a border that complements and sophisticates your work.

At The Stackhouse, we can assist you with attaining impeccable prints with margins that meet your expectations. Our unstretched canvas printing process typically utilizes museum-grade materials to produce durable, exquisite images that are flexible to display or resell as you wish.