Wall decor: canvas and poster DPI, size in pixels

Canvas and poster print DPI (150 or 300), poster size in pixels, sRGB, 4 mm of bleed and up to 1.5 in lost per canvas edge: what platforms and labs ask.

How the process treats your file

On posters, canvas and framed prints the platform, not the printer, sets the pixel arithmetic, and the platforms do not agree. Printful calls 300 DPI ideal for posters and canvas and accepts 75 on paper. Printumo says 150 DPI for canvas, 300 for posters. Redbubble says DPI and PPI do not affect the upload and publishes pixel minimums instead: 8310 × 11790 for a Large poster.

Colour is sRGB at most platforms (Printful, ArtStation), while Hahnemühle’s ICC page cites AdobeRGB as an example monitor space.

A file whose shape misses the product meets four rules: Prodigi’s API crops by default (its dashboard refuses to crop and offers only matching sizes), Redbubble pads Art Prints, Gelato errors on a document that does not match the product, and Printumo trims a file built to the rounded-centimetre size.

Canvas is where file and object part ways. The bar depth decides whether 0.675 in or 1.5 in of the image leaves the front face (Prodigi).

What the printers specify

Makers gave profiles and paper data, not file rules; these numbers come from platforms and labs.

Poster size in pixels: print area and pixel size

Where a platform publishes pixels, use its table; where it publishes inches, multiply by its own DPI.

Redbubble (platform): posters 2870 × 4100 px (Extra small) to 8310 × 11790 (Large); framed and canvas 2400 × 1600 to 4800 × 4800; Art Prints 3840 × 3840 — Redbubble specs
ArtStation (platform): 300 ppi, so 10 × 8 in is 3000 × 2400 px; 24 × 36 canvas 7200 × 10800 — ArtStation specs
Printify (platform): 16 × 20 in print, 15.5 × 19.5 in mat opening, 4800 × 6000 px recommended — Printify sizes
Prodigi (platform): per-product pixels only in the dashboard uploader and API — Prodigi wall art, Prodigi API
Printumo (platform): inches × 150 for canvas; 64 × 36 in is 9600 × 5400 px — Printumo file size
Gelato (platform): a 300 × 400 mm poster needs a 308 × 408 mm PDF — Gelato formats

Poster and canvas print DPI: resolution at print size

Paper tops out at 300; canvas figures run 150 to 300, so with an unknown lab deliver 300 (Printful, Printumo).

Printful (platform): paper minimum 75 DPI, 300 strongly recommended — Printful file guide; large-format at least 150 — Printful help
Printify (platform): 300 recommended, 120-150 for leggings, blankets, tapestries — Printify help; blog: 300 for canvas — Printify canvas
Printumo (platform): 150 for canvas, 300 for posters — Printumo file size
Prodigi (platform): stretched canvas “Optimal DPI: 300” — Prodigi wall art; Canvas wraps (CAN-WRAP, latex, US-made, “A low-cost alternative to our popular Giclée canvas”): 150 dpi recommended — Prodigi CAN-WRAP sheet
Gelato (platform, PDF route): 150 to 300 dpi at actual size — Gelato PDF rules
Redbubble (platform): DPI and PPI do not affect the upload — Redbubble specs
Luma Prints (lab, 2016 tutorial): 200 pixels/inch — Luma template
SAIC Service Bureau (lab, HP Latex 700W): 180 to 300 dpi — SAIC latex
HP (maker): not stated on the HP Latex canvas page, a landing page for a PDF guide — HP Latex canvas

Upscaling

Two platforms say they enlarge small files; Prodigi enlarges only a file below its smallest product size (Prodigi FAQ); assume the rest print what you send.

Printify (platform): low-resolution designs are enhanced automatically — Printify help
Printumo (platform): undersized files are scaled up, “possible quality loss” — Printumo file size
Printful (platform): “Don’t enlarge a small, low-resolution image and expect it to print sharply.” No statement that Printful upscales — Printful help
Prodigi (platform): the editor flags low resolution; the print may look soft — Prodigi wall art
ArtStation (platform): advice to sellers, not a platform step: upscaling “within reason” can give reasonably good quality — ArtStation specs

File format and size limits

JPEG or PNG works at every platform; PDF and TIFF depend on the route.

Redbubble (platform): JPEG and PNG only; max 300 MB or 13500 × 13500 px — Redbubble specs
Printful (platform): up to 200 MB, 20,000 × 20,000 px — Printful help
Printify (platform): 100 MB for JPEG and PNG, 20 MB for SVG — Printify help
Prodigi (platform): JPG, PNG or PDF, no EXIF rotation metadata — Prodigi wall art
Gelato (platform, PDF route): PDF/X-4, output intent GRACoL 2006 — Gelato PDF rules
SAIC (lab): TIFF or PDF at exact print size — SAIC latex
ArtStation (platform): JPG at 100% or PNG, RGB only, max 100 MB — ArtStation specs

Colour mode and profile

For a POD upload, export sRGB; Adobe RGB belongs to labs that ask for it.

Printful (platform): sRGB IEC61966-2.1; the system converts colours — Printful help
ArtStation (platform): no Adobe RGB, no CMYK — ArtStation specs
Gelato (platform, PDF route): sRGB recommended for posters — Gelato PDF rules
Prodigi (platform): RGB; do not embed Prodigi’s profiles, “they’re for proofing only” — Prodigi wall art
Redbubble (platform): design in CMYK, convert to RGB before upload — Redbubble specs
Hahnemühle (maker): RGB profiles for driver and application, not RIPs; AdobeRGB named as an example monitor view — Hahnemühle ICC
SAIC (lab): Adobe RGB 1998 — SAIC latex
Moab, Canson (maker): not stated on a readable page; Moab’s ICC sub-pages failed to load, Canson’s ICC page rendered navigation only — Moab, Canson ICC

Transparency and alpha

Wall prints are full coverage: flatten.

Printful (platform): JPEG has no transparency; a transparent background may print white; JPEG is its pick for posters and canvas — Printful help
SAIC (lab): “Files should be flattened with NO Alpha Channels.” — SAIC latex
Gelato (platform, PDF route): flatten all transparencies — Gelato PDF rules

White handling

On canvas, white is an edge option; no wall page read gives a white-ink file rule.

Prodigi (platform): wrap values White, Black, ImageWrap, MirrorWrap — Prodigi API

Minimum line and text size

One number exists, for one route.

Gelato (platform, PDF route): 7-point minimum — Gelato PDF rules
Printful, Prodigi, Redbubble, Printumo (platform): not stated as a number; Printful names “very small text or thin lines” as a risk — Printful help, Prodigi wall art, Redbubble specs, Printumo file size

Bleed and safe zone

Where the platform cuts the print, run art 4 mm past trim and keep text 4 mm inside (Gelato); where it does not, upload at exact product size with no bleed (Printumo).

Gelato (platform): 4 mm bleed all sides, safe area 4 mm inside trim — Gelato PDF rules
Prodigi (platform): 2-3 mm trim tolerance on fine art prints — Prodigi wall art; photo prints typically 3 mm bleed, added by the API if missing — Prodigi FAQ
Printumo (platform): no bleed; posters print to exact size — Printumo file size
Teelaunch (platform): art must run through the red bleed area of the poster templates — Teelaunch posters
Printify (platform): bleed, trim line and safe zone are marked in the template; numbers are not on the page — Printify bleeds

Sublimated mugs and all-over prints carry their own bleed rules: see Sublimation: Bleed and safe zone.

Canvas wrap

On a 1.5 in bar, expect about 1.5 in of image per edge to end up on the side (Prodigi).

Prodigi (platform): 19 mm bar adds 1.5 in, 0.675 in visible per edge; 38 mm bar adds 3.15 in, 1.5 in visible; key elements 1.6 in from the edge — Prodigi wall art
Gelato (platform): 200 + (34 × 2) + (15 × 2) = 298 mm on 2 cm bars, 200 + (40 × 2) + (15 × 2) = 310 mm on 4 cm; a front-only file leaves the sides white; mirror is an option — Gelato canvas, Gelato mirror
Printumo (platform): about 4 cm folds per edge, closer to 6 cm at some facilities; Stretched loses about 10% per side on 30×30 cm, 4% on 100×100 cm, up to 15% on the smallest — Printumo wrapping
Luma Prints (lab): +1 in per side on 0.75 in bars, +2 in on 1.50 in — Luma template
4OVER4 (lab): 1.5 in bars by default; 11 × 14 in needs 2100 × 2550 px — 4OVER4 canvas
Queensberry (lab): Black, White, Natural or Mirror wrap; Natural uses the image itself, so tight crops are impractical — Queensberry wraps
Teelaunch (platform): mirrors the outer edge onto the sides — Teelaunch canvas
Printify (platform, blog): 1.5 to 2 in of bleed for most canvas prints — Printify canvas

Framed prints

Keep detail 0.25 in off each edge under a mat and 5 mm under a frame lip (Printify sizes, Gelato PDF rules).

Gelato (platform): the frame covers about 4-5 mm per side — Gelato PDF rules
Prodigi (platform): keep faces, text, signatures 2-3 mm from the edges of mounted prints — Prodigi wall art
Printify (platform): 11 × 14 in print, 10.5 × 13.5 in mat opening, so 0.25 in per side — Printify sizes
Level Frames (framer): the mat overlaps each edge by 1/4 in — Level Frames mats

Ink and colour limits

Only the PDF route has a number.

Gelato (platform, PDF route): rich black 60 60 60 100, total 280 — Gelato PDF rules
Printful (platform): not stated; sRGB in, colours converted by its system — Printful help
Printify (platform): not stated — Printify help
Hahnemühle (maker): not stated on the ICC page — Hahnemühle ICC

Archival paper

Data sheets give weight and pH; platform pages give adjectives.

Hahnemühle (maker, reseller copy of Rev. 03): Photo Rag 308, 100% cotton, read as 308 gsm, pH 8.3, acid free; column order inferred from the header — Photo Rag 308 sheet
Prodigi (platform): “Giclée prints on museum-quality papers” — Prodigi wall art

Where the sources disagree

Canvas print recommended DPI: stretched canvas, 300 DPI or 150

Printful: “A DPI of 300 is the ideal poster and canvas print file resolution” (Printful); Printify’s blog also says 300 (Printify). Printumo: “Use 150 DPI for canvas prints (not 300 DPI)” (Printumo); 4OVER4: “Aim for at least 150 pixels per inch at the final print size” (4OVER4); Luma says 200 (Luma). Printify’s help centre gives 120-150 DPI for large textiles and does not name canvas (Printify help).

A 24 × 36 in canvas is 7200 × 10800 px at 300 and 3600 × 5400 at 150, four times fewer pixels. A file built to 150 passes at Printumo and falls short of Printful’s ideal (ArtStation, Printumo).

Colour space: sRGB, Adobe RGB, or CMYK then RGB

ArtStation: do not use Adobe RGB, prints may look dull (ArtStation); Printful wants sRGB (Printful). SAIC wants Adobe RGB 1998 (SAIC); Redbubble says design in CMYK, then convert to RGB (Redbubble).

Only Printful says what its system reads (sRGB IEC61966-2.1); no page says what happens to an embedded Adobe RGB tag. An Adobe RGB file on an sRGB-only pipeline prints flat; a CMYK round trip loses gamut before the RIP sees it. For a POD upload, sRGB is what Printful, ArtStation and Gelato ask for.

Aspect mismatch: four behaviours

Prodigi crops centrally by default, with fill, fit and stretch modes (Prodigi API). Redbubble pads Art Prints with 1-2 in borders (Redbubble). Gelato errors on a document whose size does not match the product UID (Gelato). Printumo trims a file built to the rounded-centimetre size (Printumo).

The same off-shape file comes back cropped, bordered, refused or trimmed. Prodigi’s stretch mode distorts on purpose.

Canvas wrap: the side band agrees, the back fold does not

On deep bars the side takes about 1.5 in: Prodigi 1.5 in visible (Prodigi), 4OVER4’s “1.5 inch wrap margin” (4OVER4), Gelato 40 mm (Gelato). The back fold runs from 0.075 in (Prodigi) to 15 mm (Gelato) to about 0.5 in at Luma (an extra 2 in for side and back on a 1.5 in bar, Luma).

A file built to Prodigi’s +3.15 in is short at Gelato, which wants +110 mm (4.33 in) on a 4 cm bar (Prodigi, Gelato).

“Giclée”: the Guild vs a paper vendor

PermaJet, citing the Fine Art Trade Guild, says you must print on an aqueous pigmented inkjet with seven or more ink colours (PermaJet). The Guild’s standards page lists Blue Wool 6 or more, substrate pH 7-9, 250 gsm minimum and manufacturer-approved inks, and no ink count (Guild standards). Its own definition: “A giclée is the term for a fine art digital print, often a reproduction but occasionally a computer generated original” (Guild giclée FAQ).

A listing that says “giclée per Guild standards” quotes the vendor; the Guild sets lightfastness, pH and weight. PermaJet’s 2016 certificate still prints the band as “amended September 2002 to pH 7-10”; the Guild says that interim “has now reverted” to 7-9. The sample’s pH 9.0 passes either way (PermaJet certificate).

Brightness: raise the file or lower the monitor

Printify: raise canvas brightness 10-15% to offset dullness (Printify). A BenQ-supplied article: dark prints come from badly set-up files, and print work wants 80-120 cd/m2 (Photo Review).

A flat +10-15% on a file edited on an over-bright monitor washes the print out (Printify canvas, Photo Review). Neither source is a lab measurement.

What fails on the floor

All ten cases are descriptions by platforms, labs or vendors, not photos of a print with its file.

White strip at the edge

A thin white border on a poster: the art stops at the trim line. Gelato warns at upload when bleed is missing (Gelato); Teelaunch describes the border (Teelaunch).

Canvas sides stay white

Printed front, blank sides: the art sits in the front-face box only (Gelato).

Head or text cut off the canvas front

Image wrap with the subject in the outer band puts the top of a head on the side (Luma, Prodigi). Printumo puts the loss at about 10% per side on 30×30 cm (Printumo).

Backwards text on a mirrored side

Text near the template edge on a mirror wrap shows reversed on the side (Teelaunch).

Pixelated canvas from a web copy

A compressed copy from a website or message, enlarged to print size, shows square pixels; the lab says uprezzing did not rescue such files (Canvas on Demand, troubleshooting).

Grainy print from Save for Web

Save for Web often drops the file to 72 DPI (Printful).

Wrong rotation

An EXIF orientation tag on sideways pixels turns the print (Prodigi).

Print darker than the screen

Monitors ship at full brightness, around 300 cd/m2 or more, so the edit looks brighter than the print (Photo Review). Vendor article, no print shown.

Canvas a few millimetres off shape

Designed to the 80 × 45 cm label instead of the real 32 × 18 in (81.3 × 45.7 cm), the file is trimmed to fit (Printumo).

Detail under the frame or mount

No margin for the 4-5 mm frame lip or the mount window hides a signature (Gelato, Prodigi).

What shops ask on the forums

Three questions from wall-art sellers and photographers, posted between November 2025 and May 2026. Reddit quotes are the opening post only; replies were not read.

Is 200 DPI enough for big prints, or should I go to 600?

“Also is it ok for the DPI to be around 200 for my bigger prints?” — Reddit r/printondemand: Is it okay to have “bleed” with my art prints?, March 2026. Also: “is it worth it to make sure all of my files are the highest possible quality and do 600 dpi?” — Reddit r/EtsySellers: Question For Sellers Of Digital Files For Prints, November 2025.

The guide’s sources give figures by lab: Printful 75 DPI minimum on paper, 150 for large format, 300 recommended (Printful file guide, Printful help); Printumo 150 for canvas, 300 for posters (Printumo file size); Luma 200 (Luma template); SAIC 180-300 (SAIC latex). Paper tops out at 300, so 600 buys nothing at any listed lab, and pixels ÷ print inches gives the largest size a file supports. A marketplace’s file-size cap on digital downloads (Etsy) is not a printer rule, and no page we read covers it.

The file looked sharp on screen, so why is the print blurry?

“It looked super sharp and high-quality on the computer, but blurry after printing.” — Reddit r/AskPhotography: Why did my photo print blurry if I used the correct export settings?, May 2026 (a 24 × 36 framed print from a 10,800 × 7,200 PNG). Also: Reddit r/EtsySellers: Customer claiming print is blurry, March 2026, a 5 × 7 print from a digital download.

The guide’s sources cover too few pixels for the size, a compressed web copy (Canvas on Demand) and Save for Web dropping the file to 72 DPI (Printful help). For a file that meets 300 DPI and still prints soft at a consumer lab: no maker, RIP or platform page we read answers this.

Why does my canvas print warmer or darker than the listing image, and what do I pre-correct?

“I’m getting occasional complaints about colors printing warmer/more orange than the listing images.” — Reddit r/printondemand: Those of you selling framed canvas — how do you handle color mismatch between mockups and prints?, February 2026 (a Prodigi seller). Also: Reddit r/printondemand: What’s the best way to handle color consistency across different wall art POD products?, December 2025, and LuLa forum: Dynamic Range mapping, file to pirnt., February 2026, which asks whether to clip shadows and highlights or S-curve the file before printing.

The guide’s sources split between lowering monitor brightness to 80-120 cd/m2 (Photo Review, a vendor article) and raising canvas brightness 10-15% (Printify canvas); none gives pre-correction values for colour temperature or a lab measurement of canvas colour.

Preflight before you upload

Pixel size meets the platform’s table for that size, not just a DPI tag (Redbubble).
Pixels ÷ print inches is at least 150 on canvas and 300 on paper unless the lab states lower (Printful, Printumo).
The source is the original, not a web, message or Save for Web copy (Canvas on Demand, Printful).
JPEG or PNG under the cap: 300 MB Redbubble, 200 MB Printful, 100 MB Printify (Redbubble, Printful, Printify).
Embedded profile is sRGB, no lab proofing profile embedded (Printful, Prodigi).
Flattened, no alpha channel (SAIC).
EXIF orientation cleared, pixels upright (Prodigi).
Aspect ratio matches the product; metric canvas labels checked against the inch size (Prodigi API, Printumo).
Posters: art 4 mm past trim, text 4 mm inside (Gelato).
Canvas: wrap in the file or mirror selected (Gelato).
Canvas on 1.5 in bars: faces and text 1.6 in from the edge (Prodigi).
Mirror wrap: no text in the wrap band (Teelaunch).
Framed or matted: key detail 0.25 in inside each edge (Printify, Gelato).
PDF route: text 7 pt or more, rich black 60 60 60 100 (Gelato).
“Giclée” or “archival” claims match the Guild’s text: Blue Wool 6 or more, 250 gsm minimum (Guild standards).

Sources, checked on 2026-10-19

Forum threads

Reddit r/printondemand: Is it okay to have “bleed” with my art prints?, opening post March 2026
Reddit r/EtsySellers: Question For Sellers Of Digital Files For Prints, opening post November 2025
Reddit r/AskPhotography: Why did my photo print blurry if I used the correct export settings?, opening post May 2026
Reddit r/EtsySellers: Customer claiming print is blurry, opening post March 2026
Reddit r/printondemand: Those of you selling framed canvas — how do you handle color mismatch between mockups and prints?, opening post February 2026
Reddit r/printondemand: What’s the best way to handle color consistency across different wall art POD products?, opening post December 2025
LuLa forum: Dynamic Range mapping, file to pirnt., opening post February 2026

Could not check

Fine Art America / Pixels and Society6: no official upload spec found by search (uncheckable).
HP Latex canvas guide (lkc.hp.com), Ilford, Epson fine-art and paper-profile pages: blocked or no usable content.
Canson Infinity ICC pages, Moab ICC sub-pages, Hahnemühle product pages: failed to load or navigation only.
Printful per-product file guidelines, Printify product templates, Prodigi per-variant pixels: behind apps or dashboards.
Redbubble canvas wrap and framed-print edges: not stated on its Dimensions page.