What Size Picture Frame For 8.5 X 11

As a company that can create over a one thousand thousand different movie frame sizes, we realize how many varying pieces of art and photographs there are.

If you're a frequent art buyer (or maker!) you've probably heard descriptors such as "A2" or "standard-sized" or "Letter/Legal" or "8 by 10" thrown around.

Especially if you lot're not a numbers person, information technology might seem maddening to figure out exactly what it all means. Just, believe it or not, there is by and large a method to all of the sizing madness. Hopefully, after reading this mail, you'll have a meliorate idea near how it all works, and so y'all know what to look for and how to interpret different size measurements.

Standard vs. Custom

The boilerplate consumer probably knows nearly the basic frame sizes sold at your local department store, which adhere to standard, pre-set numbers (four″x6″, 8″x10″, 11″x17″, 18″x24″, etc.). And since you're here, you lot hopefully know a piffling something almost custom framing, which offers more unique and hard-to-find measurements.

While there are many differences between standard-sized frames and custom-sized picture frames, sizing is the main ane: does your art adapt to a widely accepted, readily bachelor size, or do y'all need something more unique?

But what dictates standard sizes versus custom ones? How do you determine what size frame you lot need for a "standard" slice of art? Who is backside this standardization in the start identify?

While frames are the name of the game hither, since what goes in your frame is what needs to be measured, we'll start by explaining standard paper sizes, as well as the organizations that determine the guidelines. It can vary based on the unit and office of the earth, but we'll do our all-time to make it as, well, easy as possible!

What "Standard" Newspaper Sizes Are Used in the U.S.?

The ISO is the International Organization for Standardization, and in that location are merely ii countries that accept not officially adopted their organisation: Canada and America.

Here in the U.S., we employ our ain standardization arrangement. And fifty-fifty though you'll withal likely find prints that adhere to the ISO's classifications, you'll near often run into the American method (if that is where you alive).

The biggest difference between the American and ISO classifications is their respective methods of measuring:

In America, it'due south the English/imperial system (inches);
In the ISO, information technology's the metric organization (centimeters and millimeters).

With American measurements, at that place are three unlike classifications. The first i is Loose sizes, which is divided into four different types: Letter, One-half Alphabetic character, Legal, and Tabloid/Ledger.

Letter is probably the most common standard size in the Usa, measuring 8 1/ii″ by 11″ — a close comparable sizing to the ISO's A4 (which we'll embrace in a fleck). You might fifty-fifty accept a stack of it in your business firm in the class of reckoner paper. There'southward as well a good gamble that a flier, bootleg sign, or something similar that yous see is eight 1/2″ X xi″.

One-half Letter is just a bit smaller — measuring at 8 1/ii″ 10 v i/two″ — and you'll most often come across it used for book pages.

You'll most likely find Legal sized paper used for brochures. The measurements are just slightly larger than Letter of the alphabet at 8 1/two″ X 14″.

Tabloid/Ledger, which measures 11″ X 17″, you'll well-nigh commonly see used for pictures and large diagrams.

In addition to this most common American arrangement, there is as well the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) system. Founded in 1918, ANSI, like ISO, develops standardized systems for a bunch of different things. This system is based around the U.Southward. Letter size; ANSI A's measurements are 8 1/two″ 10 11″.

In addition, ANSI B'southward measurements are the aforementioned as Ledger/Tabloid, and so there is more than just i case of systemic overlap. The sizes get larger from there.

There is also the ARCH arrangement, which was developed specifically for architectural employ. It has the Arch C measurement, which is 18″ X 24″ which might be an important one to notation, as it's a usually ordered poster frame size for many unlike companies.

In add-on, if you're a regular heir-apparent of prints on RedBubble, the Arch C size as well might ring a bell, as those are the measurements of their "Large" sized prints.

What If Y'all Take A Impress In MM or CM? Who Classifies Those? And How Do I Convert to Inches?

American system bated, the ISO develops the standardized practices common amongst about other countries.

The ISO also covers paper sizing, which has become the standard for how most companies sell prints — at least in strange countries. Since almost countries use the metric organisation, sizes will frequently exist in mm or cm rather than inches.

If you have a print or affiche that has measurements in mm or cm, you can employ our handy calculator to convert to inches (equally all of our measurements here at Frame Information technology Like shooting fish in a barrel use inches.)

The ISO, withal, has a few unlike series within their paper nomenclature organisation, which would probably exist good to go over, just then you have a full general overview.

The well-nigh common paper size in the world is fifty-fifty ane designated by this classification system. (More than on that in a bit!)

You'll see the A series well-nigh frequently, at least as far as the ISO goes. (The other 2 lesser known series in the ISO's classification system are the B and C.)

What The "A1, A2, A3, etc." Measurement Means On Your Print

Printed flyers covering graffitied steel wall

The A series is based around the A0 size, which is 841mm X 1,189mm.

For those curious, 841mm X 1,189mm equals 33.1″ X 46.viii″. Converted to a fraction, which is what we use, that would be 33 one/viii″ X 46 13/sixteen″ — merely in example if you have an A0 piece of paper yous desire to frame.

The subsequent sizes of the A series are determined by simply folding the A0 size in one-half; the A1 measurements are half of the A0. The same is true for A2 and A1.

Fun fact: The A4 size is the most unremarkably used in the world. It would equal to about 8 v/16″ X xi three/4″ when measured using the English organisation.

Despite this, information technology is non even in our top 100 most ordered frame sizes. This simply shows how uncommon these measurements can be in the United States!

The B series is the same thought as its A analogue — aforementioned format and incremental descent, with dissimilar measurements. This series was made to satisfy the need for sizes that weren't covered by the A measurements.

The C series was used to create envelope sizes for the A series; it usually has sizes larger than the A, just smaller than the B. Equally such, a C0 envelope could fit an A0 newspaper; a C4 envelope could fit an A4 paper, etc.

Where To Observe an A4, A2, or other ISO-sized print, and so?

Despite the ISO series not being adapted as a Usa standard, it is still common to find prints/posters with these measurements, due in large part to online ordering.

With a variety of established online markets, all you'd need to do is search "A2 print" on a site like Amazon to find a ton of choices that fit those numbers.

What Are The Nigh Common Picture Frame Sizes?

Custom picture frames on boho style decor

Since art often gets framed, it's no surprise that the nigh common frame sizes are often based around some of the aforementioned measurements listed higher up.

Here at Frame It Piece of cake, our well-nigh usually ordered "Art Size" is 18″ Ten 24″, with the post-obit sizes existence 24″ X 36″ and 8″ X x″, respectively. (This means our two nigh frequently ordered sizes are ARCH sizes C and D, and our 8th virtually normally ordered "Fine art Size" is viii 1/2″ X 11″, which is the American letter measurement.)

A few other shops also listing viii i/two″ Ten xi″, 18″ X 24″, and eight″ X 10″ amongst their well-nigh commonly ordered sizes.

This pattern is articulate, and it'southward what we talked near at the starting time of this postal service: The size of newspaper, and the regulation of information technology, oft dictates the measurements needed for frames.

Yous're more than probable going to find almost ordinarily ordered frame sizes — in addition to ones you find pre-fabricated at stores — in line with standard measurements of some kind, whether they're American Loose, ANSI, Curvation, or ISO.

Speaking of standard and custom sizing, though, let's talk about the difference betwixt the two…

Standard Pic Frame Sizes vs. Custom Picture Frame Sizes

There's a key departure betwixt standard and custom sizing; the latter came about due to a void in the market that conventional frame measurements weren't filling.

That'southward where services similar ours come up in! Y'all absolutely could club a standard size from our site — in fact, every bit noted, many of our nearly unremarkably ordered sizes are just that.

Simply we — and many others similar the states — aren't limited merely by these standards. Box stores tin can certainly get yous a v″ 10 7″ or an eight″ X 10″, merely not necessarily a 15 5/16″ X 34 1/viii″, just equally an instance.

Printable Art

At that place'due south also another category of sizing, which leans more custom than standard in terms of categorization, but still merits its own section. And that is digital, printable art. Printable art tin ofttimes exist any size, as long as the resolution allows it to be printed at a decent quality.

You can probable notice printable art on Etsy — or other sites like it — where at that place's a massive section dedicated to art that you tin impress out and frame. With smartphones now a staple of daily man life, there are probable tons of photos that you lot have in your pocket that could potentially be printed and put on your wall.

These are totally upwards to your discretion. If you want a print at standard sizing, y'all could go ahead and go far a 24″ X 36″, or you could contrive some numerical combination that no standardizing arrangement would dare try to allocate. Upwards to you!

If nosotros were to give any advice on this, it would exist more than aesthetic than anything else. Are there frames on your wall that you might desire to place this piece of fine art among? If and so, are they standard or custom sized? What does the artist recommend it be printed out at?

Peradventure it'southward a big, detailed print that wouldn't really be fully realized in a small 5″ X vii″ frame and would merit a larger one. Maybe the opposite is true.

The answer for this is more nebulous than others, but it'south withal important to note, just considering printable artwork is becoming such a large presence in the custom framing world.

Just remember that how you format your digital photos for online framing is a key factor in the last result.

Is the Size Listed For My Fine art or For the Frame?

Let'southward get back to pre-printed art, though. When a frame is advertised every bit an 8″ 10 10″ (or any other measurement) at a store, it unremarkably means that is the art size that it holds, not that product'southward outside measurements. The same is truthful for custom framing.

This is meant to save piece of work for the buyer. If merely the outside measurements of the frame were listed, it would put a large mathematical burden on you, which doesn't really make for a great buying experience.

You should be able to take your artwork's measurements in mind, await at a frame, and then decide with footling to no thought if information technology will fit. You got an 8″ Ten 10″ piece of art or photo? Slap-up. Go detect an 8″ X 10″ frame — from a shop, online, or wherever — and it should fit.

You might even discover frames at department stores that can accommodate two sizes; the frame itself would have an opening of 11″ Ten xiv″, for instance, but it would come with a matboard with an 8″ X 10″ opening.

Y'all could remove the matboard and use the frame for an xi″ Ten xiv″ photograph, or you could keep information technology and use an 8″ X x″.

Here at Frame it Like shooting fish in a barrel, we ever recommend that y'all enter the verbal "Width" and "Height" of your fine art into the "Art Size" section. You can always bank check out some of our other resource, also, to see what to expect when purchasing from us.

What If You Need To Know The Frame's Outside Measurements?

This could be a difficult question, peculiarly if you plan on just ownership a frame from a local department store. If this is the example, y'all might need a tape mensurate to cheque its outside measurements; they could be listed on the frame's packaging, as well, but you lot never know, and nosotros would be unable to speak for another company's product.

And then if you lot have a infinite limit on your wall or are trying to program a certain sized gallery wall and want to buy a frame from a department store, become prepared. In addition, some custom framing sites will tell you what the exterior measurements of the frame will be, while others won't, so you might have to ask.

Hither at Frame Information technology Easy, you'll be able to see what the outside measurements of your frame will exist only by hovering your mouse over the "Details" tab on the "Art Size" department.

Should I Trust the Characterization Given to My Art Without Measuring it Myself?

Metal ruler measuring photo of dog and cat

You just got a poster. And improve yet, information technology has its measurements advertised on a website, label, or some other production description. This means you tin just take those numbers at face value and non measure information technology, right? Well, not quite.

You should merely guild your frame once you've double checked the measurements. This means using a ruler or tape measurer. While information technology might seem similar more piece of work at first, it's less than ordering your frame with assumed measurements, realizing they're incorrect, and then having to go through a render and re-order process.

The difference may only exist 1/4″ from the listed measurements to the actual ones, but that tin make a massive difference. And so always exist sure to measure yourself!

Start Measuring!

Fine art comes in all shapes and sizes — some standard, some not. The expert thing near custom framing? We can do any size!

Despite this advantage, standard sizes are still what custom frame sites tend to make the near, so it just goes to evidence how much the standardized newspaper system has dominated the art world.

If you accept any questions near measuring your fine art, or what frame yous should become, achieve out to u.s.a., and we will exercise our all-time to effort and help!

This post kickoff appeared as Guide To Paper and Picture Frame Sizes on Frame It Easy - Learning Center for Custom Picture Framing.