What Size Should a Quote Print Be? A Wall-by-Wall Guide (5x7 to 24x36)
The question we are asked most is not which quote, but which size. It is the right question. A print that is too small for its wall looks like an afterthought; one that is too large stops being a quiet line of type and becomes a billboard. This guide goes wall by wall, then covers the frame and mat arithmetic, and finishes with a note for buyers in Australia, the UK and Europe, where frames are sold in centimetres and printers take A4.
The eight sizes, and what they are for
We offer 5x7, 8x10, 11x14, 12x16, 16x20, 18x24 and 24x36 inches, plus A4. They fall into ratio families: 8x10 and 16x20 are 4:5, 12x16 and 18x24 are 3:4, 24x36 is 2:3, and 5x7, 11x14 and A4 each stand alone. Each size is composed separately at its own trim size, so the type is set for the sheet rather than scaled up from a smaller one. Buy the size that matches the frame you own or intend to buy; the frame decides.
Above a sofa
The old rule holds: art above a sofa should span roughly two-thirds of the sofa's width, with its bottom edge 15 to 25 cm above the back cushions. For a standard three-seater (around 200 cm wide) that means a single piece close to 130 cm across, or a group that adds up to it.
- One statement print: 24x36 in a frame with a wide mat, which lands near 80 cm wide. Two-thirds of the sofa is not reached, but a single quiet line of type can hold a wall on its own if the mat is generous.
- A pair: two 18x24 prints, framed and matted, hung 8 cm apart. This is the most reliable sofa arrangement we know, and the 3:4 ratio reads well side by side.
- A trio: three 16x20 prints in matching frames. Keep the quotes in one language and one design so the row reads as a set.
Au milieu de l'hiver, j'ai découvert en moi un invincible été.
In the midst of winter, I found within me an invincible summer.
Bedside and above the bed
On a bedside table, 5x7 in a leaning frame is the right scale: read at arm's length, first thing and last thing. On the wall above a queen bed (about 152 cm wide) the same logic as the sofa applies. A pair of 16x20s or a single 24x36 sits well above the headboard, and a matched pair of 11x14s, one on each side of the bed, is a gentler option for a room that should stay calm. Avoid anything with a dark background above a bed unless the room has plenty of daylight; a large field of charcoal can feel heavy in the morning.
A hallway gallery wall
Hallways are narrow, so viewers stand close and small sizes work harder than they do anywhere else. Mix 5x7, 8x10 and 11x14, with one 12x16 as an anchor if the wall is long. Two rules keep it from looking like a noticeboard: keep gaps consistent (5 to 8 cm between frames) and keep the paper tone consistent, so either all light designs or all dark, never a checkerboard. Lay the frames out on the floor first and photograph the arrangement before you hang anything.
Desk and home office
Above a monitor, 8x10 or A4 at eye level when you are seated. On the desk itself, 5x7 leaning against the wall. A4 is the natural choice if you are pinning to a corkboard rather than framing, since it is what your printer takes and what a clip frame is sold for. Short quotes suit this wall; you will read them a hundred times a day, so choose something that earns the repetition.
Great things are done by a series of small things brought together.
Entry and stairwell
An entry wall is seen in passing, from a metre or two away, so it wants one clear piece rather than a cluster: 11x14 or 12x16, framed and matted, with the centre of the print about 150 cm from the floor. Stairwells reward portrait ratios that follow the climb, so 12x16 and 18x24 (3:4) step nicely up a diagonal.
Frame and mat maths
A mat is what turns a print into a framed piece, and the arithmetic is simple: frame size equals print size plus twice the mat border. The standard pairings, all available off the shelf:
- 5x7 print in an 8x10 frame (1.5 inch border)
- 8x10 print in an 11x14 frame (1.5 inch sides, 2 inch top and bottom)
- 11x14 print in a 16x20 frame (2.5 inch sides, 3 inch top and bottom)
- 12x16 print in an 18x24 frame (3 inch sides, 4 inch top and bottom)
- 16x20 print in a 20x24 or 24x30 frame
- 18x24 print in a 24x30 frame
- 24x36 print in a 30x40 frame, or hung unmatted in a 24x36 poster frame
Ready-cut mats have openings about half an inch smaller than the nominal print size, so a mat "for 8x10" has a 7.5x9.5 opening and holds the print without a gap. Because our designs carry wide margins, the mat never crowds the type. If you have a frame that is not on this list, measure the opening and choose the closest print size that is smaller in both dimensions; the mat will be cut to suit.
A4 and centimetre frames: for buyers in Australia, the UK and Europe
Outside North America, frames are sold in centimetres and home printers take A4. The inch sizes still work, with a little translation.
- A4 (21 x 29.7 cm) is the home-printing size. It fits an A4 frame directly, or a 30x40 cm frame with a mat cut for 21x30, which is exactly what the most common flat-pack frame in that size ships with.
- 8x10 is 20.3 x 25.4 cm, which slips into a 20x25 cm frame with a few millimetres of white margin trimmed, or into a 30x40 cm frame with a mat.
- 16x20 is 40.6 x 50.8 cm: trim the margin slightly for a 40x50 cm frame, or mat it into a 50x70.
- 24x36 is 61 x 91.4 cm, which is why the 61x91 cm poster frames sold everywhere fit it as if made for it.
Print shops in these markets print inch-sized PDFs without complaint; the file carries its own dimensions. If you are printing at home, choose A4 and let the frame follow. If you are sending the file out, choose the inch size closest to the frame you have and trim to fit.
How the prints work
Every quote on thequote.shop is an instant download: a PDF with the type embedded as vector outlines, in up to 20 typographic designs and eight sizes, for a flat AUD 6.99. The download link is emailed as soon as payment clears, so you can print the same afternoon. If you are deciding what to put above the desk, the motivational prints are the place to start.