Canvas prints on Etsy work best when you offer a few sizes that share one aspect ratio, state plainly how deep the canvas is and whether it arrives framed and ready to hang, and price every size from its own cost and shipping instead of stretching one price across all of them. Get those three right and most of the questions buyers send about wall art are answered before they ask.
This guide is for print on demand sellers adding canvas to a shop that already sells shirts, mugs or posters. Canvas looks simple, a picture on fabric, but sizes, edges, framing and shipping make it behave differently from a flat print, and each one shows up in your listing.
Canvas sizes and aspect ratios
The aspect ratio matters more than any single size. Artwork made for one ratio has to be cropped or padded to fit another, so a listing that mixes ratios either crops your art differently in each size or leaves you making several versions. Pick one ratio per design and offer small, medium and large within it.
Familiar frame sizes fall into a handful of ratios. The pixel column shows what the largest example needs at 150 DPI, the top of the range Printify gives for large-format products.
| Aspect ratio | Example sizes (inches) | Largest example at 150 DPI | Suits |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1:1 | 12 x 12, 16 x 16, 20 x 20 | 3,000 x 3,000 px | Square art, monograms, pattern pieces |
| 4:5 | 8 x 10, 16 x 20 | 2,400 x 3,000 px | Portraits, quotes, nursery art |
| 3:4 | 12 x 16, 18 x 24 | 2,700 x 3,600 px | Portraits, illustrations, maps |
| 2:3 | 12 x 18, 24 x 36 | 3,600 x 5,400 px | Photography, landscapes, large statement pieces |
One trap: 11 x 14 is a common frame size, but it matches neither 4:5 nor 3:4 exactly, so it needs its own crop.
On resolution, Printify's file guide says "The recommended resolution for JPEG/PNG files is 300 DPI" and that large-format products need 120 to 150 DPI (Printify file requirements). Printful asks for 150 to 300 DPI depending on the product, and adds: "Make sure the file is sized to match the actual print dimensions to ensure DPI is calculated correctly" (Printful file guide). Check what your producer asks for, then size the file to the largest canvas you sell. Our explainer on what DPI means for print files explains the arithmetic.
Wrap depth and edges
A canvas print is stretched around a wooden frame, and that frame has depth. Producers offer thinner and deeper profiles, and the deeper ones, often called gallery depth, stand further off the wall and look more substantial without a frame. Which depths you can sell depends on your producer, so take the number from their product page and put it in your listing.
The sides are part of the product too. With an image wrap, the outer band of your artwork folds around the edges, so anything important near the border ends up on the side of the canvas. A mirrored edge or a solid colour edge keeps the whole front image visible instead. Treat the border like a safe area and keep faces, text and signatures well inside it. Our guide to bleed and safe area covers the idea, and how canvas prints are made explains what affects the finish.
Framing: answer the questions buyers ask
Put these answers in the listing:
Does it come framed? A gallery-wrapped canvas is usually hung without a frame, while a floating frame is a separate option. Say which one the buyer gets.
Is it ready to hang? State whether hanging hardware is included, based on what your producer supplies.
What does the frame look like? If you offer frame colours, show each one in a photo.
How big is it on a wall? Give the size in inches and show it in a room.
Variations keep this in one listing. Etsy lets you add variations for up to 3 item attributes, such as size, frame and edge (Etsy variations), and price can vary by variation when you switch that on. You can set unique prices, SKUs and quantities for up to 400 option combinations. One limit to plan around: "If you have more than 20 options, you can only add photos for 20 of these options."
Pricing canvas prints across sizes
Price each size from its own numbers rather than scaling one price. A 16 x 20 canvas has four times the area of an 8 x 10, but its cost and shipping do not move in step with the area, so a multiplied price ends up too high on one size and too thin on another. Work it out per size:
The product cost for that size from your producer.
Shipping for that size, which grows quickly because canvas is bulky.
Etsy's fees: $0.20 per listing, a 6.5% transaction fee on the order total including shipping (Etsy fees), and payment processing, which depends on the country of your bank account, for example 3% + 0.25 USD in the US and 6.5% + 14 TRY in Türkiye (Etsy processing fees).
The profit you need on each order.
Then check the result against what buyers actually pay. Since June 2026, Etsy's Marketplace Insights tool shows price ranges of recently bought listings for a search term (Etsy updates). If you sell from outside the US, Etsy also lets you set different prices for domestic orders, US orders and all other countries, as long as the listing has no more than 400 variation options (Etsy domestic and global pricing). The full method is in the margin math for print on demand pricing.
Photos that sell canvas
Etsy allows up to 20 photos and 2 videos per listing, and recommends photos of "at least 2000 pixels or more" in width and height (Etsy listing guide, Etsy image guide). The first photo "should be horizontal (landscape) or square", and Etsy's Search Visibility checks look for a primary photo that shows one finished product rather than a collage (Etsy search visibility).
For canvas, a good set covers the art straight on, the art on a wall with furniture for scale, a corner shot that shows depth and edge, a close-up of the texture, and one photo per frame option. Our guide to canvas mockups covers what a good wall art image shows.
How Alomations handles canvas prints
Canvas prints are part of the Alomations catalog. Each product lists a "from" price on the catalog, which gives you a starting point for the product cost line in the pricing steps above, and shipping is quoted separately. When an order arrives, the item cost and shipping are shown separately again before you pay from your balance.
For photos, the built-in mockup library holds ready product photos for catalog products, so you can list a canvas without owning one. Smart mockups render your design onto those photos with shading and light, a background picker handles flat-lay shots, and a zoom control lets a product shot from far back fill more of the image. You can preview the mockups before the run and download them afterwards. Etsy's 20-image limit applies, and smart mockups count toward it.
Frequently asked questions
What is the best canvas size to sell on Etsy?
There is no single best size. Choose one aspect ratio per design and offer a small, a medium and a large size within it, so the art never needs a different crop.
What resolution does a canvas print file need?
It depends on the producer. Printify recommends 120 to 150 DPI for large-format products and Printful asks for 150 to 300 DPI depending on the product. Size the file to the largest canvas you sell.
Should I sell canvas prints framed?
Only if your producer offers frames. Either way, say exactly what arrives: stretched canvas or framed, the depth, and whether it is ready to hang.
Can one listing hold every size and frame option?
Usually, yes. Etsy allows variations for up to 3 attributes and unique prices for up to 400 combinations, but only 20 options can carry their own photo.
Try canvas prints from the catalog on your own shop with the Alomations free plan.