Build your gallery-wrap file and cut plan
1. Choose your units
2. Finished front-face size
3. Stretcher-bar depth and rear material
4. Side treatment and print resolution
Your gallery-wrap production plan
Full image wrap · 300 PPI
- Finished front face
- 12 × 18 in
- Visible print (face + sides)
- 15 × 21 in
- Full material cut/template
- 18 × 24 in
- Front-face pixels
- 3600 × 5400 px
- Visible print pixels (face + sides)
- 4500 × 6300 px
- Full cut/template pixels
- 5400 × 7200 px
Minimum original artwork: 4500 × 6300 px to cover the front and visible sides. Place it within the 5400 × 7200 px full cut/template; the rear 450 px per edge is additional production allowance, not visible-print coverage.
The front-face zone marks the finished face only. It is not a printer safety margin; apply your printer’s required inset inside that zone. The full cut includes 1.5 in (450 px at 300 PPI) behind each edge for stretching and fastening. Confirm that allowance, treatment of its pixels and the preferred PPI before final export.
Common 2:3 faces with 1.5-inch side and rear allowances
| Front face | Visible print | Full cut/template | Visible pixels at 300 PPI | Full-cut pixels at 300 PPI |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 8 × 12 in | 11 × 15 in | 14 × 18 in | 3300 × 4500 px | 4200 × 5400 px |
| 12 × 18 in | 15 × 21 in | 18 × 24 in | 4500 × 6300 px | 5400 × 7200 px |
| 16 × 24 in | 19 × 27 in | 22 × 30 in | 5700 × 8100 px | 6600 × 9000 px |
| 24 × 36 in | 27 × 39 in | 30 × 42 in | 8100 × 11700 px | 9000 × 12600 px |
Your artwork stays private because nothing is uploaded: the page asks for numbers only and computes the plan in this browser. Typed dimensions, PPI and calculated pixel sizes are never stored or sent; analytics count only fixed choices, views, starts, completions, errors and CTA clicks.
Explore custom portraits printed on gallery canvas →What a gallery-wrap calculator adds to the canvas face
A finished 12×18-inch canvas does not use a 12×18-inch piece of material. The image continues 1.5 inches around each stretcher edge, making the visible printed face and sides 15×21 inches, or 4500×6300 pixels at 300 PPI. Material for pulling and fastening behind the frame adds another 1.5 inches per edge, making the full physical cut/template 18×24 inches, or 5400×7200 pixels at 300 PPI. The smaller visible-print dimensions do not cover that rear allowance.
Choose image wrap when real artwork should continue onto the visible sides; its minimum original artwork is the front-plus-sides size, placed within the larger full cut/template. Choose mirrored or solid sides when the front composition must stay untouched: minimum source artwork can remain front-face sized because the printer creates the side treatment. The front-face zone has no safety inset. It is not a printer safety margin, so apply the printer’s required inset inside it.
This solves production bleed — not crop or photo resolution
Use the photo aspect ratio calculator when you need to decide what a 2:3 crop keeps. Use the canvas size calculator when you have a photo file and need to learn how large its existing pixels can print. This page starts after both decisions: you know the finished front size and need the extra sides, rear allowance and export pixels a gallery-wrap printer expects.
Printer specifications win over a generic formula. Rear fastening allowance, preferred PPI and whether the shop wants crop marks can vary, so confirm those three requirements before final export. The default is a worked planning example, not a claim about every print provider.
How it works
- Choose inches or centimetres, then enter the finished front-face width and height.
- Set the stretcher-bar depth, rear fastening allowance, print PPI and edge treatment.
- Calculate the front-face, visible-print, full cut/template and minimum source-artwork pixels; copy the plan and apply your printer’s required safety inset.
Frequently asked questions
How much bleed do I need for a gallery-wrapped canvas?
For the visible wrap, add the stretcher-bar depth to every edge. A 12×18-inch front on 1.5-inch bars therefore needs a 15×21-inch visible print. Rear material for stretching and fastening is additional and should be confirmed with the printer.
What is the difference between canvas bleed and rear allowance?
Canvas bleed covers the visible sides of the stretched canvas. Rear allowance continues past those sides so the material can be pulled and fastened behind the stretcher. This calculator reports both instead of combining them into one ambiguous margin.
Should I use image wrap, mirrored edges or solid-color edges?
Image wrap continues original artwork around the visible sides, so its minimum source artwork must cover the front plus those sides. Mirrored and solid edges let the printer generate the side treatment, so the original can remain front-face sized. The front-face zone is not a printer safety margin; apply the printer’s required inset inside it.
How do I turn canvas bleed and the full cut into pixels?
Multiply each physical dimension in inches by the printer’s requested PPI. At 300 PPI, a 1.5-inch visible side wrap is 450 pixels per edge. A 12×18-inch face with 1.5-inch sides and 1.5-inch rear allowance has a 4500×6300-pixel visible print but a 5400×7200-pixel full cut/template. The calculator performs both conversions for inch or centimetre inputs.
Does this calculator upload or save my artwork or measurements?
No. It asks for numbers only and calculates entirely in your browser. No image is requested, and typed dimensions, PPI and calculated pixel sizes are not included in analytics.
Explore custom portraits printed on gallery canvas →