How large can a photograph be printed?

Every photograph on this site lists its maximum print sizes, calculated from the resolution of the original file — measured, not guessed. The rule is simple: a print is made of pixels, and what matters is not how many there are, but how far away you stand.

At reading distance — half a metre — the eye can resolve extremely fine detail, and a print needs around 200–300 pixels per inch to look perfect. Step back to a metre, where framed work on a wall is actually seen, and about 90 pixels per inch is already beyond what the eye can separate. A large statement piece viewed from across the room can be printed far larger again without any visible loss. This is why cinema screens look sharp: distance is part of the optics.

The four sizes we state

Tier	Print resolution	Meaning
Gallery	300 ppi	Flawless at any distance, nose-to-print inspection included
Fine	200 ppi	Excellent at normal wall viewing (50 cm and beyond)
Wall art	150 ppi	Very good from about 60 cm and beyond
Statement	100 ppi	A large piece, made to be seen from a metre or more

When do pixels become visible — and when annoying?

Viewing distance	Pixels invisible above	Clearly annoying below
50 cm (leaning in)	≈ 175 ppi	≈ 85 ppi
1 m (normal wall viewing)	≈ 87 ppi	≈ 45 ppi
1.5 m	≈ 58 ppi	≈ 30 ppi
2 m (across a room)	≈ 44 ppi	≈ 22 ppi
3 m (large statement piece)	≈ 29 ppi	≈ 15 ppi

“Noticeable” means a critical eye at that distance can begin to detect softness or pixel structure; “annoying” means obvious blockiness that spoils the image for an average viewer. Between the two lies the pragmatic zone where large prints of modest files still look good — because nobody views a one-and-a-half-metre print from fifty centimetres.

A useful rule when choosing: hang a print where its viewer stands back at least one-and-a-half times its diagonal, and it will always look its best.