A4 vs Letter Size: Which to Print and Frame

If you’ve ever printed a download and found the edges cut off, the culprit is usually paper size. A4 vs US Letter is one of those differences most people never think about until something goes wrong. They look almost the same, but they’re different shapes, and that matters for printing and framing. Here’s what the difference is, which one you should use, and how to frame each.

A4 vs Letter size at a glance

• A4: 210 × 297 mm (8.27 × 11.69 inches). The standard paper size in the UK, Europe, Australia and most of the world.
• US Letter: 8.5 × 11 inches (215.9 × 279.4 mm). The standard in the US, Canada and parts of Latin America.

So Letter is about 6 mm wider and about 18 mm shorter than A4. A4 is taller and narrower; Letter is a little squarer. That’s why stretching one onto the other always loses something: either the top and bottom get trimmed or white bands appear at the sides.

Which size should you print?

Print the size that matches the paper in your printer, and the frames sold where you live. In practice:

• In the UK and Europe, use A4. Paper, frames and mounts are everywhere.
• In the US and Canada, use Letter. 8.5 × 11 frames are standard in most homeware shops.
• Buying as a gift for someone abroad? Send them the file that matches their country.

That’s why every No Hands Art digital download includes both: an A4 file and a US Letter file, each at 300 dpi. The Letter version isn’t a squashed copy of the A4 one; the design is scaled to fit and the extra width is filled with the same parchment background, so nothing gets cropped.

Frame sizes for each

The simplest approach is a frame made for the paper: an A4 frame for A4, an 8.5 × 11 inch frame for Letter. For a more finished look, frame with a mount:

• A4 with a mount: a 30 × 40 cm frame with an A4 aperture mount is the common UK choice.
• Letter with a mat: an 11 × 14 inch frame with a mat cut for 8.5 × 11 is the usual US equivalent.

Always check the mount’s aperture (the window size) rather than the frame size: the aperture should be a few millimetres smaller than the print so the edges sit behind the card.

Two prints to try it with

Time Is All You Have. Spend It Wisely

Large, bold type that prints cleanly at either size. Choose your file, print at 100%, and it fits a standard frame without any trimming.

Get the instant download on Etsy · or the printed poster

Yesterday Is Gone. Let Us Begin – Mother Teresa

A longer quote, which makes it a good test of whether the right file size has been chosen: nothing should be lost at the edges.

Get the instant download on Etsy · or the printed poster

Common mistakes

• “Fit to page” on the wrong paper. It shrinks the artwork and leaves uneven margins. Use the matching file and print at actual size.
• Buying the frame first. Check whether it’s A4 or 8.5 × 11 before you print.
• Printing from a browser. Browsers often add margins or headers. Open the file in an image viewer or PDF reader instead.

Printing at a shop instead

If you’d rather not use a home printer, take the file to a print shop or upload it to an online photo printer. Ask for the same size as the file you’re sending, at 100% with no cropping, on matte paper. Most shops print A4 as standard in the UK; in the US, ask for 8.5 × 11. It usually costs a few pounds and the colours will be truer than most home printers manage.

For the full printing walkthrough, including paper and printer settings, see how to print digital wall art at home.

Why it matters to us

A print is supposed to be a reminder you don’t have to think about, and that only works if it looks right on the wall. Getting the size right is the dull part that makes the rest effortless.

The words on our prints come from the same place as our book, Time’s Richest Harvest, which tries to put into words something most of us already feel: that the days blur and the hours slip away. There’s more on the book page.