Printing your portrait.
Your files are ready to print at home, at a local print shop or with any online photo lab. Here's what size to choose, how to get good colour, and how to set it as your phone wallpaper. We don't print or ship anything ourselves, and we're not partnered with any printer.
Your files and honest print sizes
| File | Pixels | Shape | Best print sizes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Print-ready portrait (both options) | 3072 × 4608 | 2:3 | Sharp: 10 × 15 cm (4 × 6 in), 20 × 30 cm (8 × 12 in). Good: A3-ish 30 × 45 cm (12 × 18 in) at normal viewing distance. |
| 8 × 10 version (Bundle) | 3686 × 4608 | 4:5 | 8 × 10 in, 16 × 20 in (viewed from a distance), 40 × 50 cm |
| A4 / A3 version (Bundle) | 3258 × 4608 | ISO (1:√2) | A5, A4 (sharp), A3 (good) |
| Phone wallpaper (Bundle) | 1440 × 2560 | 9:16 | Phone lock and home screens |
| Original file (both options) | 1024 × 1536 | 2:3 | Up to about 13 × 20 cm (5 × 7 in); keeps the AI provider's Content Credentials |
How the print-ready file is made: your approved artwork is created at 1024 × 1536 px and then enlarged three times with an image upscaler. It doesn't change the picture: the same pet, pose, colours and composition, so it's the artwork you approved. The upscaler sharpens edges and fine texture such as fur, but it can't add real detail the original never had, so on big prints seen up close the look is soft and painterly. At A4 and 8 × 12 in it looks sharp; at A3 or 12 × 18 in it looks good from normal viewing distance. We don't recommend going bigger than that.
Choosing the right file: use the print-ready portrait for 2:3 sizes (4 × 6, 8 × 12, 12 × 18 in). For 8 × 10 in frames use the 8 × 10 version, and for A4 or A3 use the A4 version: they add a soft border made from the artwork's own background, so your pet is never cropped. If you only have the print-ready file, ask for it to be printed "fit to page" or "no crop" and trimmed.
Printing at home
- Use photo paper (glossy for punchy colour, matte or lustre for a softer, painterly look that hides reflections).
- In the print dialog choose the paper type you loaded, the highest quality setting, and "Fit" or "Actual size". Turn off "fill page" or "borderless" if it would crop the edges.
- Prints often look a little darker than your screen. If yours does, print a small test first and try brightening the image slightly.
- Let ink dry for an hour before framing.
Using a print shop or online photo lab
- Upload or bring the JPEG file itself (not a screenshot or a photo of your screen).
- Pick a size with the same shape as your file (see the table) and ask for "no cropping" or "fit".
- Lustre or matte paper suits painted styles; canvas works well for the oil-painting styles at 30 × 45 cm or smaller.
- Your portrait is for personal use, so it's fine to print copies for your home or as gifts.
Framing tips
- A mount (mat) makes a portrait look finished: for example an 8 × 12 in print in a 12 × 16 in frame with a mount, or an A4 print in an A3 frame.
- Hang it so the centre is roughly at eye level (about 145 to 150 cm from the floor).
- Keep it out of strong direct sunlight to stop colours fading.
- Need ideas? See our Inspiration gallery.
Setting it as your phone wallpaper
iPhone: on your order page tap Save to my phone (or press and hold the image and choose Save to Photos). Then open Photos, tap the image, tap the Share button and choose Use as Wallpaper. Pinch to adjust, then tap Add.
Android: save the image, open it in Google Photos (or your gallery app), tap the ⋮ menu, choose Use as and then Wallpaper. Steps vary a little between phone makers.
Bundle buyers get a ready-made 9:16 phone wallpaper, so nothing gets cut off.
Need help?
Lost your files? Use Find my order; your files are kept for 35 days after purchase. Something wrong with your file? Email hello@draw-paw.com and see our Refund & Redo Policy.