How Big Is a 16x20 Photo? 16x20 Size in CM, Pixels and Frames
How big is 16x20? A 16x20 print is 16 x 20 inches (40.64 x 50.8 cm), has a 4:5 ratio and needs 4800 x 6000 px at 300 DPI. Frame sizes, mats and wall tips.
Short answer: a 16x20 print is 16 x 20 inches, which is 40.64 x 50.8 cm (406.4 x 508 mm). It has a 4:5 aspect ratio, and to print it at 300 DPI the file needs 4800 x 6000 pixels, though 3200 x 4000 is usually enough for a wall. Framed with a 2 inch mat, it takes a 20x24 frame.
Want to see how your photo fits? The 16x20 print crop tool locks the frame to 4:5, shows the pixels per inch you will get, and exports a print-ready file.
What Is a 16x20?
16x20 (also written 16 x 20, 16x 20, 16 by 20, or 16/20 size) is a large photo print and one of the standard frame sizes. It is the size people choose for a family portrait over a console table, a wedding photo in a hallway, an engagement shot above a bed, or the anchor of a gallery wall. How big is 20 x 16? The same: turned sideways, it is a 20x16 (or 20 x 16, 20x 16), the same print in landscape orientation.
How big is a 16x20 picture, and what does 16x20 look like? It is exactly four 8x10 prints in a 2 x 2 grid, and about as wide as a 15 or 16 inch laptop screen measured corner to corner. With a frame and a mat, it becomes a 20x24 inch piece on the wall.
How Big Is 16x20? Size in Inches, CM, MM, Feet and Pixels
How big is 16 x 20 in feet, centimeters, and pixels? Here is the full chart:
| Measurement | 16x20 size |
|---|---|
| Inches | 16 x 20 in |
| Centimeters | 40.64 x 50.8 cm |
| Millimeters | 406.4 x 508 mm |
| Feet | 1.33 x 1.67 ft |
| Square footage | 320 sq in (2.22 sq ft) |
| Pixels at 300 DPI (best) | 4800 x 6000 px |
| Pixels at 240 DPI (very good) | 3840 x 4800 px |
| Pixels at 200 DPI (good for walls) | 3200 x 4000 px |
| Pixels at 150 DPI (minimum) | 2400 x 3000 px |
| Aspect ratio | 4:5 (0.8) |
This 16x20 size reference holds at every lab and frame shop, because the 16x20 print size is defined in inches: 16 by 20 inches, or 16 inch x 20 inch. The size of 16x20 photo prints never changes; only the frame around them does.
16x20 in cm
How big is a 16 x 20 in centimeters? To convert 16x20 inches in cm, multiply by 2.54: 16 x 2.54 = 40.64 and 20 x 2.54 = 50.8. So a 16x20 inch print in cm is 40.64 x 50.8 cm, and a 16x20 inch frame in cm has the same opening for the picture. A 20 x 16 frame in cm is 50.8 x 40.64 cm. Metric shops sell the close 40 x 50 cm size, which is 6.4 mm narrower and 8 mm shorter.
Watch the units. A 16 x 20 cm print, measured in centimeters, is only about 6.3 x 7.9 inches, smaller than an 8x10. And a 16x20 cm photo is a completely different order from a 16x20 inch one, so check which unit a shop uses. (If you landed here wondering how big is 16 millimeters: 16 mm is 0.63 inch, about the width of a fingernail.)
16x20 in pixels
The pixel size for 16x20 depends on how close people will stand. Pixels = inches x DPI:
| Print quality | DPI | 16 x 20 in pixels | 20x16 (landscape) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fine art, viewed up close | 300 | 4800 x 6000 px | 6000 x 4800 px |
| Very good | 240 | 3840 x 4800 px | 4800 x 3840 px |
| Good on a wall | 200 | 3200 x 4000 px | 4000 x 3200 px |
| Minimum | 150 | 2400 x 3000 px | 3000 x 2400 px |
How many pixels is 16x20 inches at 300 DPI? 4800 x 6000, or 28.8 megapixels, more than most phones save. You rarely need that much. A 16x20 has a diagonal of about 25.6 inches, and people usually look at it from 3 feet or more, where 200 to 240 DPI looks just as sharp. So in practice, a 16x20 in px works out to 3200 x 4000 or more, the 16x20 pixel size we suggest for wall prints.
16x20 square feet
How many square feet is 16x20, or how many square feet in 16x20 for a print? A 16 x 20 inch print covers 320 square inches, or 2.22 square feet (320 divided by 144). People also look up 16x20 square footage (“16x20 is how many square feet?”) for rooms, sheds, and decks: the 16 x 20 square footage of a 16’x20’ (16 by 20 foot) space is 320 square feet, a very different size.
16x20 Aspect Ratio: Which Photos Fit?
What aspect ratio is 16 x 20? The 16x20 ratio is 4:5, the same as 8x10. Divide 16 by 20 and you get 0.8. Here is what happens to common photo shapes, and how sharp each source will be at 16x20:
| Source photo | Pixels | After the 4:5 crop | Trimmed | Pixels per inch at 16x20 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 12 MP phone (3:4 portrait) | 3024 x 4032 | 3024 x 3780 | About 6% of the height | About 189 |
| 24 MP phone (3:4 portrait) | 4284 x 5712 | 4284 x 5355 | About 6% of the height | About 268 |
| 48 MP phone (3:4 portrait) | 6048 x 8064 | 6048 x 7560 | About 6% of the height | About 378 |
| 24 MP camera (2:3 portrait) | 4000 x 6000 | 4000 x 5000 | About 17% of the height | About 250 |
| 4:5 social post | 1080 x 1350 | No crop | None | About 68 (too low) |
A full-resolution phone or camera photo prints well at 16x20. A photo saved from social media does not: at about 68 pixels per inch it will look soft and blocky. Find the original file, or upscale it with the image enhancer and clean up compression blocks with remove JPEG artifacts. See the 8x10 guide for crop diagrams of each shape, which apply to 16x20 too.
16x20 Frame Size Guide
Is 16x20 a standard frame size? Yes, one of the most common. Picture frame sizes describe the picture the frame holds, not the outside, so the 16x20 frame size is 16 x 20 inches inside, and the outside adds the moulding width (often 1 to 3 inches all round).
| Frame | Mat opening | What it holds | Look |
|---|---|---|---|
| 16x20, no mat | None | A 16x20 print | Edge to edge, the print fills the frame |
| 16x20 with mat | About 10.5 x 13.5 in | An 11x14 print | The most popular matted 16x20 frame |
| 16x20 with mat | About 7.5 x 9.5 in | An 8x10 print | A very wide border |
| 20x24 with mat | About 15.5 x 19.5 in | A 16x20 print | A 2 inch border all round |
| 22x28 with mat | About 15.5 x 19.5 in | A 16x20 print | A wider gallery border (3 to 4 inches) |
So what size frame for a 16x20 print? A 16x20 frame if you want no border, or a 20x24 frame with a mat, the usual frame size for 16x20 prints. A 16 x 20 picture fit check: mat openings are cut about 1/4 inch smaller than the print on each side so it does not fall through, which hides a sliver of each edge.
A 16x20 frame comparison shopping tip: frames sold as “16x20 matted to 11x14” hold an 11x14 photo, not a 16x20. Read the listing for the opening size. The same goes for collage mats: a 16 by 20 frame size can hold anything from one 11x14 to a dozen wallet prints.
How Big Is 16x20 on a Wall?
A framed 16x20 is about 20 x 24 inches. A common rule of thumb is that wall art should span about two thirds of the furniture below it:
- Above a nightstand, desk, or 30 to 40 inch console table: a framed 16x20 is a good match.
- Above a 7 foot sofa or a queen bed: a single 16x20 looks small. Go up to 24x36, hang two 16x20s side by side, or use the 16x20 as the anchor of a gallery wall with smaller frames around it.
- In a hallway or stairwell: 16x20 is a comfortable size to view from a few feet away.
Hang it with the center of the picture at about 57 to 60 inches from the floor, roughly eye level. Not sure? Cut a 20 x 24 inch piece of paper or tape the outline on the wall for a day before you order.
16x20 Canvas, Poster and Paper
How big is a 16x20 canvas? The front is 16 x 20 inches, plus the depth of the stretcher bars, often 0.75 to 1.5 inches. On a gallery-wrapped canvas, the outer strip of the image folds around those edges, so keep faces and text well inside: about 1.5 to 2 inches from each edge, depending on the depth and the printer.
How big is a 16x20 poster? The same 16 x 20 inches, but posters are more often sold at 18x24 or 24x36. A 16x20 poster is on the small side for a bare wall, and the right size for a frame.
16x20 in paper: 16x20 is a standard photographic paper size, used by labs and for darkroom prints. It has no exact ISO equivalent; A2 (16.5 x 23.4 inches) is close in width but taller and a different shape, so a 16x20 file needs a crop or white borders to print on A2.
How to Prepare a Photo for a 16x20 Print
- Start from the original file. Use the full-size photo from your phone or camera, not a copy from a chat app. iPhone HEIC photos can be converted with HEIC to JPG.
- Fix it at full size. Look at the photo at 100% zoom. Reduce noise (how to fix grainy photos), recover bright skies (how to fix overexposed photos), and upscale small images with the image enhancer.
- Crop to 4:5 in the 16x20 photo size tool. It shows the pixels per inch you will get, so you know before you pay whether the print will be sharp.
- Export and check the DPI label. Labs read the pixels, but some upload forms check the DPI number. Set it to 300 with the DPI changer; this changes the label only, not the image.
- Order the print and the frame together so the mat opening matches the print you ordered.
Frequently Asked Questions
How big is a 16x20?
A 16x20 print is 16 inches wide and 20 inches tall (20x16 in landscape). That is 40.64 x 50.8 cm, or about 1.33 x 1.67 feet: four times the area of an 8x10, and about the size of a large framed portrait or a small poster.
What is 16x20 in cm?
16x20 inches is 40.64 x 50.8 cm (406.4 x 508 mm). Multiply each side by 2.54 to convert inches to centimeters. The nearest metric print size is 40 x 50 cm.
What is the pixel size for 16x20?
For a 300 DPI print, a 16x20 needs 4800 x 6000 pixels (28.8 megapixels). Because a 16x20 is viewed from a few feet away, 3200 x 4000 pixels (200 DPI) usually looks sharp on a wall, and 2400 x 3000 pixels (150 DPI) is the practical minimum.
What ratio is 16x20?
A 16x20 has a 4:5 aspect ratio (16 divided by 20 is 0.8), the same shape as an 8x10. A photo cropped for 8x10 prints at 16x20 with no new crop; camera and phone photos need a crop from the long side.
Is 16x20 a standard frame size?
Yes. 16x20 is one of the most common standard frame sizes, sold ready-made in most stores, with or without a mat. The size refers to the picture the frame holds; the outside of the frame is larger.
What size frame do I need for a 16x20 print?
A 16x20 frame holds the print with no border. To add a mat, use a 20x24 frame (a 2 inch border, opening about 15.5 x 19.5 inches) or a 22x28 frame for a wider, gallery-style border.
How big is a 16x20 frame on the outside?
The 16 x 20 inches is the opening for the picture. The outside adds the moulding on every side: a frame with 1.5 inch moulding measures about 19 x 23 inches, and a matted 20x24 frame with the same moulding is about 23 x 27 inches.
What size picture fits in a 16x20 frame with a mat?
Most matted 16x20 frames are cut for an 11x14 print, with a mat opening of about 10.5 x 13.5 inches. Mats with openings for 12x16 or 8x10 prints, and multi-opening collage mats, are also sold for 16x20 frames.
How many square feet is 16x20?
A 16 x 20 inch print covers 320 square inches, which is about 2.22 square feet. If you mean a 16 x 20 foot room, deck, or shed, that is 320 square feet.
Is 20x16 the same as 16x20?
Yes. 20x16 is the same print in landscape orientation: 20 inches wide and 16 inches tall. It uses the same frames turned sideways and needs 6000 x 4800 pixels at 300 DPI.
Can I print a phone photo at 16x20?
Usually, yes. A 12 megapixel phone photo cropped to 4:5 gives about 189 pixels per inch at 16x20, fine for viewing on a wall. A 24 or 48 megapixel photo gives about 270 or 380 pixels per inch. Avoid heavily zoomed, dark, or noisy shots, and upscale small images first.
More Photo Size Guides
- How big is an 8x10 photo? The same 4:5 shape at a quarter of the area.
- How big is a 4x6 photo? The everyday snapshot, in cm, mm, and pixels.
- Wallet size photo dimensions: the small print for wallets and card holders.
- Photo print sizes chart: every common size in inches, cm, mm, and pixels, with a crop-and-print tool.