Every kit in our catalogue comes in the same five canvas sizes, from a 12x12 inch square up to a 23.5x23.5 inch jumbo. Pick the wrong one and you either run out of wall or run out of patience. This guide compares the five formats we actually sell, with the real prices from the product pages, so you can match the canvas to your wall, your evenings and your eyesight.

Table of Contents

• The Five Sizes, Side by Side
• Why 16x20 Is the Size We Recommend
• 12x12 and 12x16: The Quick Ones
• 20x26 and the Jumbo Square: Statement Pieces
• Size or Colour Count: Which One Sets the Difficulty?
• Where Each Size Looks Right on a Wall
• Frame Kit or Canvas Only?
• Frequently Asked Questions

The Five Sizes, Side by Side

If you pick Floral Dreamer, our best-selling ready-made design this month, or a custom kit made from your own photo, the size menu is identical. Here is what each option costs as a rolled canvas with the 24-colour paint set.

Shipping is free worldwide, so the table shows what you actually pay.

Why 16x20 Is the Size We Recommend

The 16x20 inch canvas is marked "Recommended" on every product page, and that label was earned rather than decided in a meeting. It is also what customers actually buy: of the 44 kits ordered in the 30 days before this article was written, 32 were 16x20. The other four sizes shared the remaining 12. The 16x20 simply sits at a sweet spot the others miss.

At 40x50 cm, the numbered sections are large enough to read without squinting. Smaller canvases print the same design into less space, so the tiniest areas shrink to the size of a grain of rice. Larger canvases fix that but multiply the hours. The 16x20 keeps the sections comfortable while still taking a design like Glowing Wreath or Seaside Leisure to a finished size that looks like a real painting on a wall.

How long does it take? Most people finish a 16x20 kit over two or three weekends. Some do it in a single rainy Sunday, some spread it over a month of evenings.

My own view: if this is your first kit and you have no strong reason to go bigger or smaller, stop reading here and take the 16x20. The rest is for people who do have a reason.

12x12 and 12x16: The Quick Ones

The two small formats are for people who want a finished painting this week, not this month. The 12x12 Small Square is the cheapest kit we sell at $19.95. The 12x16 adds a little height for $1 more.

The trade-off is section size. The same design that reads clearly at 16x20 becomes noticeably fiddlier at 12x16 and demands a fine brush and good light at 12x12. Designs with big blocks of colour survive the shrink well. Designs full of small detail, like Cat Sleeping in Closet, are better bought a size up.

They suit a first try, a gift for someone who has never held a brush, or a matching pair for a gallery wall.

One practical note on the 12x12 square. Most ready-made designs are drawn in a portrait or landscape ratio, so a square version means a tighter crop of the picture. Where the square really shines is the custom kit from your own photo: a single face or a single pet fills a square frame naturally.

20x26 and the Jumbo Square: Statement Pieces

Above the 16x20 sit the 20x26 inch canvas (50x65 cm) and the 23.5x23.5 inch Jumbo Square (60x60 cm). Both are large enough to carry a wall on their own, above a sofa or a bed, and both give the numbered sections room to breathe. Painting them is easier per section than painting a small canvas. It is only the total that grows.

The 20x26 costs $29.95 as a rolled canvas, a modest step up from the 16x20. The Jumbo Square jumps to $46.95, and the difference is not marketing: a 60x60 cm canvas uses close to twice the surface of a 40x50 and ships in a bigger tube.

The Jumbo Square suits a landscape you want to sink into, such as Aurora Reflections, or a family photo where every face should be recognisable from across the room. The 20x26 is the one I would pick for a tall subject.

If a 16x20 takes you two or three weekends, budget roughly double for the Jumbo. That is not a warning, just arithmetic.

If large is what you are after, we keep a separate roundup of the best large kits with design suggestions by room.

Size or Colour Count: Which One Sets the Difficulty?

People assume bigger means harder. In our experience, the colour count decides the difficulty far more than the canvas size does. Every kit is offered with 24, 36 or 48 paints:

• 24 colours (Basic Detail): larger sections, fewer pots to keep track of, a slightly more poster-like finish. The right choice for a first kit or for a bold, graphic design.
• 36 colours (Standard Detail): the middle ground, with enough shades to render skin, sky and foliage convincingly.
• 48 colours (Highly Detailed): the closest to the original image, with fine gradations and many small sections. Worth it on the 16x20 and above. On a 12x12 it becomes a test of patience.

The price follows the paint count. On the 16x20 canvas-only kit, that is $24.95 with 24 colours, $34.95 with 36 and $39.95 with 48. On the 12x12 the same three options cost $19.95, $26.95 and $32.95.

For what it is worth, the 36-colour set is what most people choose. Of those same 44 kits ordered in the last 30 days, 32 came with 36 colours, 10 with 48 and only 2 with 24.

The rule I would give a friend: never combine the smallest canvas with the highest colour count. If you want 48 colours, go 16x20 or bigger.

Where Each Size Looks Right on a Wall

Before you order, tape some printer paper to the wall where the painting will hang. One sheet of letter or A4 paper is about half a 12x16. Two sheets side by side make a 12x16. Three sheets in an L shape cover roughly a 16x20, and five sheets come close to a 20x26. Step back to the doorway and look. Most people discover their wall wants a bigger canvas than they first thought.

As a rough rule: the two small sizes for a hallway, a kitchen or a grid of several pieces; the 16x20 for a bedroom, a dining room or above a desk; the 20x26 above a sofa; the Jumbo Square above a bed or a fireplace, where a single piece has to hold the wall alone.

For a longer treatment of rooms, wall widths and viewing distance, the canvas size guide goes deeper than this comparison.

Frame Kit or Canvas Only?

Every size ships either as a rolled canvas or with a DIY Frame Kit, wooden stretcher bars you assemble yourself. The frame kit adds between $5 and $16 depending on the size. On the 16x20 it is $8 more.

Most customers skip it: 38 of the 44 kits ordered in the last 30 days went out as canvas only. My recommendation still splits by size. On the 12x12 and 12x16, the frame kit is worth it for convenience alone: the canvas is small, the bars are quick to assemble and you skip a trip to a framing shop. On the 20x26 and Jumbo Square, the frame kit is the cheapest way to stretch a canvas that size anywhere. The 16x20 is the one where you can go either way, because standard 40x50 cm frames are easy to find in any home store.

Either way, the guide on framing a finished paint by numbers covers stretching and hanging.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the most popular paint by numbers size for adults?

16x20 inches (40x50 cm). It is the size marked Recommended on every product in our catalogue and the one most customers order.

Is a bigger canvas harder to paint?

Not per section. Bigger canvases have larger numbered areas, which are easier to fill neatly. They take longer overall because there is more surface. Difficulty comes mostly from the colour count: a 48-colour kit has many more small sections than a 24-colour kit of the same size.

How long does a 16x20 kit take to finish?

Two or three weekends for most people. Our article on completion times breaks this down by size.

Can I order a custom photo kit in any of these sizes?

Yes. The custom kit uses the same five sizes, the same three colour counts and the same frame options as the ready-made designs, at the same prices.

Related reading: Best Paint by Numbers Kits in 2026: Top Picks and Custom Paint by Numbers From Your Photo: What Makes a Good Photo.