Common Procreate canvas dimensions at 300 PPI
| Finished print | Canvas before bleed |
|---|---|
| 4 × 6 in | 1,200 × 1,800 px |
| 5 × 7 in | 1,500 × 2,100 px |
| 8 × 10 in | 2,400 × 3,000 px |
| US Letter (8.5 × 11 in) | 2,550 × 3,300 px |
| 11 × 14 in | 3,300 × 4,200 px |
| 12 × 18 in | 3,600 × 5,400 px |
| 16 × 20 in | 4,800 × 6,000 px |
| 18 × 24 in | 5,400 × 7,200 px |
| A4 (210 × 297 mm) | 2,481 × 3,508 px |
Portrait and landscape use the same two values in opposite order. The table gives the finished canvas before bleed; add the printer's bleed to both edges before converting the working document to pixels. Large poster rows can exceed the practical layer budget on some iPads, so confirm the layer count in Procreate before beginning detailed work.
Match the canvas aspect ratio before drawing
Pixel count alone does not prevent cropping. A 4 × 6 print uses a 2:3 ratio, while an 8 × 10 or 16 × 20 print uses 4:5. US Letter uses 17:22, and A4 follows the ISO A-series ratio. If the source canvas and finished paper use different ratios, choose whether to crop the art or leave borders before you add bleed. Do not stretch one axis to make it fit.
What dimensions should a Procreate canvas be?
There is no single best canvas size. The correct dimensions depend on the finished width, finished height and the resolution requested by the printer. Use inches × PPI = pixels for each axis. If you already know the pixel dimensions, use the pixels-to-inches calculator to see how large the artwork can print. For a simple physical-size conversion without bleed, the inches-to-pixels calculator shows the same base formula at any PPI.
Set up the canvas
- Ask the printer for finished dimensions, bleed, safe area, resolution, color profile and file format.
- In Procreate's Gallery, tap the new-canvas + button, then the rectangle-with-+ icon to open Custom Canvas.
- Choose millimeters or inches and enter the working width and height, including bleed on both edges when the art reaches the cut edge. Set the resolution requested by the printer; Procreate describes 300 DPI as a common print standard. Check the resulting pixel dimensions against the calculator above.
- Set the color profile the printer requests; choose the file format when exporting. Do not assume that changing a finished RGB file to CMYK later will reproduce its colors exactly. Use the bleed calculator if trim and bleed are specified separately.
- Check Maximum Layers on the Custom Canvas screen before drawing. Larger pixel dimensions can reduce the layer budget on your iPad; do not silently lower the printer's required resolution to gain layers.
Check an existing Procreate artwork before exporting
In the artwork, open Actions → Canvas → Canvas information → Dimensions. Compare its physical size, pixel width and height, and DPI with the printer's order. If it is wrong, duplicate the artwork before opening Actions → Canvas → Crop & Resize → Settings. Changing DPI alone changes the reported physical size, not the existing pixels; Resample changes pixel dimensions but cannot restore missing detail.
Export from Actions → Share in the format the printer accepts, such as PDF, TIFF, PNG or JPEG. Open the exported file and confirm its size, orientation, bleed and color profile before sending it. This is a file-preparation check, not a substitute for the printer's own proof.
Example: A4 with 3 mm bleed
A4 finishes at 210 × 297 mm. Adding 3 mm on every edge makes the working document 216 × 303 mm. At 300 PPI, round up to 2,552 × 3,579 pixels. This is larger than the no-bleed A4 row because bleed adds 6 mm to both width and height.
Does changing DPI change the pixel dimensions?
Not by itself. Procreate documents that changing the DPI setting changes the physical dimensions while leaving the pixel dimensions unchanged. Turning on Resample is the separate action that changes pixel dimensions, and enlarging pixels cannot recreate missing source detail.
Why does Procreate offer fewer layers for a larger print?
Procreate says the maximum layer count depends on both the iPad's RAM and the canvas pixel dimensions. That means two users can enter the same physical print size and see different layer limits on different iPads. Check the maximum shown when creating or resizing the canvas; if the layer budget is too small, discuss a lower required PPI with the printer instead of silently reducing resolution.