What is the largest sharp print size for Cats Suggested as the Fifty-three Stations of the Tokaido?

At 300 dpi, this 3,829 × 1,901 px file prints up to 12.8 × 6.3 in with gallery-sharp detail. At 150 dpi the file reaches 25.5 × 12.7 in, which is poster-sharp quality.

Which standard frame sizes give gallery-sharp prints of Cats Suggested as the Fifty-three Stations of the Tokaido?

The best frame sizes for this file are 10 × 8 in, 14 × 11 in, 16 × 12 in, 20 × 16 in, printing at 150–299 dpi (poster- to sharp-quality).

Does printing Cats Suggested as the Fifty-three Stations of the Tokaido require cropping the image?

Standard frame aspect ratios may not match this artwork exactly; depending on the size chosen, up to 38% of the image could be cropped. Most print-on-demand services let you adjust the crop position or add a white mat border instead.

Cats Suggested as the Fifty-three Stations of the Tokaido — Utagawa Kuniyoshi | Free high-res download

Cats Suggested as the Fifty-three Stations of the Tokaido

Utagawa Kuniyoshi · ca. 1848 · Woodblock print, Edo period

Public domain · $0.003,829 × 1,901 px · 7.3 MP

Prints gallery-sharp up to12.8 × 6.3 inat 300 dpi, uncropped · poster-sharp to 25.5 × 12.7 in at 150 dpi

The download is the original scan on Wikimedia Commons. Big file — give it a minute.

Build the wall set

Art, frame, light and hanging gear, picked together. Choose a size and finish; the wall preview shows exactly what you're getting. One button sends the whole kit to your Amazon cart.

Amazon sells the physical items, sets their prices and availability, and may pay us a commission. The free museum file is separate. How we get paid →

How big can you print it?

Standard frame sizes, turned to match the artwork. "Crops" is how much of the picture you lose filling that frame edge to edge — or keep it all and let a mat take up the difference.

Frame	Effective dpi	Verdict	Crops
10 × 8 in	237	Sharp up close	38%
14 × 11 in	172	Poster sharp	37%
16 × 12 in	158	Poster sharp	34%
20 × 16 in	118	Fine across a room	38%
24 × 18 in	105	Fine across a room	34%
36 × 24 in	79	Too soft	26%
40 × 30 in	63	Too soft	34%

Will it fit over your couch? Put this one on your wall, to scale — crop or mat, frame size, hang height and the order.

The ticket

Cats Suggested as the Fifty-three Stations of the Tokaido is a woodblock print by Utagawa Kuniyoshi (Japanese, 1797–1861), dated ca. 1848. Woodblock print. Held by Woodblock print, Edo period; the free scan comes from Wikimedia Commons.

Each station on the Tokaido road is represented by a pun on its name and a cat. Kuniyoshi kept many cats in his studio, and legend says he painted with one tucked in his kimono. The prints were made at a time when the authorities were banning images of actors and courtesans, so cats became the safe subject. It makes a particularly good gift, and a small print is just as readable as a big one.

The work is in the public domain, which means no permission, no fee and no credit line required. That file is 3,829 × 1,901 pixels — 7.3 megapixels — good for a gallery-sharp print up to 12.8 × 6.3 in. Woodblock prints were made to be printed again and again — a reproduction is in keeping with the whole point of the thing. Keep the paper tone warm. A printer that bleaches the ground to white-white flattens it into clip art.