What is the largest sharp print size for Drawing the First Water of the New Year?

At 300 dpi, this 2,896 × 3,998 px file prints up to 9.7 × 13.3 in with gallery-sharp detail. At 150 dpi the file reaches 19.3 × 26.7 in, which is poster-sharp quality.

Which standard frame sizes give gallery-sharp prints of Drawing the First Water of the New Year?

Gallery-sharp (300 dpi or above) frame sizes: 8 × 10 in. Sharp-to-poster-quality sizes also work: 11 × 14 in, 12 × 16 in, 16 × 20 in, 18 × 24 in.

Does printing Drawing the First Water of the New Year require cropping the image?

Standard frame aspect ratios may not match this artwork exactly; depending on the size chosen, up to 9% of the image could be cropped. Most print-on-demand services let you adjust the crop position or add a white mat border instead.

Drawing the First Water of the New Year — Suzuki Harunobu | Free high-res download

Drawing the First Water of the New Year

Suzuki Harunobu · ca. 1769–70 · The Met, New York

Public domain · CC0 · $0.002,896 × 3,998 px · 11.6 MP

Prints gallery-sharp up to9.7 × 13.3 inat 300 dpi, uncropped · poster-sharp to 19.3 × 26.7 in at 150 dpi

The download is the Met's own open-access file, served by the Met. 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
8 × 10 in	362	Gallery sharp	9%
11 × 14 in	263	Sharp up close	8%
12 × 16 in	241	Sharp up close	3%
16 × 20 in	181	Poster sharp	9%
18 × 24 in	160	Poster sharp	3%
24 × 36 in	111	Fine across a room	8%
30 × 40 in	96	Too soft	3%

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

Drawing the First Water of the New Year is a woodblock print by Suzuki Harunobu (Japanese, 1725–1770), dated ca. 1769–70. Woodblock print; ink and color on paper. Size on the museum record: 11 1/4 x 8 1/2 in. (28.6 x 21.6 cm). The Metropolitan Museum of Art holds it in its Asian Art collection — Rogers Fund, 1914.

In The Met's records, Drawing the First Water of the New Year is a woodblock print; ink and color on paper credited to Suzuki Harunobu. The museum dates it ca. 1769–70; it sits in the Asian Art department as accession JP156. Its flat colour areas and strong outlines hold up from across a room, which is the whole point of the woodblock tradition. The Met's scan measures 2,896 × 3,998 pixels, which prints about 9.7 × 13.3 in at 300 dpi and 19.3 × 26.7 in at a still-comfortable 150 dpi. Because it runs tall, it wants a vertical frame; compare the crop percentage across sizes before you choose. Its muted earth tones are forgiving: natural wood softens the palette, walnut deepens it and black frames it like a gallery. Woodblock prints were made to be reproduced, so a faithful reprint fits the tradition. Keep the paper tone warm instead of bleaching it to white. A warm picture light a few inches above the frame does more for a print than any paper upgrade, and the hanging centre line belongs near 57 inches.

The Met released its scan under CC0, which means no permission, no fee and no credit line required. That file is 2,896 × 3,998 pixels — 11.6 megapixels — good for a gallery-sharp print up to 9.7 × 13.3 in. That is bigger than the woodblock print itself, which measures about 8.5 × 11.3 in — the file holds more detail than you can see standing in front of the original.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.