So many people tell me that they want the finished piece to be 8.5 inches x 11 inches. I have to laugh. First of all – that’s typing paper sized – artwork is rarely a standard size, and calligraphy is even more complicated than other artwork. Here’s why:
With regard to the size: I can never tell what size the finished piece will be until it’s done. To get an approximate feel for the size, print your text in a 16-point font in Helvetica, and see where you want the line breaks. Remember, you don’t want to leave one or two words as an “orphan” on the next line. If there is going to be a line break, think about where the logical break in the text would fall. This is especially true in a poem!
The width of the finished piece depends upon how long the length of the text is per line, and the height depends upon how long (how many lines) the text is as well. When you leave borders around the writing in the artwork, it generally should be equal on both top and bottom. So now you see that calligraphy has to find it’s own size. But, that being said, if I will be scanning this in, I can shrink the size of the entire piece, but it must keep its proportions, or the calligraphy will be either stretched or compressed!
That’s why I always recommend having a custom sized frame made to order. I have researched through the Internet to find quality printers and framers for my work. I am affiliated with the sites below where you can have your calligraphy printed, custom framed and mailed to you ready to go on your wall. They have terrific options for you to choose many different types of framing, and a wonderful way to see what the finished piece will look like. I will work with you going through this process, and you will be so pleased with the finished product! However, if you have a local framer that you choose to work with, that’s also great! That way you can see what it looks like in person, rather than on your screen.