IKEA RIBBA frame sizes are printed on the shelf label as one number: the outer frame. That number is not always the number that decides whether your print looks right inside it, because several RIBBA sizes ship with a mat already fitted, and the mat’s opening is smaller than the box. Here is how our own print sizes line up against the RIBBA range, and the one thing worth checking before you buy either separately.
Buying rolled and framing it yourself is one of the three honest reasons to skip our own frame — the cost comparison covers the other two. RIBBA is the most common frame this applies to, so it earns its own page.
IKEA RIBBA frame sizes, next to ours
RIBBA is sold in centimetre sizes and in inch-labelled sizes for North American shelves, and the range includes 13×18 cm, 21×30 cm, sizes around 12×16 in and 16×20 in, and a large 61×91 cm. Set against our own seventeen-size ladder, four line up closely enough to matter:
| RIBBA (outer size) | Our nearest sheet | How close |
|---|---|---|
| 13×18 cm | 13×18 cm | Exact |
| 21×30 cm | 21×29.7 cm (A4) | 3 mm short on one side |
| ~12×16 in (≈30×40 cm) | 30×40 cm | Exact |
| ~16×20 in (≈40×50 cm) | 40×50 cm | Exact |
| 50×70 cm | 50×70 cm | Exact, on the prints that offer this size |
| 61×91 cm | 60×90 cm | 1 cm short on each side |
Three of those are the same sheet, not an approximation, which is unusual — most off-the-shelf frame ranges do not line up with a print ladder built independently of them. The 21×30 and 61×91 rows are close enough that a mat hides the gap; without a mat, a sheet 3 mm to 1 cm smaller than the opening will show a sliver of backing board on one or two edges.
The mat is the part the box label does not tell you
Most RIBBA frames at the smaller and mid sizes ship with a mat, and the mat’s cut opening is smaller than the frame’s outer size — that gap is exactly what a mat is for, and whether you want one at all is worth reading on its own. Two ways to handle it:
- Keep the mat. Order a print sized to the mat’s opening, not the box. That opening is usually a standard photo size — often smaller than the sizes in the table above — so check the specific listing before ordering.
- Remove the mat. Most RIBBA mats lift out, leaving the full box opening free. At that point the table above is the one that matters, and a full-bleed sheet at the matching size fills the frame edge to edge.
What size frame for a 24×36 poster
RIBBA’s range does not currently reach 24×36 in (our nearest sheet is 60×90 cm), so a 24×36-sized poster generally needs a frame from a different range built specifically at that size, or a custom shop cutting to order. That is also the size band where a custom quote and our own framed price start to converge, so it is worth pricing both before assuming flat-pack is automatically cheaper at this size.
Ordering ours to fit a frame you already own
All our sheets are trimmed to standard frame sizes — the centimetre and nominal-inch pairs in the size table, not to any single brand’s mat opening. If you already own a RIBBA frame, measure the actual opening you plan to use rather than trusting the number on the box, and choose the closest sheet size from that measurement. The Mercedes 300 SL Gullwing poster carries the full size run, including the four sizes that line up with RIBBA above.
Or skip the matching altogether
Framing available from us runs 27×35 cm to 70×100 cm, solid wood, assembled by hand, hardware fitted — no measuring, no separate mat purchase, no gap to check. Framed or unframed: which print to order lays out when that is worth the difference over buying rolled and matching a frame yourself.
Common questions
Does an IKEA RIBBA frame come with a mat already fitted?
Most RIBBA frames in the smaller and mid sizes ship with a mat and a smaller printed opening than the box size suggests, built for a standard photo size. Check the specific listing before ordering a print to match it — the box dimension and the visible opening are two different numbers.
What size print do I need for a 16x20 RIBBA frame?
If the mat is left in place, you generally need whatever smaller photo size the mat opening is cut for, not a full 16x20 sheet. If you remove the mat, a 40x50 cm sheet — our nearest size to 16x20 in — will fill the frame edge to edge instead.
Can I remove the mat and use a full-size print instead?
Usually, yes — RIBBA mats generally lift out, leaving the full box opening free for a sheet cut to that size. What you lose is the mat's white border, which some prints benefit from and others do not.
Do your rolled prints come already cut to a RIBBA opening?
No. Our sheets are trimmed to standard frame sizes in centimetres and nominal inches — the sizes in the table above — not to any one frame brand's mat opening. Match the sheet size to your frame's actual opening before ordering, not to the number printed on the box.
