How to sell a duo or triptych on Etsy
Three prints are 15 ZIPs, and Etsy takes 5 files of 20 MB. Attach one ratio per artwork, or put a PDF with a folder link in the listing. Here is what each costs.
Make the ZIPs for your first artworkEtsy's limit is from Etsy Help, checked October 2026.
3 artworks × 5 ZIPs = 15 files
Etsy takes 5 per listing
15 real ZIPs, weighed
One artwork is five ZIPs, one per ratio. A duo is 10, a triptych 15. We weighed the exports of two live listings from our own Etsy shop. One artwork came to 47 to 59 MB in five ZIPs of 8 to 14 MB each.
Etsy's whole allowance is 5 × 20 MB = 100 MB. The triptych is 147 MB and the duo 112 MB. So the question is whether you can share ZIPs between artworks. These are the shared ZIPs.
Duo: 2 artworks per ZIP
4 of 5 over 20 MB
Tidevann duo, both artworks, five ZIPs each.
- 2:324.6 MB
- 3:418.1 MB
- 4:526.4 MB
- ISO22.1 MB
- Extras20.4 MB
White line = Etsy's 20 MB per file. Each bar is the ZIPs for one ratio, one per artwork, put in a single ZIP.
Triptych: 3 per ZIP
5 of 5 over 20 MB
Tidevann II trio, all three artworks, five ZIPs each.
- 2:332.5 MB
- 3:423.9 MB
- 4:534.6 MB
- ISO29.1 MB
- Extras26.8 MB
White line = Etsy's 20 MB per file. Each bar is the ZIPs for one ratio, one per artwork, put in a single ZIP.
What the buyer sees with a link
This is the route our own listings use. The buyer buys, Etsy delivers one PDF, the PDF opens a Drive folder, and the folder holds the ZIPs. Every picture below is from the live triptych listing or its files.
1The listing says: 1 PDF
Etsy shows the file type on the listing page. For this triptych it reads “Digital file type(s): 1 PDF”, and the delivery note says the files are available once payment is confirmed.
So the buyer knows before buying that the download is a PDF. Say what is inside it in the description.
Put it in the first lines of the description
“Your download is one PDF with a button that opens the Google Drive folder with all print files. No Google account needed.” Write it in your own words and test it first.
2Etsy delivers the PDF
This is the one file the buyer gets from Etsy. One large button opens the Drive folder, and four short steps say what to do next.
- The link is a real button, easy to tap on a phone.
- It names the folders: Left, Center and Right.
- It lists every size included for each artwork.
- 3
The button opens the Drive folder
One folder per artwork: Left, Center and Right. Each holds the five ZIPs a Size Packs run makes, one per ratio, so 15 ZIPs in all. The buyer opens the folder for the print they are hanging.
4The buyer picks a size and prints
Two more images in the listing gallery explain the same thing before the sale: the sizes included and how to get the prints.
The buyer unzips the pack for the size they need, chooses the same size for all three artworks, and sends the files to a printer.
Four ways to deliver a set
Quick Answer
How do I sell a duo or triptych when the files do not fit in 5 x 20 MB?
In our own count of 47 duo and trio digital-print listings from Etsy search pages for triptych, set of 3, 3 piece and diptych (October 30, 2026; a search sample, not a ranking of top sellers), about half attached the files directly and the rest used a PDF, some saying outright that it holds a Google Drive or Dropbox link. Shops with more than 5,000 sales are in both groups. That shows what sellers do. It does not show what Etsy prefers.
Attach one ratio per artwork
Pick the one ratio your buyers need and attach one ZIP per artwork, for example 3 ZIPs for a triptych.
What you give up: Buyers get fewer ratios. Putting every artwork's ratio into one shared ZIP usually goes over 20 MB (the charts above).
What you get: Nothing leaves Etsy. The simplest delivery.
A PDF with a link to a shared folder
Upload every ZIP to a folder in Google Drive or Dropbox. Attach one PDF to the listing that holds the folder link.
What you give up: Buyers leave Etsy for the files, and Etsy's policy does not spell this method out.
What you get: Every size and orientation for every artwork, with no 20 MB limit.
Both: core files attached, a link for the rest
Attach the ZIPs most buyers need and add a PDF with a link to the larger or extra files.
What you give up: Two places to explain in the description.
What you get: Buyers have files the moment Etsy delivers; the link is a bonus, not a gate.
Separate listings
One listing per artwork or per ratio.
What you give up: Reviews and sales history split, more listing fees, every edit repeated.
What you get: Nothing outside Etsy. Rarely worth it for a set sold as a set.
Which one to pick
- Buyers need one ratio, or your shared ZIPs stay under 20 MB: attach the files directly (A). Nothing leaves Etsy.
- Buyers need every size and orientation for every print: a link is the practical route (B), because 10 or 15 ZIPs cannot be attached.
- You want the safest start: attach the core ZIPs and use the link for the rest (C), so the buyer has files the moment Etsy delivers even if the link ever breaks.
The photos sell the set
Buyers search for sets, and the first photo has to show two or three prints on one wall. The files are a separate job from the photos. These are room photos from the same two listings.
The duo's photos were made with the Set of 2 mockups in SnapToSize; the triptych's are from the same room library. Mockups are listing photos only, never print files.
What Etsy shoppers type
eRank's estimate of average monthly Etsy searches for each phrase (US), read October 30, 2026. Rough numbers, not exact counts.
1.6k
set of 3 wall art
1.5k
3 piece wall art
1.3k
triptych wall art
1.2k
set of 3 prints
0.7k
set of 2 wall art
0.1k
diptych wall art
Sets are searched for. Delivery is where the seller gets stuck.
What Etsy says about a link
Etsy's help pages state the limit: up to 5 files, 20 MB each, and ZIP and PDF are accepted. Etsy's Seller Policy rules out taking a payment or a purchase outside Etsy. It does not spell out delivering a file the buyer already paid for through Etsy, in either direction.
When we asked Etsy's support assistant on October 30, 2026, it said it could not confirm a PDF with an outside link as policy-compliant, and suggested fitting the limits. That is neither an approval nor a ban. If a link is your plan and you want it in writing, ask Etsy Seller Support from your own shop.
Test the buyer's download before you publish
If you use a link, most problems are small and easy to check.
- Attach a real PDF, not a Word file or a text file. A link that is only text does not open on every device.
- Open the PDF on your phone and tap the link. Buyers often download on a phone.
- Set the folder to view and download for anyone with the link, then open it in a private window to see what a buyer sees.
- Say in the listing description that the download is a PDF with a link, and that no Dropbox or Google account is needed.
- Put the link in the PDF only and do not paste it in Etsy messages. That is our advice, not an Etsy rule; some seller guides call links in messages a violation.
- Tell buyers to download on a computer or a mobile browser: Etsy says digital items cannot be downloaded in the Etsy app.
- Name one subfolder per artwork, so a buyer who bought a triptych finds each print.
The step-by-step for a set is in the user guide, and the mockup page shows what the rooms look like. For the general method of delivering with a link, see how to upload more than 5 files to Etsy. For why one ZIP can pass 20 MB, see the 20 MB limit. Deciding what goes in each set? See gallery wall print sizes, print ratios and what files to include.
Start with the first print in your set
Upload one artwork and get its 5 ZIPs. Run it again for each print in the set, then make the room photos for the listing.
Make ZIPs for the next printFrequently Asked Questions
Make the files for each artwork, make one set of room photos for the listing, and decide how the files reach the buyer. One artwork is five ZIPs in a Size Packs run, so a triptych is 15. Etsy takes 5 files of 20 MB per listing, so either attach one ratio per artwork, or attach a PDF with a link to a shared folder that holds everything, or do both.
Only if each shared ZIP stays under 20 MB. In our own triptych, with five ZIPs per artwork of 8 to 12 MB each, all five shared ZIPs came to 24 to 35 MB. In our duo, four of the five went over. JPG files are already compressed, so zipping them again saves little. Add up your own ZIPs before you decide.
Many sellers deliver large sets this way, including shops with thousands of sales. Etsy's Seller Policy rules out taking a payment outside Etsy; it does not spell out delivering a file the buyer has already paid for through Etsy. When we asked Etsy's support assistant on October 30, 2026, it could not confirm the method and suggested fitting the file limits instead. That is neither an approval nor a ban. If you want it in writing, ask Etsy Seller Support from your own shop.
No. SnapToSize makes the print-ready ZIPs and, on the Max plan, the room photos for a set. You host the folder and make the PDF yourself.
No. They are listing photos: two or three of your prints side by side in one room. Previewing is free on every plan; creating the set is on the Max plan. The print files come from one Size Packs run per artwork.
Sources: Etsy Help: How to Manage Your Digital Listings · Etsy Help: How to Download a Digital Item · Etsy Seller Policy · eRank keyword estimates · our own ZIP measurements, listing sample and one Etsy support chat, October 2026. This guide is not legal advice.