How to Frame Unframed Art Prints

We sell our prints unframed, and that is a deliberate choice rather than a shortcut. A frame is personal, it should match your room and your taste, not be decided for you by a shop. The catch is that framing can feel like a faff if you have not done it before. It is not. Here is everything you need.

Why unframed is worth the small effort

Two reasons. First, choice. The same print looks completely different in natural oak, slim black or a wide white mount, and only you know which suits your walls. Second, cost and safety. Prints post flat or rolled in a tube, which is far cheaper and far less breakable than glass arriving by courier. You frame once it is safely home.

Know your size before you buy a frame

This is where most people come unstuck. Measure the print, then buy a frame made for that exact size. Our prints come in standard sizes, the A series like A4, A3 and A2, along with centimetre and inch sizes, so an off the shelf frame will fit without trimming. If a frame lists a mount aperture, that is the window the print shows through, so check it matches your print size.

Mounts make a print look more expensive

A mount, the card border between the print and the frame, gives a print room to breathe and instantly lifts it. If you want the gallery look, choose a frame with a mount one or two sizes larger than the print. A 40 by 50 centimetre frame with a mount cut for an A4 print is a classic, considered combination.

Where to buy frames

High street shops and online framers both carry standard sizes cheaply. For anything that is not a standard size, a local framer will cut one to fit, which costs a little more but lasts. Either way, ask for a frame with glass or acrylic glazing if the print is going somewhere warm or damp, like a kitchen or bathroom.

Hanging it straight

Use the right fixing for your wall, a picture hook for plaster, a wall plug for masonry. Mark the spot with a pencil, check it with a spirit level or your phone, and hang the centre of the print at roughly eye level, around 145 centimetres from the floor to the middle of the piece. Above furniture, leave a hand's width of gap so the print relates to the sofa or bed below it.

That is the whole job. Choose a frame that suits your room, match the size, and you have turned a print into a finished piece on the wall. Ready to start? Browse our art prints.