Art Print Framing Guide

We currently only offer art prints, but not a framing service. This page should provide you with some useful information if you'd like to learn more about how to frame your print, and what the options are. If you're not confident doing this yourself then there are many professional framing companies that should be able to help.

Print Measurements

Let's start by looking at how our prints are sized. The outer size of a print is A3, so 297mm wide by 420mm tall. Each print has a white border around the edge included in this measurement, which makes it look better if it goes directly in a frame or a frame hanger. This also makes it much easier if you are attaching the print to a mat border to present in a frame.

The white border is 12mm on each side, which means the printed artwork is sized at 273mm wide by 396mm tall.

Option 1 - Print Hanger

The simplest and cheapest option for presenting your print is to use a print hanger. This consists of a top and bottom wooden bar with the print sandwiched between two magnetic strips on the back.

You can see an example of this kind of product on Etsy here. Please do your own research and find a product you're happy with, but this is one we've used and like. This is not an affiliate link, just an item we've bought before.

Option 2 - Simple Framing (No Mat)

The easiest way to frame your print is to fit it directly into an A3 frame. Typically frames overlap the artwork by around 5mm which should leave a nice white border around the artwork within the frame.

If you are not using a mat then we would recommend using frame spacers. This is the best way to prevent the print surface from coming into contact with the glazing, which can cause buckling or adhesion and damage the surface, making it difficult to reframe in the future.

Option 3 - Framing With a Mat

For a more professional look, you can use a mat to create more depth within the frame and provide more visual breathing space. We would recommend that the inner window of the mat should overlap the printed artwork area by 3mm on each side. This makes it easier to align the print and avoids any white edge showing. Based on this we suggest the dimensions of the mat window should be 267mm wide by 390mm tall.

In the image above, we've made the mat slightly translucent so that you can see it covers the white border around the print edge and overlaps the artwork slightly.

Mat Outer Size

The size of the mat very much depends on your taste, but if you're unsure then we would suggest going for 50mm on each side. This would leave the outer dimensions of the mat as 367mm wide by 490mm tall.

Please bear in mind that you'll need to order a custom frame to fit the outer dimensions of the mat that you decide on. We'd also suggest checking that the matt board is acid-free.

Attaching Your Print

To attach your art print to the mat board, please make sure you use an acid-free mounting tape. Aligning the print within the mount can be a little tricky. We usually measure the center horizontally and vertically and make light pencil marks on the back of the mat, and the same on the back of the art print. With both face down, once the marking are aligned and the print is straight, then the artwork should be central to the mat window and you can attach the print. Check and adjust as needed.

Final Framed Proportions

If you've been following along and using the measurements suggested in this guide, then the proportions of your final framed print will look similar to the image below.

Sourcing Mats & Frames

There really is a large amount of choice for where to look for custom mats & frames. In case you'd like a starting point, we recently framed one of our prints using the following combination:

These aren't affiliate links, just places we've used in the past and got a good result with.