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Framing and Caring for Your Fine-Art Prints

· 4 min read

Every ArtMarket print ships unframed and rolled in a tube. How to flatten it safely, frame it properly, and keep it looking its best for decades.

Framing and Caring for Your Fine-Art Prints — ArtMarket journal

Our prints are produced on premium photographic paper and shipped unframed, rolled in a protective tube, so you can present each piece exactly the way you want. That freedom comes with a few decisions — and a little care at the framing stage makes the difference between a print that looks good now and one that still looks good in twenty years.

First: flatten the print safely

A rolled print will hold some curl when it arrives. Do not fight it quickly.

  1. Unroll it on a clean, flat surface, image side up.
  2. Lay a sheet of clean acid-free paper over the top.
  3. Weight the corners with books and leave it for 24–48 hours.

Never apply heat, never iron a print, and never reverse-roll it to counteract the curl — both crack the emulsion and leave marks you cannot undo. Patience costs nothing; a damaged print costs the piece.

Choose the right frame

The frame's job is to present the image, not to compete with it.

For photography and monochrome

A slim black or natural-wood frame is hard to beat. It gives the image a hard edge and keeps attention where it belongs. Ornate or heavy mouldings fight with photographic work — especially black-and-white pieces, where the contrast is already doing the work.

For mixed-media and colour

Bold mixed-media work can take a wider frame or a warmer wood tone. If the image is already busy, keep the frame plain; if it is graphic and flat, a more substantial frame adds weight.

Mat (mount) width

Leave a generous mat border — 5–8 cm on small and medium prints, more on large ones. A generous mat reads as considered and gives the image room to breathe. A thin mat looks like an economy. Weight the bottom border slightly wider than the top if you want the classical gallery look; the eye reads it as balanced.

Ask for acid-free, conservation-grade board. Cheap mat board yellows and, worse, transfers acidity into the print edge over years of contact.

Glazing: glass or acrylic

  • UV-protective glass — the best all-round choice. It blocks the wavelengths that fade pigment and keeps the surface hard and cleanable.
  • Acrylic (Perspex) — lighter and shatter-resistant, so it is the sensible option for very large pieces or for homes with children. Scratches more easily.
  • Anti-reflective glazing — worth the cost only on a wall with difficult light, such as one facing a window.

Whichever you choose, the print should never touch the glazing directly. That is what the mat is for — it holds an air gap that stops the surface sticking to the glass in humid conditions.

Where to hang it

Placement affects lifespan as much as framing does.

  • Avoid direct sunlight. Even with UV glazing, hours of hard direct sun each day will eventually shift colour. North-facing walls are the safest.
  • Avoid humid rooms. Bathrooms and unventilated kitchens invite cockling and, over time, mould spotting.
  • Avoid heat sources. Above a radiator or an open fire, cycles of heat and cooling stress both the paper and the frame joints.

For the mechanics of getting it on the wall, see our guide to hanging height and fixings.

Handle with clean hands

Skin oils transfer permanently to photographic paper. Hold the print by its outer edges — ideally the mat margin — and keep the surface free of fingerprints. Cotton gloves are not overkill if you are mounting a large piece.

Dust the glazing with a dry microfibre cloth. Never spray cleaner directly onto a frame; spray the cloth, so nothing runs down behind the glass.

Storing prints you are not hanging

Keep spare prints flat in acid-free sleeves or rolled loosely in their original tube, somewhere cool, dry and dark. Never store a print against an outside wall, in a loft, or in a basement — temperature swings and damp do more damage than daylight ever will.

What you are starting with

Good framing protects a good print. Every ArtMarket work is hand-signed by the artist and produced on premium photographic paper for sharp detail and lasting contrast — collector-grade material that rewards being framed properly.

Explore our premium prints, or read our guide to signed prints to understand what you are looking at.

Frequently asked questions

How do I flatten a print that arrived rolled?
Unroll it face-up on a clean flat surface, cover it with acid-free paper, and weight the corners with books for 24–48 hours. Never use heat, never iron a print, and never reverse-roll it — all three can crack the surface permanently.
What kind of frame is best for a photographic print?
A slim black or natural-wood frame with a generous acid-free mat. Simple mouldings keep attention on the image, which matters most with monochrome work where contrast is already doing the visual work.
Do I need UV-protective glass?
It is the best all-round choice, since UV is what fades pigment over time. Acrylic is the better option for very large pieces or households with children, as it is lighter and shatter-resistant, though it scratches more easily.
How wide should the mat around a print be?
Leave 5–8 cm on small and medium prints, and more on large ones. A generous mat reads as considered, gives the image room to breathe, and keeps the print from touching the glazing.
Where should I avoid hanging a fine-art print?
Avoid direct sunlight, humid rooms such as bathrooms, and walls above radiators or fireplaces. Heat cycling, damp and UV are the three things that shorten a print's life the most.