Prints to Be Framed: A Fan's Guide to Wall Art Glory

You've bought the print. Good choice. It might be a glorious nod to a last-minute winner, a band lyric that still lives rent-free in your head, or a bit of wall art that makes your office look less like a holding cell. And now it's leaning against a wall, still in its tube, waiting for you to “sort it this weekend”.

That's how great prints become expensive clutter.

Framing can feel weirdly intimidating. One minute you're buzzing because your print has arrived, the next you're googling mounts, glazing, aspect ratios, and wondering whether you need the sort of technical knowledge normally reserved for VAR officials and guitar techs. You don't. You need a decent plan, a bit of taste, and the confidence to avoid the obvious howlers.

This guide is for people who want their place to look sharp, personal, and a bit more alive. Not like a showroom. Not like a museum gift shop. Just good walls with proper character. If you're already fussing over the rest of the room, even down to things like choosing and caring for cacti, you may as well get the art right too.

Table of Contents

• Your Walls Are Crying Out for Some Personality
• Before the Frame Comes the Game Plan
  • Start with size, not vibes
  • Border or borderless
  • Match the print to the room
• Mastering the Art of the Frame-Up
  • To mat or not to mat
  • Wood versus metal
  • Get the proportions right
• Going DIY or Calling in a Pro Framer
  • When DIY makes sense
  • When the pro is worth it
• Keeping Your Art Safe From the Elements
  • The glazing decision
  • The preservation playbook
• Arranging Your Wall Art Like a Pro
  • Single statement piece or gallery wall
  • Hanging hacks that save your wall and your sanity
• Now Go Make Your Walls Sing

Your Walls Are Crying Out for Some Personality

Blank walls are rarely a design choice. Most of the time, they're procrastination in plasterboard form.

If your print is still rolled up, tucked behind a door, or balanced on a shelf like it's waiting for a transfer deadline decision, you're not alone. Loads of people buy art because they love it, then freeze at the framing stage. Fair enough. Framing sounds technical, and half the advice online is written like you're preparing a Turner for the National Gallery.

You're not. You're trying to get that music or football print onto the wall so it gets seen.

Practical rule: if a print makes you grin when you open it, it deserves better than life in a cardboard tube.

A framed print changes the whole feel of a room. It gives the piece weight, makes it look intentional, and stops your space looking like you moved in yesterday. It also makes passion-led art feel finished. A classic terrace scene, a lyric print, a cheeky kitchen piece, a stadium map. Once it's framed properly, it stops being “something I bought online” and becomes part of the room.

Here's my opinion, and I'm sticking to it. Prints to be framed should be chosen with the frame in mind from the start. Not after. Not once the print arrives. Before. That one decision saves money, saves faff, and saves you from buying a lovely print that turns into a custom-framing headache.

The rest is just sensible choices. Size. Border. Frame style. Whether you go DIY or let a pro sort it. No fluff. No art-school nonsense. Just the stuff that matters if you want your walls to look brilliant.

Before the Frame Comes the Game Plan

Start with size, not vibes

Most framing mistakes happen before anyone touches a frame. They happen when someone buys a print based purely on the image, then realises it doesn't play nicely with standard frame sizes.

That matters because standard sizes make life easier. A common framing guide shows that an 8 x 10 inch print is normally paired with an 11 x 14 inch frame, while an 11 x 14 inch print fits a 16 x 20 inch frame. The same guide notes that for prints 18 x 24 inches and under, the mat opening is typically cut slightly smaller than the print to reveal more of the image, which is handy when you want a neat, finished look without custom fuss (frame and mat dimensions for common print sizes).

In plain English, standard sizes are your mate. They're easier to frame, easier to gift, easier to store, and less likely to send you spiralling into bespoke framing costs. If you're buying for a flat, office, kitchen nook, hallway, or that bit above the record shelf, standard sizing is the smart play.

If you need help visualising proportions before you order, these photo print templates are useful for checking how a layout will land before you commit.

Border or borderless

This is the bit loads of buyers ask about, and for good reason. Should prints to be framed have a border?

Usually, yes. Not because borderless looks bad. It can look brilliant. But if you want easier framing with off-the-shelf UK frames and mounts, a border gives you more breathing room. UK framing guidance commonly advises allowing extra paper for mounting because standard picture frames and mounts are sized to common print dimensions. That's especially useful for music and football posters bought as gifts, where people want to frame them quickly without paying for custom work. The main question isn't whether to frame it. It's what border size helps it fit standard framing without wasted paper or extra hassle (guidance on bordered prints for framing).

Borderless is bold. Bordered is practical. If you want quick, tidy, budget-friendly framing, bordered usually wins.

A border also changes the mood. It makes the print feel more gallery-like and a bit calmer on the wall. Borderless tends to feel punchier and more immediate. Great for bold graphics. Less forgiving if the frame fit is slightly off.

Match the print to the room

Don't treat every wall the same. A kitchen can carry a wink and a nudge. A hallway can handle energy. A home office wants something that keeps you awake in meetings that should've been emails.

A playful music print works beautifully where people gather. Something with wit in the kitchen or dining area can land better than “serious” art ever will. A football print in an office or snug can feel sharp if the palette is right and the frame doesn't scream sports bar.

A quick room-by-room check helps:

• Kitchen. Go for charm, humour, or lyrics with swagger.
• Office. Pick something cleaner, graphic, and not too visually noisy.
• Living room. Bigger personality pieces can hold court.
• Hallway. Think punchy, welcoming, easy to clock in passing.
• Gift buy. Keep size and framing ease front and centre.

If you're still deciding what kind of piece suits your space, this guide on how to choose art for your home is a solid sanity check.

Your wall art should feel like you picked it because you love it, not because it matched a scatter cushion. That's the whole point. Music and football prints work best when they carry some proper emotion. A favourite player. A terrace memory. A lyric that still hits. That's not random decoration. That's identity on the wall.

Mastering the Art of the Frame-Up

To mat or not to mat

You've found the print. You've found the frame. Then one small strip of card turns up and starts a domestic cup tie in your head.

The UK calls it a mount. Plenty of people call it a mat. Same job. It creates space between the print and the frame, and that space changes everything.

A mount gives a print room to breathe. It also stops the artwork from looking wedged in like an away fan in the home end. If you're framing an old football photo, a lyric print with some emotional weight, or a gift you want to look properly finished, add one.

Skip it for cleaner, louder artwork. Gig posters, bold typography, graphic prints, and modern black-and-white pieces often look better pushed right up to the edge. More chant, less choir.

Here's the quick call:

Some prints need space around them to sing. Others sound better turned all the way up.

Wood versus metal

Pick frame material with your eyes and your common sense.

Wood has more presence. It suits prints with warmth, nostalgia, or a bit of soul. Old matchday scenes, retro club artwork, album-inspired prints, and anything with richer colour usually sits better in wood. It feels grounded and forgiving.

Metal is tighter and sharper. It works brilliantly with modern poster art, monochrome photography, and prints that already have a graphic punch. Black metal in particular looks spot on with music prints that want a bit of attitude.

The mistake is easy to spot. A skinny, flimsy frame around a large print looks cheap before it even hits the wall. A heavy piece in weak hardware is how you end up bolting upright at 2am, convinced someone's kicked the front door in.

Use this rule and save yourself the faff:

• Large or visually weighty print. Go for wood or a sturdier frame profile.
• Slim, modern, graphic piece. Metal usually looks cleaner.
• Busy artwork. Keep the frame simple.
• Quiet artwork. A frame with a bit more character can help.

White frames can work too, but only if the room is tidy and the print has enough contrast. Otherwise the whole thing starts drifting into rental flat showroom energy.

Get the proportions right

Bad proportions ruin good art. Fast.

The frame should support the print, not start singing over it like a bloke three pints deep before kickoff. If the artwork is loud, keep the frame restrained. If the print is subtle, you've got a little more freedom to add shape or texture around it.

Scale matters just as much. A tiny frame on a big wall looks lost. An overly chunky frame on a small print can make the artwork feel like an afterthought. You want balance, not theatre.

A few rules never let you down:

• Match the frame width to the print size. Bigger print, slightly bolder frame.
• Use mounts to help smaller prints hold space. Especially useful if you've bought a standard UK frame and the print size is close, but not perfect.
• Keep colours under control. Black, white, oak, and walnut do most jobs better than anything flashy.
• Let the print be the star. The frame finishes the look. It should not nick the trophy.

If you want a more detailed walkthrough on proportions, mounts, and making standard poster sizes work with ready-made frames, this guide on how to frame posters is worth your time.

A good frame makes the artwork look intentional. A bad one makes it look like it lost on penalties.

Going DIY or Calling in a Pro Framer

The truth. DIY framing can be satisfying. It can also make a grown adult whisper things at a speck of trapped dust that would get them sent off in Sunday league.

When DIY makes sense

DIY is the right move when the print is easy to size, the frame is standard, and you've got a steady enough hand not to turn the mounting process into performance art.

It works well for:

• Standard-size prints that fit ready-made frames
• Lower-stakes pieces where perfection isn't life or death
• People who enjoy the process and don't mind a bit of trial and error

The upside is obvious. You keep costs down and stay in control of the final look. You also get the oddly satisfying moment of stepping back and thinking, “Yeah, I did that.”

The downside is also obvious. Dust under the glazing. Crooked placement. Cheap backing. A mount that looks level until you stand three feet back and start seeing things.

This video gives a useful sense of what the hands-on route involves before you start flinging clips and backing boards around your dining table.

When the pro is worth it

Professional framing is the sensible call when the print matters more. That could mean financial value, sentimental value, awkward size, delicate paper, or the fact that you can't be bothered gambling on your own patience.

The reason framed pieces command more attention is simple. They feel complete. In the print industry, top-selling artists earn 40% to 50% higher margins on framed prints than on unframed ones, and artists who don't offer pre-framed products lose a significant share of sales because framed prints attract buyers who want a finished, ready-to-hang item (framed prints and artist margins).

That tells you something useful as a buyer too. Framing isn't a decorative afterthought. It's a value-add that changes how people see the piece.

If the print means a lot to you, paying for proper framing usually hurts less than paying twice after a DIY rescue mission.

A quick decision guide:

One more thing. If you're buying prints specifically to frame, it makes sense to consider sellers who offer artwork in framing-friendly formats. Striped Circle sells music and football wall art designed for home and office display, which is useful when you want prints that are made to end up on a wall rather than forgotten in a drawer.

Keeping Your Art Safe From the Elements

You finally get the print on the wall. It looks class. Then six months later it's faded, slightly wavy, and trapped behind grubby glazing like a pub poster that lost a relegation battle.

That's nearly always a materials problem, not bad luck. Light, damp, heat, and cheap framing supplies will bully a paper print if you let them.

The glazing decision

Start with the front layer. Glass looks sharper and feels more premium. Acrylic is lighter, harder to smash, and far less stressful if you're hanging a big frame above a desk, sideboard, or anywhere people move about.

If the print matters, get UV-protective glazing. No exceptions. Sunlight will bleach colour out of album art, gig prints, and football pieces faster than you think, especially in bright rooms. You do not need museum drama. You do need something better than the bargain-bin sheet that comes with a flimsy frame.

Use this rule:

• Choose glass for smaller frames, cleaner clarity, and a more traditional finish.
• Choose acrylic for larger prints, safer hanging, and rooms where knocks are likely.
• Choose UV protection for anything you'd be annoyed to replace.

The preservation playbook

The least sexy phrase in framing is also one of the smartest. Acid-free.

Use acid-free mount board and backing. Mount the print properly so it can sit flat without being strangled by bad tape. The archival framing guidance for art prints also recommends UV-protective glazing to limit fading from light exposure.

Cheap materials age badly. Paper yellows. Corners cockle. Colours lose their punch. Your wall art ends up looking like it did a rainy Tuesday away at Stoke.

A few rules save a lot of grief:

• Use acid-free mount and backing to protect the paper from discolouration.
• Ask for a T-hinge mount if you're using a framer and the print has real value to you.
• Clean the glazing before sealing unless you fancy staring at trapped dust for years.
• Keep framed prints out of harsh direct sun where possible.
• Avoid hanging paper prints in steamy bathrooms or damp corners unless you enjoy warped artwork.

A good example is the Alejandro Garnacho Manchester United - Football Print. It comes unframed in sizes from A5 up to A0. If you're framing one of the larger versions, especially in a bright room, decent glazing and acid-free materials are the smart call. Big player. Big frame. Protect it properly.

Arranging Your Wall Art Like a Pro

A great framed print still needs the right spot. You can absolutely ruin a cracking piece by hanging it too high, too low, too small for the wall, or in a cluster that looks like the fixtures list was drawn by chaos.

Single statement piece or gallery wall

A lone print works when the artwork has enough presence to hold the space on its own. Think a stadium piece above a desk, a lyric print above a sideboard, or a bold football artwork in the office. It should feel deliberate, not lonely.

A gallery wall works when the prints speak to each other. Same theme, same colour family, same frame finish, or the same kind of energy. Music and football can live together, by the way, but only if there's some visual discipline. Otherwise it starts looking like three group chats had a fight on your wall.

A few practical rules help:

• Keep the centre around eye level so people aren't craning their necks.
• Treat multiple frames as one unit when deciding placement.
• Use consistent spacing so the arrangement feels organised.
• Anchor the grouping to furniture if it sits above a sofa, console, or desk.

The best gallery walls look collected. The worst ones look accidental.

Hanging hacks that save your wall and your sanity

Before making holes, cut paper templates to the size of each frame and tape them to the wall. It looks a bit Blue Peter for adults, but it works. You'll spot bad spacing before your wall pays the price.

For pieces that need extra stability, use two hooks instead of one where appropriate. That stops the frame twisting every time someone walks past or slams a door like they've just conceded in stoppage time.

If you want more practical ideas for a clean, balanced arrangement, this guide on how to arrange wall art is useful. And if you're fussing over neat presentation for posters or achievement pieces, this advice on creating a flawless display for achievement posters has some handy hanging logic that applies beyond certificates and into general wall art too.

Final hanging checks:

• Measure twice before fixing anything permanent
• Use a level unless you enjoy slowly noticing crooked frames every day
• Match the hook to the wall type because plasterboard and masonry are not the same beast
• Step back properly before calling it done

The last step is the victory lap. Once it's up and level, the room changes instantly.

Now Go Make Your Walls Sing

A good print deserves a proper life on the wall. Not hidden in packaging. Not balanced on furniture for six months while you “get round to it”.

If you take anything from this, let it be this. Choose prints to be framed with some intention. Pick a size that makes framing easy. Decide whether a border will save you hassle. Match the frame to the artwork, not to whatever happened to be cheapest that day. And if the piece matters, protect it properly.

You don't need to be precious about it. This isn't about creating a silent, intimidating art shrine where nobody can put a mug down. It's about making your home or office feel more like yours. More character. More story. More things that make you smile when you walk past.

So get that print framed. Give the band, the player, the lyric, the memory, the joke, or the moment the wall space it's earned. Your walls have had a long enough pre-season.

If you're ready to turn all that good taste into actual wall art, have a look at Striped Circle. It's a family-run shop focused on music and football prints, posters, and wall art for homes and offices, which makes it a useful place to start if you want something with a bit more personality than generic décor.