Which frame suits a black-and-white print

The four that work

Thin black. The default. A narrow black profile echoes the ink in the artwork and disappears against any wall colour. If you want one answer and no thinking, choose this.

Light oak. Warms the print and stops monochrome feeling severe. Best in rooms with other wood in them, and the most-photographed choice for this artwork.

Walnut. Darker and heavier than oak. Good against deep or earthy wall colours, where oak can look washed out.

Thin gold or brass. Reads as more decorative. Works in boho and maximalist rooms and looks out of place in a minimal one.

The ones to avoid

• Wide, ornate mouldings. They fight line art rather than framing it.
• White frames on a white wall. The print floats and the edge disappears.
• Anything with a coloured or patterned mount. The artwork is two colours; a third one is noise.

Whether to use a mount

A mount is the white or off-white card border between the artwork and the frame.

Use one when the print is on the smaller side, when you want it to look more deliberate, or when you printed on A-series paper and want somewhere for the side borders to hide.

Skip it when the print is already large, at 50 × 75 cm and above a mount makes the frame enormous and the artwork proportionally small.

Off-white or warm white beats bright white, because the paper the artwork is printed on is warm. A pure white mount next to warm paper makes the print look slightly yellow.

Width: 5–8 cm looks intentional. 2 cm looks like a mistake.

Glass or acrylic

Glass for anything you are keeping. It stays clear, does not scratch from dusting, and sits flatter.

Acrylic for anything being posted, carried to a wedding, or hung where it might be knocked. It is lighter and it will not shatter.

Acrylic scratches easily and picks up static, which attracts dust to the inside of the frame. For a signed print, a guest-book print, for instance, glass is worth the weight.

Non-reflective glass is worth it if the print faces a window. It slightly softens the image, which on line art is barely noticeable.

Standard sizes save money

Because the file is a 2:3 ratio, the common off-the-shelf frame sizes fit exactly: 30 × 45 cm and 50 × 75 cm in Europe, 12 × 18 in and 24 × 36 in in the US. Poster specialists like Desenio and Posterstore stock these, and so do most high-street ranges.

A custom frame costs three to five times an off-the-shelf one. Choose a standard print size first and the framing problem mostly solves itself.

Hanging it

Centre of the artwork at eye level, about 145–150 cm from the floor. Above furniture, leave 20–25 cm between the top of the furniture and the bottom of the frame. Any more and the print reads as unrelated to the room.

Interior styles pairs frames and paper by the kind of room you have.