Many years ago, I discovered a framing hack that not only looked great but also increased the value of my art. It was simple. I used large picture frames with wide mats to give small prints more presence. The artwork did not change. The way people saw it did.
I’m going to share that trick with you. You can use it if you’re an artist who wants your work to look more valuable. You can also use it if you just want to frame small prints cheaply and make them look good on your wall.
This method works because space matters. A small image needs room around it to feel important. In this post, I’ll show you how to place a small print inside a large frame so it looks balanced and deliberate, and how to do it without spending much money.
Read on..
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Choose A Large Frame And Use The Mat For Impact
Start with a frame that is much bigger than your print/art. This is what creates the impact. A small image inside a big frame looks deliberate and stylish. A small image inside a small frame looks cheap, pinched and insignificant.
Use a wide white mat to place where the artwork sits. Keep the left side, right side, and top edge the same width. Make the bottom edge deeper.
This stops the picture from looking stuck in the middle and gives it visual weight. It’s the same layout used in galleries and books.
Thin frames work best. Black, dark wood, or simple neutral colors keep attention on the artwork. Avoid thick decorative frames. They fight with the image and make the whole thing look clunky and busy.
This setup turns a small print into something that feels special. You haven’t changed the art. You’ve changed how it’s seen.
Bottom line: A large frame increases the perceived value of the work. If you are selling your art, you can put the price up. People buy art by size regardless of how illogical that sounds to artists.
It also has the same phychological effect in a home setting. It tells the viewer that this work is curated and showcased to grab attention. It demands to be taken more seriously. Everyone wins.
You can buy cheap ready-made frames online. If you are frugal you can buy a poster frame and add your own matboard. You can buy those in your local hobby store.
Two Ways To Mount The Artwork
These methods use the same concept in different ways. The first method is for low value prints or printables. The 2nd method is for more expensive prints or original art. Take your pick.
Method 1. Mount the print on top of the mat
This is the fastest way to do it. You don’t cut a window in the mat. You stick the artwork straight onto the mat surface.
Measure first. Mark the mat lightly in pencil so the sides and top are equal and the bottom is deeper. Check it twice before you stick anything down.
Use low-tack framers tape to secure the print. It’s clean, easy to remove, and allows you to go wrong.
This is how you do it:
Once the print is fixed, place the mat and artwork into the frame as one piece. From the front, it looks like a normal window mount.
Method 2. Cut a window in the mat
Use a professionally cut window mat
This is the traditional way to frame and the one most people should use. Instead of cutting the window yourself, get the mat cut for you.
Take your print size and your frame size to a local framer and ask for a custom window mat. You choose the border width and the position of the opening. Ask for equal sides and top, with a deeper bottom edge. That layout makes the small artwork look balanced inside a large frame.
If you don’t have a framer nearby, you can order custom mats online. You enter the outside size to match your frame and the window size to match your artwork. It costs more than a ready cut mat but far less than full custom framing.
This method keeps the artwork off the glass and gives you a clean edge around the image. It looks more formal than sticking the print onto the mat and it’s better if you want a long term display.
You still get the same big frame, small artwork look. The difference is the mat does the positioning for you instead of tape or glue.
TOP TIP: Do this if you have a large white border on your print. When you order the mat, make the window slightly larger than the image.
This leaves a thin white edge of the paper showing all the way around the image. That white border acts like a second frame inside the mount and makes the artwork look much better.
Hang And Space The Frames For Maximum Impact
This works best when you hang the frames as a set, not as single pieces. A group of small prints in big frames has more presence than one on its own. Think in lines or rows, not scattered around the wall.
Leave more space between frames than you normally would. The gap becomes part of the design. It slows the eye down and stops the wall from looking busy. Each frame gets its own space to breathe.
Keep the spacing the same between every frame. Measure it once and repeat it. This makes the layout look planned instead of guessed.
Odd numbers usually look better when you hang frames in a straight line. Three or five frames feel more natural than two or four. The eye settles more easily on an odd number, so the whole set looks calmer and more deliberate.
You can also use a set of four frames arranged two up and two down as a feature. This works well where one large picture would normally go. The group fills the space but still keeps the light, open feel that makes small artwork stand out.
Big Picture Frames for Small Art: Final Thoughts
Large picture frames give small art more presence. You don’t need bigger artwork. You need better presentation. A wide mat and a simple frame make the work look planned instead of tucked in.
You can mount the print on top of the mat for speed, or use a professionally cut window mat for a more traditional finish. Both give you the same result. More space around the image and more impact on the wall.
This is a cheap way to make small art look more valuable. It works for your own work and for any small print you want to frame at home. Give the image room and let the frame do some of the work.
If you found this article useful you may like these too:
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- Pricing Art For Beginners: Originals, Art Prints, and Formulas
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Hi, I’m Kevin Hayler
I’ve been selling my wildlife art and traveling the world for over 20 years, and if that sounds too good to be true, I’ve done it all without social media, art school, or galleries!
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