How to give an unframed art print as a gift

Everything here is sent unframed, rolled in tissue and posted in a rigid tube. That is the right way to post a print and a slightly awkward way to hand one over, because a tube under a tree looks like a poster and a poster is not what you paid for. Here is how to close that gap.

Should you frame it for them?

The case for: a framed piece can go straight on the wall, and the gift is finished rather than homework. If the person is not the sort to get around to framing things, this is genuinely kinder — an unframed print in a drawer is a gift that never happened.

The case against: a frame is a decision about their room, made by you. Frames are also the expensive half, and a cheap frame on a good print reads worse than no frame at all.

Where that leaves it: frame it if you know their house well, and particularly if you have seen what they already have up. If you are not sure, don’t — give the print well-presented and let them choose. The framing guide covers what to buy either way, and it is worth sending them the link.

The middle option, which works better than it sounds: give the print, and give an off-the-shelf frame in the right size alongside it, unassembled and still in its packaging. They can use it or swap it, and nothing is wasted either way.

Presenting a rolled print so it doesn’t look like a poster

Take it out of the postal tube. That is most of the job. The tube is packaging, not presentation.

Then, in rough order of effort:

• Lay it flat first. Unroll it and leave it under a couple of books overnight, ideally for a day. A print that lies flat looks like art; one that springs back into a curl looks like a poster. Clean dry hands, and hold it by the edges — the paper has a texture that keeps fingerprints.
• Wrap it flat, in tissue. A sheet of plain tissue, folded over the face, then wrapping paper over that. Flat and wide reads as considered; a cylinder does not.
• Back it with card. A piece of stiff card or foam board cut slightly larger than the print, with the print resting on it. Costs a couple of dollars, stops it bending while it is being passed around, and makes the whole thing feel like an object rather than a sheet.
• Or buy a cheap mat and put the print in it. A pre-cut mat on its own — no frame — is the single biggest upgrade for the money. It holds the print flat, gives it a border, and makes it obvious this is something to be framed rather than something to be pinned up.

What to avoid: sticky tape or masking tape anywhere on the print, including the back. It yellows and stains the paper within a few years. If you need to fix it to card, use acid-free photo corners.

What to write

The thing that turns a print into a gift is the sentence explaining why you picked that one. It does not need to be elaborate. The useful shape is: the piece, and the reason.

“This one made me think of the walk behind your old place.” “I bought this because your kitchen wall has been empty for three years.” “You said you missed the water.”

That is the whole trick. A print with a reason attached is a considered gift; the same print with nothing attached is wall decoration.

If you would like the piece’s name and a line about it, each listing has a short description you are welcome to borrow.

Giving a set between several people

A set is one product, bought once, posted as one parcel — so it does not split into separate gifts from separate people. What it does do well is work as a joint gift: several of you chip in, one person orders, and it arrives as a single thing with everyone’s name on the card. How to hang a set of three prints is worth including with it, because the spacing is the part people get wrong.

If you want separate gifts from separate people that still belong together, buy individual prints from the same collection instead. Most pieces that appear in a set are also sold on their own.

If it won’t arrive in time

Give the gift as a gift that is coming, and make that a deliberate choice rather than an apology.

Write the piece’s name on a card with the reason you chose it, and say when it is expected. If you want something physical to hand over, print the listing page or the order confirmation and fold it into the card. It genuinely lands well — an envelope that turns into a picture a few weeks later is a better shape of gift than most things bought in a panic the day before.

What not to do: print a copy of the artwork as a stand-in. Aside from the copyright position, a laser print of a painting next to the real thing a few weeks later does the real thing no favours.

The short version

• Get it out of the tube and let it lie flat overnight.
• Wrap it flat in tissue, on card if you can manage it.
• No tape on the print, front or back.
• Frame it only if you know their walls; otherwise add a frame alongside, or just a mat.
• Write down why you chose that one. This is the part that matters.

Check when to order so it arrives in time before you plan any of this, and the gift guide if you are still deciding what to buy.