Framed vs. Unframed Prints: What's the Difference

Buying a print online usually means choosing between two options: framed or unframed. The difference comes down to what arrives at your door and what you have to do once it gets there.

Unframed Prints

An unframed print is exactly what it sounds like. You receive a flat print, typically rolled in a tube or shipped flat between boards, and the framing is left to you. That means sourcing a frame, matting if you want it, and either hanging it yourself or paying a framer to finish the job.

Unframed prints cost less upfront. They also give you control over the frame style, the mat color, and the exact finished size. The tradeoff is time and an extra expense that isn't always obvious until you get a quote from a local framer.

Framed Prints

A framed print arrives ready to hang. The image has already been printed, matted if applicable, and set into a frame with glazing in front of it. Open the box, find a stud or a hook, and hang it. There's no measuring for a frame, no matching a mat color, and no second package to wait for.

That also means one delivery instead of two. Order an unframed print and a frame separately and you're tracking two shipments and hoping they arrive close together. A framed print is one box, one delivery date, done.

Every framed print from Distant Dawn uses Tru Vue Conservation Clear acrylic glazing, which blocks 99% of UV light and meets ISO 18902 archival standards. That protects the print from fading over time, regardless of where in the house it hangs.

Which One Costs More

Framing adds cost, but usually less than framing a print yourself would. Custom framing at a local shop runs $100 to $300 for smaller sizes, and can climb past $1,000 for larger prints once you factor in oversized glass, a wider mat, and a heavier frame. Ordering framed means that cost is built into a single price instead of showing up as a surprise after the print arrives.

Which One to Choose

Unframed makes sense if you already have a frame you love, if you're matching an existing gallery wall, or if you want a specific frame style that isn't offered as an option. Framed makes sense for almost everyone else.

The math is simple: unframed means a print now and a frame later, sourced from somewhere else, on its own timeline. Framed means the piece goes from the box to the wall the same afternoon it arrives, with the UV-protective glazing already doing its job. For most people, that's the whole appeal.

A framed print works the same in a small apartment as it does in a large living room. The size and orientation matter more to the room than whether it arrived framed, so start by measuring the wall space before deciding on framed or unframed.

Shop Framed Prints

Every print in the Distant Dawn shop is available framed, printed on archival paper, and shipped ready to hang.