Poster vs art print vs canvas vs framed: which should you buy?
The same picture can be sold as a poster for the price of a coffee, as a canvas, or as a framed art print for many times more. The difference is not the image. It is the paper, the ink, what happens at the edges, and how long it still looks good.
The short answer
A poster is the image on thin paper, made to be cheap and replaced. An art print is the same image on heavy paper with pigment inks, made to be kept. A canvas print is the image printed on fabric and stretched over a wooden frame, so it needs no glass and no picture frame. A framed art print is the art print in a frame, usually behind a white mount, delivered ready to hang. If you want it to look the same in ten years, the art print, framed or not, is the one to buy.
Side by side
| Poster | Art print | Canvas print | Framed art print | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Paper or surface | Thin coated paper, about 150–180 gsm | Heavy matte paper, 200 gsm and up | Cotton or polyester canvas on a stretcher | Heavy matte paper behind glazing |
| Ink | Dye or offset inks | Pigment inks (giclée) | Usually pigment or latex inks | Pigment inks (giclée) |
| Fading | Fades in daylight within a few years | Pigment inks that won’t fade in normal indoor conditions (away from direct sunlight) | Varies; often protected with a coating | As the art print, and the glazing adds protection |
| Edges and finish | Trimmed to the image | Full sheet, framed by you or left as it is | Image wraps around the sides, no frame needed | White mount, frame and glazing, ready to hang |
| What it costs to hang | Clip frame or pins | A frame of your own, or a mount and frame | Nothing extra | Nothing extra |
| Looks best for | Short-term and temporary displays | Anyone who already has frames or wants to choose their own | Photographs, large abstracts, rooms with lots of light | Living rooms, bedrooms, anything you want to keep |
Poster vs art print
Hold a poster and an art print of the same picture next to each other and the difference is obvious before you look at the image. The poster is thin and bends; the art print is stiff, with a matte surface that does not reflect the window. Posters are printed with dye-based or offset inks on light coated paper, which is why a poster from a few summers ago has gone pale and a little blue. An art print is printed with pigment inks on heavy matte paper, 200 gsm in our case, and the pigments sit in the paper rather than on it. Printed with pigment inks, it won’t fade in normal indoor conditions (away from direct sunlight).
The price gap is real: a poster costs a few pounds or euros, an art print several times that. But the poster is the one you will replace. If you already know you want the picture on the wall for years, the art print is the cheaper of the two over that time.
Art print vs canvas
A canvas print is the image printed on fabric and stretched over a wooden frame, so the picture wraps around the sides and hangs without a frame or glass. That suits photographs and large abstracts, and it is practical in bright rooms because there is no glazing to reflect the light. It is less convincing for works that were never canvases: a Japanese woodblock print or a drawing on paper looks odd with a weave texture and the image folded around the edge. Canvas also cannot be reframed later; the print is the frame.
An art print on paper keeps the character of the original medium, can be framed to suit the room, and can be reframed when the room changes. For the works we sell, af Klint’s temperas, Hiroshige’s woodblock prints, Kandinsky’s oils, paper is the honest choice, which is why we do not offer canvas.
Framed vs unframed print
An unframed art print is for people who have a frame they like, want to choose the frame locally, or plan to change it. You get the full sheet, so a 50 × 70 cm (20 × 28 in) print is 50 × 70 cm of image.
A framed art print arrives finished: the print behind a white conservation-grade mount, in a wood or solid ash box frame with acrylic glazing, with the hanging fittings on the back. The size you buy is the frame size. Ours have a 5 cm (2 in) mount on all sides, so a 50 × 70 cm frame shows a 40 × 60 cm (16 × 24 in) image. That is worth knowing before you compare prices: a framed 50 × 70 and an unframed 50 × 70 are not the same amount of picture. We write both sizes on every product for that reason.
If you are not sure, the framed print is the safer buy. Framing an art print yourself, with a mount cut to size and glazing, can cost as much as the print, and takes a trip to a framer. See the sizes in a room first: try the prints on a wall.
What to check before you buy, whoever you buy from
- Paper weight in grams: 200 gsm and above is art-print territory; under 180 gsm is a poster whatever it is called.
- Ink: pigment (giclée) inks for anything you intend to keep.
- Whether the stated size is the frame or the image, and how wide the mount is.
- What the glazing is: acrylic is lighter and shatter-resistant; anti-reflective glazing matters in bright rooms.
- Where the image comes from. For old masters and public-domain works, a shop should say which museum scan it uses and at what resolution.
What we sell, and why
Tintame sells art prints and framed art prints only. Unframed: 200 gsm Enhanced Matte Art paper, giclée-printed with pigment inks, in 30 × 40 cm (12 × 16 in), 50 × 70 cm (20 × 28 in) and 70 × 100 cm (28 × 40 in). Framed: the same print behind a 5 cm (2 in) white mount, in a slim 20 mm wood frame (Classic), a deep 33 mm solid ash box frame (Gallery), or the box frame with anti-reflective Moth-Eye glazing that significantly reduces glare (Museum), in black, white or natural wood, delivered ready to hang. Every work comes from a museum’s public-domain scan, named on the product page. Delivery is included to all EU countries and the UK, prices include VAT; import duties may apply where an order crosses a customs border.
Questions
Poster vs art print: is an art print the same as a poster?
No. Both are printed reproductions, but a poster is on thin paper with dye or offset inks and is made to be cheap; an art print is on heavy paper with pigment inks and is made to last. Some shops call posters “art prints”, so check the paper weight.
Canvas vs framed print: which is better?
Neither is better; they suit different pictures. Canvas suits photographs and large abstracts and needs no glass. A framed print suits works on paper and anything you want to reframe later, and the glazing protects the print.
Framed vs unframed print: is framed worth the extra money?
Usually, if you do not already own a frame. A mount, glazing and a decent frame bought separately cost about as much as the print, and the framed version arrives ready to hang.
What does giclée mean?
Giclée is an inkjet print made with pigment inks on heavy paper, typically on a 12-colour printer. It is the standard way art prints are made today; the word is French and means “sprayed”.
Why is the framed size different from the image size?
Because framed prints with a mount are sold by the frame’s outer size. With a 5 cm mount, a 50 × 70 cm frame holds a 40 × 60 cm image. We state both sizes on every product.