Print Handling Guide

How to Flatten Your Print:

  1. Be careful when opening the staples.

  2. Before you start unrolling, stop and make sure your hands and the surface area you’re working on are clean and dry. Any grit or dirt on your fingertips can bruise the Print, plus any oils on your skin can leave unwanted marks. As a recommendation clean white cotton gloves may be used when handling a print.

  3. When handling your Print, only touch the edges – keep your fingers away from the main part of the image. Carefully place the Print image-side down, on a clean, smooth and dry surface (you can use thick paper it came wrapped in) keeping it covered with tissue paper front and back. Gently roll the paper out, so you don’t accidentally crease your Print.

  4. When your Print is fully face down, take some smooth, flat, heavy objects (i.e. books) and place on the ends and even the middle of your Print. Let it sit overnight!

  5. Once it’s been 24 hours, check your Print. If it’s still not laying flat, put your heavy objects back on it for a couple more hours on the areas you feel need pressure. And that’s it! Your Print is now ready for hanging or framing.

  6. If you’re not going to have it framed, store it flat somewhere dark, between the tissue papers away from anything that might crease it.

  7. These are valuable prints, so it’s highly recommended to have them professionally framed.

How to Store:

  1. If you’re not going to frame it you can store it in a tube.

  2. It’s more ideal to store flat, however, it’s easier to be damaged.

How to Resolve Minor Issues:

  1. Wave: If you live in an area with humidity, sometimes, the border paper can develop a wave. Fortunately, this can be easily resolved with ironing by using a conventional iron on a flat surface covered with a cotton cloth. Make sure to iron on the back side on the lowest heat setting. Framing the artwork is the best way to ensure this doesn’t appear.

  2. Mark: If the border has a minor mark on it, these can be removed using a white eraser or soft putty eraser. 

Framing Guide:

“Probably more art prints are destroyed in one decade by a lack of knowledge about the proper care and conservation than by wars and natural catastrophes.” - Artelino 

  1. Ready-made - Depending on which piece you have chosen, you may purchase a ready-made frame from a store as long as the dimensions fit. It may be more practical and cheaper.

  2. Custom-made - You may also choose to take it to a framing store to have more freedom with both dimensions and design. This option is more personalized but may also be expensive. 

Note: Always look for one that contains a window mat to hold the artwork away from the glass. If any moisture condenses on the glass from humid air, then the print can become stuck to the glass and therefore ruin the print. 

All materials used in the matting and framing should be archival. This means that matting boards are acid-free and made of all-rag fiber. Any reputable framing store will use archival materials. Or, if you decide to frame the work yourself, you can find these items in a well-equipped art supply store.

In terms of aesthetics, you should choose what pleases you. The framed artwork will become part of your everyday environment, so choose frames and mats that you will enjoy. If you don't know what you want, ask for guidance. Your framer probably has seen many different types of art and knows what works well and what doesn't. But don't let a framer pressure you into choices that are not appealing to you. 

Common guidance is not to frame the art to match any room in your house. Choose frames and mats that will enhance the work of art itself, so that if you move, redecorate, or decide to hang the piece in another location, it will always look appropriate. 

Lastly, avoid framing that overwhelms the artwork. Frames that are overly complex, colorful, or overwhelming can really be detrimental to the artwork itself. If in doubt, stick to simple and classic styles.