Framing a giclée print well is less about decorating and more about protecting. The choices you make—mat material, airspace, glazing—directly affect how the print looks and how it holds up over time. This guide walks through each decision point with an emphasis on texture-preserving framing, which comes up often when collectors ask about our Giclée Prints collection.
Start With Acid-Free Everything
The single most consequential choice is also the simplest: use acid-free (pH-neutral or alkaline-buffered) materials throughout. Standard cardboard backing and cheap mat board off-gas acids that migrate into paper and ink over time, causing yellowing and color shift.
- Backing board: Choose acid-free foam core or museum-grade rag board. Foam core is lighter and fine for most prints; rag board (100% cotton) is the conservation standard.
- Mat board: Look for boards labeled "conservation" or "museum." Alpha-cellulose boards are acid-free; rag/cotton boards go a step further by being lignin-free as well.
- Mounting materials: Use acid-free linen hinging tape or conservation corners—never rubber cement, hot glue, or pressure-sensitive tape.
- Frame rebate liner: If the frame's rabbet touches the print, line it with acid-free tape or a thin strip of rag board.
Mat Airspace: Why the Gap Matters for Texture
Giclée prints on textured fine-art paper or canvas have a surface that physically stands away from flat. When glazing presses directly against that surface, two problems occur:
- Newton's rings / moiré: Micro-contact between glazing and ink creates iridescent interference patterns.
- Physical damage: Humidity cycles cause the print and glazing to expand and contract at different rates, abrading the ink layer without airspace.
A mat window solves both problems. For smooth paper, a single mat (~1.5 mm) is usually adequate. For heavily textured watercolor paper or canvas, double-matting (~3 mm) is safer. A thin spacer strip along the inside of the frame achieves the same separation when matting isn't the right aesthetic.
Rule of thumb: if you can feel the texture under your fingertip, double-mat or use a spacer.
Glass vs. Acrylic: Choosing Your Glazing
Both have legitimate places in framing. The right choice depends on the print's needs, the room it will hang in, and how it will be stored or shipped.
Glass
- Clarity: Standard glass is optically clear. Conservation and museum glass include UV-filtering coatings—meaningful for prints near natural light.
- Scratch resistance: Harder than acrylic and holds up better to cleaning.
- Weight and fragility: Heavier and breaks. A significant consideration for large prints or anything being shipped.
- Anti-reflective options: Non-glare glass uses etching that slightly softens fine detail. True AR-coated "invisible" glass avoids this but costs considerably more.
Acrylic
- Weight and safety: Roughly half the weight of glass and won't shatter—the standard choice for large-format prints and for anything being shipped.
- UV filtering: Conservation-grade acrylic can block a high percentage of UV with inhibitors built into the sheet rather than just a surface coating.
- Static charge: Builds up static that attracts dust. For giclée prints (ink-based), this is rarely a practical concern.
- Scratch sensitivity: Clean only with a soft microfiber cloth and an acrylic-safe cleaner.
For Texture: The Case for Acrylic
Textured giclée prints—especially on canvas or deeply embossed watercolor paper—benefit from acrylic in most cases. It's lighter (reducing stress on hanging hardware for large pieces), and UV-filtering grades provide strong protection without fragility. If the print will ever be moved, reshipped, or displayed at an event, acrylic is the practical choice. For a permanent installation with controlled lighting where presentation is paramount, UV-filtering museum glass offers a refined look with excellent clarity.
A Note on "No-Glaze" Framing
Some collectors frame canvas giclée prints without glazing—common for gallery-wrapped canvases. This shows off texture without interference, but leaves the ink exposed to dust, humidity, and UV. If you go glazing-free, keep the print out of direct sunlight and consider a UV-protective varnish applied by a conservator or experienced framer before display.
Frame Depth and Material
For textured prints, check that the frame's rabbet depth accommodates the print, backing board, mat or spacer, and glazing together—standard-depth frames often run tight with double mats. Measure before buying. Floater frames, popular for canvas giclée prints, eliminate the glazing question by design, though the surface remains exposed. Wood and metal are both fine from an archival standpoint as long as materials that contact the print are acid-free.
Shipping a Giclée Print
For unframed prints: roll in acid-free tissue inside a rigid tube, or ship flat between acid-free glassine sheets with firm corner protection. Never fold. For framed prints:
- Use acrylic glazing to eliminate breakage risk.
- Apply painter's tape in a grid across the glazing surface to hold any piece in place under impact.
- Wrap in foam sheeting, then box with at least 2–3 inches of cushioning on all sides.
- Ship flat rather than on edge.
Putting It Together
A well-framed giclée print uses acid-free mat board and backing throughout, provides adequate airspace between glazing and print surface (double-mat for heavy textures), and uses UV-filtering glazing matched to the print's environment. These aren't exotic requirements—any experienced custom framer will be familiar with all of them.
If you're choosing a print to frame, our Giclée Prints collection includes works on a range of substrates—smooth fine-art paper, textured watercolor stock, and canvas—each with its own framing considerations. Product pages note the substrate so you can plan your approach before the print arrives.
Questions about a specific print's substrate or framing? Reach out directly—we're happy to share what we know about how each piece was produced.