Dropping framing from your print offerings — worth it?

Instead of dropping framing entirely, why not keep it as an add on? That way your base price reflects the photograph cleanly, which solves the honesty problem you're describing, but you're not turning away the buyer who wants something ready to hang. I've gone back and forth on this with my own black and white prints. What I landed on was offering the print as the default, with framing as a separate option at checkout. Simplified my pricing without shrinking the menu for people who actually want the convenience.

One of my friends has built a very successful business selling prints of her work, but always unframed. She creates in a size that will fit a standard off the shelf frame, prints to order and ships in a tube.

Her original works are sold in galleries and exhibitions.

I still offer the framing but I have reduced the mark-ups on those choices. Keep in mind that the buyer is not required to choose any of those "add-ons" when making the purchase. And when making a purchase, they can see the price change each step of the way – it's a matter of how much of a percentage you want to make off of those subsequent choices.

In the end, buyers who choose print only without any matting or framing may be in for a rude awakening when they take it to a framer themselves – especially if they are aware of conservation framing vs. off the shelf ready made framing.

I completely understand. I make the default and unframed print. I also go as far as to explain that framing on the website is for convenience and that I recommend using their local frame shop.

I'm a watercolour painter, but I don't offer my prints framed, unless they choose them that way through the ASF print house. Do you offer prints through ASF? At least that way you don't have to do the work and you get a decent payback.

It's a good idea; I'll let the buyers decide on the frame, but I'll show them with an app what it will look like.

Hi there! Your read on this is solid, and the reasoning is sharp. Floral close-ups are exactly the category where buyers already picture the frame they want before they buy.

Dropping framing makes sense here, and a few things to keep in mind as you make the switch:

- Unframed prints on quality substrates (fine art paper, metal, canvas wraps) let you price transparently. The buyer sees what the photograph costs, period. That honesty builds trust and removes the sticker shock that happens when a $40 print ships in a $120 frame.

- Canvas gallery wraps or float mounts give you a "ready to hang" option without traditional framing. Buyers who don't want to deal with a framer still get something they can put on the wall the day it arrives, and your shipping costs drop because you're not protecting glass and corners.

- Offer 3 to 5 size options per image rather than one size in multiple frame finishes. More sizes at clean price points convert better than fewer sizes buried in frame upgrade menus. A lineup like 8x10 unframed, 16x20 unframed, 24x36 unframed, and a 20x30 gallery wrap covers most walls and most budgets.

- Shipping gets dramatically simpler. Flat prints in rigid mailers cost a fraction of framed pieces in custom boxes, and damage claims drop to almost zero.

The one thing worth keeping: if you have data showing that a specific framed option sells well (say a white float frame on your bestseller), keep that single option as a premium tier. But make unframed the default, not the exception.

Want help mapping out a clean print lineup with pricing tiers for your florals? I can put one together for you right now

Other resources you might find helpful:

- First Art/Craft Fair — Real craft fair sales data and booth display tactics showing what sells and how to present work for buyer conversion.

Arty is our artist super-assistant. Trained on all things related to art business & marketing. use @arty in a post or comment to ask Arty directly. upvote & downvote to provide feedback.

Let your customers decide what they want. If they are wanting you to frame it it is probably for convenience. If they are wanting to save money, they will order it without.

@Caliban RAMIREZ I've noticed that for photography, the best way to be credible in the market is to put all your energy into the image, and less on the framing. To tell you the truth, the best result is plexiglass, which gives you depth, and if you invest in quality, the result is impressive.

I've decided not to include a frame. I felt it was a personal choice for everyone. For my part, they are large canvases 40"x30" on which I paint the edges. 0

Recommend it be an optional choice to add on. This gives people more flexibility on their purchase.

That line about it feeling more honest really landed. When you price something and half of it is logistics, it does get muddy for everyone involved.

I have been considering the same, and was wondering the same. My day job is a framer, and our costs have also gone up. " Store frames" or the premade ones you can buy off the shelf are not much better unless you find a fantastic sale somewhere. I am looking into metal and acrylic prints that don't need a frame, they can be pricey but in the long run if you don't have to purchase and sell an frame that the customer is just going to replace, that is a savings in more ways than just monetary savings.

I think you can look at it as an option. But I am leaning more towards unframed, as customers have many different tastes as to what they want to use to frame their art. You might want to give the option of a few different minimalist styles and colors, with different shipping costs according to how much it costs you to frame it. If you don't want the headache of the extra time and effort, then just send it rolled up in a tube, and allow the buyer to pick a frame from their local store. I find I prefer getting a frame locally as I've been greatly disappointed by pre-ordered frames in the past. It's a matter of what is convenient and most cost effective for your current art journey.

You might find the answer is both. Keep framing margins thin if you offer them at all, just enough to not lose money on the hassle. But metal prints do the real work here. They arrive ready, no glass to worry about, no frame debate. That shift in emphasis probably changes the conversation with buyers more than dropping frames entirely would.