An art print with a border can be framed in two ways: with the border and title on show, or with a mount that hides the border and shows only the image. This guide shows how to measure for each.
You'll need a metal tape measure or a sturdy ruler, a flat, clean surface, and a pencil and paper.
How to measure an art print with a border
Prefer our earlier video? Watch “How to Measure an Art Print with its own Border” on YouTube.
Before you start
Lay the print on a flat, clean surface, with enough room to use the tape measure or ruler comfortably. Use a metal tape, not a fabric one: an error of even a few millimetres can mean the frame or mount doesn't fit. Work in millimetres, and measure everything twice.
Option 1: border and title on show
- Measure the whole print: the full width of the paper, including the border, from one edge to the other, then the full height. Write them down.
- Double-check: measure twice. It's the simplest way to avoid an expensive mistake.
- Choose a frame and enter the paper size. The frame overlaps the edges of the paper by about 5mm, and the rest of the print, border and title, is on show.
Option 2: border hidden by a mount
- Measure the image area: the printed image itself, leaving out the border. Measure its width from one edge of the image to the other, then its height, and write them down.
- The overlap: the mount window is cut 6mm smaller than the image size you enter, a 3mm overlap on each side, to cover the border and keep attention on the image.
- Double-check your measurements: even a small error will show in the finished frame.
- Choose a frame and mount on our website. We make everything to the sizes you enter.
Avoid trimming. As you design, check that the outside size of the mount (or the frame size) is bigger than the whole sheet of paper, including its border. If it's smaller, you'd have to trim the print to get it into the frame. Here the mount is 474 × 334mm, bigger than the 420 × 297mm paper.
Leave Exact Size unticked when you design the frame and mount: the window needs to overlap the image slightly.
Still not sure? Send us a photo of your print with the tape measure across it, by email to sales@easyframe.co.uk, or call 01234 856501, and we'll be happy to advise.