You choose wall art for the picture, but you live with its format every day: whether the window shows in it on a bright afternoon, and how it looks from the sofa after dark. For a large piece in a living room or bedroom, canvas wall art is usually the simplest choice. Its matte surface keeps reflections low, there is no glass to clean or break, and a stretched canvas hangs as it is, with no frame. It is not the right choice everywhere, though. For a steamy bathroom, a metal print suits better. For a photograph you will view up close, an acrylic print shows more detail. For a small work you want kept behind glass, choose a framed print. And for the lowest cost, or an image you plan to change often, choose a poster.
Which format for which room
Start with where the picture will hang.
- A large piece with few reflections: choose stretched canvas.
- A small work kept behind glass: choose a framed print.
- A bathroom or a steamy kitchen: choose a metal print.
- Strong color under controlled light: choose an acrylic print.
- The lowest cost, or frequent changes: choose a poster.
What stretched canvas art is
Stretched canvas art is an image printed on canvas and pulled taut over a wooden frame, called a stretcher. The canvas wraps around the sides, so the piece hangs as it is, with no outer frame, and stands off the wall like a shallow box.
Our canvases are a cotton and polyester composite with a matte finish, stretched over a pine wood frame 1.25 in deep. The picture continues around the sides as a mirror image, so the edges carry the picture, not a blank border. Each one is sold unframed and ready to hang.
Where canvas does well
Canvas is most useful on a bright wall, such as one facing a big window, where a picture behind glass can disappear into the reflection.
- Few reflections. Shutterfly, a photo printing company, notes that canvas "has a matte surface that minimizes reflections." On a wall facing a window, that is the difference you notice most.
- Nothing to shatter. With no glass in front, there is nothing to crack on moving day, and nothing to wipe.
- Large sizes stay simple. A big canvas needs no frame and no glass, which keeps even a large piece simple to hang.
Where canvas falls short
Canvas does not suit every room. These are the limits to know before you order.
- Damp rooms. Museum guidance warns that mold typically grows at about 65 percent relative humidity or above. Keep canvas out of a bathroom with a shower.
- Very close viewing. Shutterfly notes that canvas softens an image slightly. For a small photograph viewed at arm's length, an acrylic print or a photo behind glass shows more.
- An open surface. Nothing sits between the picture and the room, so dust settles on it directly. Our care advice is simple: dust it with a soft, dry cloth.
What to check when you buy canvas art prints
Two canvases can look the same in a product photo and still differ on the wall. Check these details on any product page before you order.
- Depth. Depth decides how much of the edge you see from the side. Ours is 1.25 in deep.
- Edges. Check whether the picture continues around the sides or the sides are a plain color. Ours carry a mirror image of the picture.
- Hanging. Check whether it comes ready to hang. Ours arrive ready to hang.
- Size. Check the exact size against your wall. Ours come in 20 x 16 in, 36 x 24 in and 40 x 30 in, with a tolerance of plus or minus 1/8 in. Each size has its own fitted composition, rather than one image cropped three ways.
- Where it is made. Ours are printed to order in the US.
Framed prints
A framed print, with glass or clear acrylic in front (called glazing), is the classic format for small photographs, prints and gallery walls.
- Protection. Glazing keeps fingers off the print. The Library of Congress notes that filtering ultraviolet light "removes the most damaging part of sunlight," though all light still harms paper over time.
- Reflections. Ordinary glass reflects windows and lamps. Tru Vue, a glazing manufacturer, makes reflection-control glazing that it says virtually eliminates reflections.
- Weight at large sizes. Glass gets heavy at large sizes. Acrylic glazing is lighter and less brittle than glass, but the Library of Congress notes it scratches more easily and can bow once the sheet is large.
- Style. The choice of frame changes the look, and the cost.
Choose a framed print for small and medium works, for a gallery wall of mixed sizes, and for any paper print you want kept behind glass.
Posters
A poster is an image printed on a single sheet and hung without glass. It usually costs the least of the formats here, because there is no frame, glass or stretcher to pay for.
- Easy to change. Poster hangers, removable putty and washi tape all hold a poster up without a frame, which suits renters and people who like to rotate images.
- Easily marked. A poster has no glass or backing, so it creases and ripples, and it picks up marks.
- Less presence. A single sheet sits flat against the wall, with no depth at the edges.
Choose a poster when the budget is small or the image is for now. For a piece you plan to keep, choose a framed print or a canvas.
Metal prints
For the wall above a bathtub, or a covered porch in a humid July, a metal print is the format to choose. WhiteWall, a photo printing company, describes its metal print as a 1 mm aluminum sheet with the image bonded into the surface by heat and pressure.
- Damp rooms. WhiteWall says its metal print suits bathrooms and roofed outdoor areas.
- Light for its size. WhiteWall describes it as light in weight, even in large formats.
- Glossy finish. WhiteWall's standard finish is glossy, so it can reflect windows and lamps. Some labs offer a matte finish to cut glare.
- Look. Color reads bright and clean on metal, which suits photographs and graphic images more than soft, watercolor-style ones.
Acrylic prints
An acrylic print is an image printed on, or bonded behind, a clear acrylic sheet. In a face-mounted print, the image is bonded to the back of the sheet.
- Strong color. Shutterfly notes that the smooth surface shows detail clearly and makes color look especially strong.
- More glare. Shutterfly describes acrylic as glossy. It reflects more light than canvas and may show glare in bright rooms.
- Weight. Shutterfly says careful installation is recommended at larger sizes, since an acrylic print outweighs canvas.
- Scratches. The Library of Congress notes that acrylic glazing scratches more easily than glass. The same caution applies to an acrylic print.
An acrylic print suits a single photograph, or an image with strong color, where you control the light: a windowless hallway with one picture light, for example.
Light, heat and damp, whatever the format
Every printed image changes with light over time, so where you hang it matters as much as the format.
- Keep art out of direct sun. Use blinds, or a window film that filters ultraviolet light, as Museums Galleries Scotland suggests.
- Avoid heat sources. The same guidance says not to hang art above heat sources, because rising hot air carries dirt.
- Choose an internal wall when you can, away from drafts, with steady humidity.
Five questions before you choose
Answer them standing where the art will hang, at the time of day you use the room most.
- Where will it hang? For a steamy bathroom, choose a metal print. A bright wall facing a window points to canvas, or to a framed print with reflection-control glass.
- How big? At 36 x 24 in and above, canvas needs no glass and no large frame.
- What is the image? For a photograph viewed up close, an acrylic print shows more detail. Soft landscapes, abstracts and watercolor-style images suit the matte look of canvas.
- How long will it stay? A poster suits a short stay. For a piece you plan to keep, choose a framed print or a canvas.
- How much do you want to do? Our canvases arrive ready to hang. A paper print or a poster needs a frame, or a way to hang it.
If your answers point to a large piece, a room you live in every day and a picture you plan to keep, canvas is the format to choose.
Read next: How to choose the right size of wall art for your living room, and How to match wall art to your room's palette.
FAQ
Is canvas or a framed print better for a living room?
For a large piece, canvas is usually simpler: its matte surface keeps reflections low, and it needs no glass or frame. For a small work, or one you want kept behind glass, choose a framed print.
Should I choose canvas or metal prints?
Choose canvas for a large piece in a living room or bedroom, where its matte surface keeps reflections low. Choose a metal print for a bathroom or a covered outdoor space, which WhiteWall says its metal prints suit.
Can canvas wall art go in a bathroom?
Keep canvas out of a bathroom with a shower. Museum guidance links mold to humidity of about 65 percent or above. For a steamy bathroom, a metal print suits better.
Does canvas wall art need a frame?
No. A stretched canvas hangs as it is. Our canvases are sold unframed and ready to hang, with the picture continuing around the edges as a mirror image.
Which wall art format has the least glare?
Canvas, with its matte surface. Ordinary glass reflects windows and lamps, and WhiteWall's standard metal print finish is glossy. According to Shutterfly, acrylic prints reflect more light than canvas and may show glare in bright rooms.