How to Frame and Care for a Digital Art Print

If you've picked up one of Tattsart's digital art prints, first off, good choice. This is a slightly different product to the hand-carved Wall Art and lino block Prints in the rest of the range, so it's worth knowing what you're actually working with once it lands.

Digital prints are produced from a digital file rather than a hand-carved block, which means the design itself is still original Tattsart artwork, but the production side is faster and more consistent, since it's not relying on a physical carving to create each one.

That makes it a solid option if you want the same tattoo-inspired style without the wait or price of a hand-carved original.

This article's less about the process and more about what to actually do once it arrives, framing it properly and keeping it looking good for years, not just months.

Unpack It Properly First

Before anything else, take your time unrolling or unpacking the print. If it's arrived rolled in a tube, don't force it flat straight away. Let it sit somewhere flat, weighed down gently at the corners with books or something similar, for a day or two before framing.

Trying to flatten it too quickly can crease the paper, and creases don't come out once they're there.

If it arrived flat rather than rolled, you're already past this step; just handle the edges and corners carefully. Paper prints mark easily if they get bent or squeezed.

Choosing the Right Frame

You don't need anything fancy, but a few things genuinely matter here.

Size matters more than style. 

Get a frame that actually matches your print's dimensions, rather than sizing down and cropping the image to fit, or sizing up and leaving awkward white space around it. If you're not sure of the exact size, measure the print itself before ordering a frame; don't guess.

Glass or acrylic glazing is worth it. 

An unframed or unglazed print picks up dust, fingerprints, and fading much faster than one protected behind glass or acrylic. Acrylic's lighter and safer if you've got kids or pets around; glass tends to give slightly truer colour and won't scratch as easily over time.

Either works; it just depends what matters more to you.

A simple black or dark frame usually suits the style best.

Given the bold tattoo-inspired linework, an ornate or overly decorative frame tends to fight with the design rather than support it. A plain black frame, thin to medium width, generally lets the artwork do the talking.

Matting, Do You Need It

A mat board (the coloured border between the print and the frame edge) isn't essential, but it does a couple of useful things.

It keeps the print itself from touching the glass directly, which matters over time since paper pressed right up against glass can sometimes stick or develop moisture issues in humid conditions. A mat creates a small gap that helps avoid that.

It also gives the piece a bit of breathing room visually, especially if you're hanging it somewhere with a lot of other stuff nearby. A white or black mat, kept simple, usually works best rather than anything colourful competing with the print itself.

If you'd rather skip matting entirely, that's fine too; plenty of people prefer the print filling the frame edge to edge for a bolder look. Just make sure there's still some kind of spacer or the print isn't pressed flat against the glass if you go that route.

Where to Hang It

A few practical things worth thinking about before you commit to a wall.

Avoid direct sunlight. 

This is the single biggest thing that'll shorten the life of a print. UV light fades ink over time, even through glass, so a spot that gets hit with harsh afternoon sun for hours a day isn't ideal. A hallway, a bedroom wall away from windows, or anywhere with indirect light will keep the colours looking sharp for much longer.

Avoid bathrooms and anywhere humid. 

Paper and moisture don't mix well long term, even behind glass. Kitchens can be borderline too, depending on how much steam and heat builds up during cooking. Living rooms, bedrooms, hallways, and studies are generally safer bets.

Hang it at eye level where you actually spend time. 

Sounds obvious, but it's easy to default to hanging things too high, especially above furniture. A print hung so the centre sits roughly at eye level when you're standing tends to feel right in most rooms.

Everyday Care

Once it's framed and hung, there's genuinely not much ongoing maintenance needed.

Dust the glass or acrylic occasionally with a soft, dry cloth.

If you're using a glass cleaner, spray it onto the cloth rather than directly onto the frame; spraying straight onto glass can let moisture creep behind the frame edge over time.

Don't touch the print itself if you ever take it out of the frame for any reason; oils from your hands can mark the paper permanently. Handle it by the edges if you ever need to move or reframe it.

Check the frame's backing occasionally, especially if you're somewhere with big temperature or humidity swings across seasons.

If the print ever looks like it's buckling slightly inside the frame, that's usually a sign of humidity getting in, worth checking the room it's hanging in rather than assuming the print itself is faulty.

What If It Fades or Gets Damaged Anyway

Even with good care, prints kept somewhere with a lot of natural light will fade eventually; that's just how ink and paper behave over years, not something specific to how it's made.

If a print does get damaged, whether that's fading, a crease, or something else, it's always worth reaching out directly rather than assuming nothing can be done.

Depending on the situation, a replacement print might be possible, since unlike a hand-carved Wall Art piece, a digital print isn't a one-off; it can be reproduced from the same file.

Digital Print vs the Hand Carved Range

Worth being upfront about this, since it's a genuine difference, not just a price point.

Wall Art pieces are individually hand carved into MDF, one at a time, so no two are ever the same, and once a piece sells, that specific one won't come back the same way twice.

Lino block Prints come from a carved block too, just capable of producing more than one print from that same carving.

Digital prints are different again, produced from a digital file rather than any physical carving. They're still genuinely original Tattsart designs, just made through a faster, more consistent process.

If owning something one of a kind matters most to you, Wall Art is where that lives. If you just want the artwork itself, reliably and at a lower cost, a digital print does that well.

None of these are better than the others; they're just different ways into the same style, and it's worth knowing which one you've actually got so you know what to expect from it.

FAQ

Do digital prints fade faster than hand-carved pieces?

Fading mostly comes down to light exposure and paper quality rather than how the design was made. Kept out of direct sunlight, a digital print should hold its colour well for years.

Can I get a digital print replaced if it's damaged?

Reach out directly if this happens. Since digital prints come from a saved file rather than a physical carving, a replacement is often possible in a way it wouldn't be for a hand-carved Wall Art piece.

What size frame do I need?

Measure your print's actual dimensions before ordering a frame rather than guessing. Sizing down and cropping the image, or leaving excess white space with an oversized frame, tends to look off.

Is glass or acrylic better for framing?

Both work well. Glass tends to show slightly truer colour; acrylic is lighter and more resistant to scratches or breaking, particularly useful around kids or pets.

Where's the best place to hang a digital print?

Anywhere out of direct sunlight and away from humidity, bathrooms and steamy kitchens included. Hallways, bedrooms, and living rooms away from windows tend to work best