Canvas vs framed poster vs art print: which should you buy?

All three formats can look excellent; they just do different jobs. Here's the honest comparison we give when people ask.

The short version

	Art print	Framed poster	Framed canvas
What it is	Print on archival paper, unframed	Paper print in a wood frame	Canvas stretched over a frame, slim wood float frame
Surface	Smooth matte	Smooth matte behind the frame	Woven texture, no glass
Weight	Lightest	Medium	Heaviest
From	€45	€89	€119
Best for	Frame-it-yourself, gifts	Most rooms, most styles	Large statement pieces

Art print: maximum flexibility

A museum-quality print on archival paper is the raw ingredient. You choose the frame — which means you can match an heirloom frame you already own, or spend €15 at a flea market and get a look no catalog offers. It's also the format that ships and stores most easily, which makes it the default for gifts.

The trade-off is that the work isn't done: an unframed print leaning against the wall for six months is a well-documented phenomenon.

Framed poster: the safe default

A print in a wood frame — black, white, dark wood, or natural wood — arrives ready to hang and suits the widest range of rooms and styles. Detailed styles with fine linework (botanical illustration, geometric, minimalist) benefit from the flat, crisp paper surface.

If you're unsure, this is the format to pick. Sizes run 50×50 to 60×90 cm (from €89).

Framed canvas: presence

Canvas has physical depth — a few centimeters off the wall in a slim float frame — and a woven texture that softens detail slightly while making colors feel painted rather than printed. No glass also means no reflections, which matters on walls opposite windows.

That texture is why canvas flatters painterly styles: abstract, impressionist, landscape. It's the format that makes a single large piece feel like the piece in the room, and the natural choice for the statement spot above a sofa. Sizes run 50×70 to 60×90 cm (from €119).

Matching format to style

A rule of thumb that rarely fails: crisp styles on paper, painterly styles on canvas. Fine lines and hard edges want the flatness of paper; brushwork and gradients want texture. (Our guide to the 9 styles covers which is which.)

See it before you decide

Format is easier to judge when you're looking at your own wall. Upload a room photo, pick a style, and preview the artwork in your space at true scale — then choose the format and size that fits. Every format is produced on demand and shipped worldwide.