How to Frame a 24 × 36 inch Print at Home

How to Frame a 24 × 36 inch Print at Home

There is something special about framing something you love and putting it on your wall. It changes the room. It turns it from something you admire into something you live with every day.

At The Very Fine Art Gallery, we believe art should live in everyday spaces, and bring that feeling you had at the gallery into the home.

But one more reason to love the 24 x 36 inch size, is it's not only visually strong it's practical enough to frame yourself at home.

If you would rather watch me do it, you can also see our full framing video on YouTube here:
YouTube link 

With the right frame, the right tools and a careful mounting method, you can achieve a clean, contemporary finish at a much lower cost than professional bespoke framing.

For our larger and more expensive works, however, we would always recommend professional framing. Once you move into bigger premium sizes, it makes sense to use a framer who can provide more advanced handling, conservation materials, and a fully bespoke finish that matches your space.

Where to find budget-friendly frames and tools

IKEA is one of the best places to start for clean, modern frames with a contemporary look. The RÖDALM is particularly useful because it comes in the 61 x 91cm size with acrylic glass and a spacer which is close to the 24 x 36 inch print (24.02 x 35.83 inches.)

Amazon is useful for the rest: white cotton gloves, self-adhesive mounting boards, spacer materials, acrylic-front frames, and general framing supplies.

This combination gives most people a practical route to framing at home without overcomplicating it.

Do you need a mat?

(The piece of card with the hole in it.)

Not necessarily.

For contemporary photography, a no-mat presentation often looks cleaner, more modern, and keeps the final presentation minimal.

It is also why we have our prints with a built in white border.

The complexities of having prints that fit common sizes, but don't fit their accompanying mat sizes, meant losing some of the image to under the mat, and with too many options out there we thought we'd take this route to simplify the process for DIY framing. 

24×36 inch fine art print with white border ready for DIY framing

How to keep the print off the acrylic

That said, even without a mat, the print should not sit pressed directly against the acrylic.

This is where a spacer comes in.

It is better to keep a small gap between the surface of the print and the glazing. A spacer is a thin strip fitted around the inside edge of the frame to create a slight gap between the print and the glazing. It allows you to keep the clean no-mat look while preventing the photograph from resting directly against the acrylic.

Some frames come with this built in, which is ideal. 

If your frame does not include a spacer, you can add one yourself. People usually do this with narrow strips of spacer material fitted around the inside edge of the frame. These can be purpose-made framing spacers or carefully cut strips of suitable board.

The idea is simple: you want the image to look clean and close to the front, but not physically touching it.

Spacer strip fitted inside a picture frame to keep print off acrylic glazing

Why I recommend acrylic over glass at home

For home framing, I would choose acrylic or perspex rather than glass.

This becomes especially important once you move up to 20 × 30 and 24 × 36.

Glass is heavier, easier to break, harder to transport, and generally less practical in normal home environments. Acrylic is much lighter, safer to handle, and easier to live with. It still gives a clean, polished look, but with much less risk.

For a large framed print that may be moved, rehung, or carried up stairs, acrylic is simply the more sensible choice.

So for this kind of budget-friendly home framing, I would not recommend glass, as I have experienced a few disasters personally.

Why I prefer self-adhesive mounting board

For DIY sizes, I prefer mounting the print onto a self-adhesive board or substrate. This helps the print sit flatter, makes handling easier, and gives the final framed piece a cleaner look.

Another option is spray glue, there are good ones but generally over time it can yellow, stain the print, be a bit messy and eventually let go. 

White gloves

Wear white cotton gloves, photographic prints pick up fingerprints surprisingly easily, especially on darker image areas or smoother paper surfaces. Gloves help you handle the print more confidently and reduce the chance of oils, smudges, or marks ending up trapped inside the frame.

They are inexpensive, easy to find on Amazon, and worth having ready before you start.

Tips for applying the print onto self-adhesive board

This is the stage where patience matters most.

The cleanest way to do it is not to expose the full adhesive surface all at once. Instead, peel back a small section first, align the top edge of the print carefully, and then work gradually across the board while peeling more of the backing away bit by bit.

As you go, smooth the print down from the centre outward using gentle, even pressure.

Step-by-step: how to frame a 24 × 36 print at home

  • choose the correct frame size
  • make sure it uses acrylic rather than glass
  • check whether the frame includes a built-in spacer
  • if not, prepare a spacer so the print will not touch the acrylic
  • clean your workspace thoroughly
  • put on white cotton gloves
  • check the print against the frame before mounting
  • mount the print onto a self-adhesive backing board
  • peel the adhesive backing gradually as you apply the print
  • smooth from the centre outward to reduce bubbles
  • clean the inside of the acrylic before assembly
  • place the mounted print into the frame
  • fit the spacer correctly so the print stays off the acrylic
  • close the backing securely
  • inspect the frame for dust, fibres, or marks before sealing fully

One final tip before you close the back of the frame

Before you close the frame completely, tilt it and inspect it from different angles in good natural light. Dust, fibres, and fingerprints are much easier to spot at that stage than after the backing is fixed and the piece is already on the wall.

Final thought

Framing does not need to be intimidating.

For the right print sizes, a thoughtful DIY approach can give you a beautiful result: clean, contemporary, and ready to live with in your space every day.

That is exactly what we want our work to do.

To bring the gallery feeling into the home.
To create something that moves you, every day.

If you would like to see the full process in action, watch me here:
 YouTube link

Then explore our photographic print collections and find the piece you want to live with every day.

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