Every Major UK Online Picture Framing Company — Compared

Written by Paul Worrall

A genuinly good giclée print can still look amateur hung in the wrong frame, and a genuinly bad frame can quietly devalue a piece of work that took weeks to finish. Framing is one of those decisions artists tend to make last and think about least, which is a shame because it’s often the single thing that determines whether a piece of work reads as “finished and professional” or “still a work in progress on someone’s wall.” I’ve spent sixteen years in the UK art supplies industry and run Discount Art Supplies, used by over 36,000 UK artists every week, and I’ve gone through every major UK online framing company properly — what they actually offer, what they’re genuinly good at, and where each one falls short.

What to Actually Think About Before Choosing a Framer

Three things matter more than style when you’re framing original art or a giclée print: glazing, mounting and materials. Anti-reflective or UV-protective glass genuinly matters for anything going somewhere with natural light, since standard glass lets UV degrade pigments over years. A proper window mount, rather than the print touching the glass directly, prevents moisture damage and looks considerably more professional. And acid-free, conservation-grade mounting board matters enormously for anything you’d consider valuable or archival — a cheap acidic mount will discolour and damage a print from direct contact over time, which defeats the purpose of an archival giclée print in the first place.

e-Frame — Our Top Pick

e-Frame is genuinly the framer I’d point most artists toward first, and it’s also the one we have a direct exclusive relationship with — use code DAS10 at checkout for 10% off your order. Beyond the discount, the actual ordering experience is straightforward, the size range covers everything from small prints through to large exhibition pieces, and turnaround is consistantly reliable without the kind of delays smaller bespoke studios sometimes run into during busy periods.

Pros: Exclusive 10% discount via code DAS10; simple, fast online ordering; wide size range covering most artist needs.
Cons: Less of a fully bespoke, handmade feel than the specialist fine art framers further down this list.

EasyFrame

EasyFrame has been a genuine family business for over 25 years, built by brothers Rob and Nick Zanna, who combined Rob’s decade-long framing apprenticeship with a later move into web design to create one of the more genuinly user-friendly custom framing sites available. Sizes run from A0 to A5 plus imperial measurements, floating frame effects for canvases, multi-aperture collage frames for up to 64 photos, and crucially — dispatch noticeably faster than the roughly 10-day turnaround some competitors quote. There are genuinly helpful in-house explainer videos for measuring and ordering, which matters if you’re framing an unusual or non-standard size for the first time.

Pros: Genuinly fast dispatch compared to competitors; helpful measuring and ordering guidance; wide customisation including floating canvas frames and large collage layouts.
Cons: A more functional, no-frills site experience compared to the bespoke artisan framers — fine for most needs, less suited if you want a consultative, hands-on service.

Frames Express

Frames Express manufactures every frame in their own factory on the outskirts of Coventry, using decades of hand-crafting experience alongside modern machinery — a genuinly rare combination of UK manufacturing at scale with proper craft pedigree. Their client list includes the Stephen Wiltshire Gallery, who’ve used their services for over 8 years, which is a meaningful vote of confidence from a gallery whose entire business depends on presenting work properly. Multi-aperture frames, a wide finish range — gold, silver, black, white, aluminium and natural wood — and delivery within 24 hours of dispatch round out a genuinly comprehensive offer.

Pros: Manufactured entirely in their own UK factory; trusted long-term by a working gallery; wide finish and style range.
Cons: More oriented toward photo and poster framing generally rather than specifically positioned as a fine art specialist for original artwork.

Best4Frames (Nielsen)

Best4Frames offers something genuinly distinctive — upload your artwork directly, choose your mount and frame, and they’ll print and frame it in a single combined order using premium Nielsen aluminium frames. With 136 multi-aperture mount layouts and 28 mount colours to choose from, it’s a strong option for artists who want to skip coordinating a separate printer and framer entirely. Beautifully crafted aluminium ready-made frames are also available for those who already have prints sorted and just need the frame itself.

Pros: Genuinly convenient combined print-and-frame service; excellent mount layout variety; premium Nielsen aluminium frame quality.
Cons: The print-and-frame combo won’t suit artists who specifically want a dedicated giclée studio handling the print quality separately from the framing.

Soho Frames

Soho Frames operates from Central London with a genuinly hands-on, consultative approach rarely found in online framing — their professional framers collect your artwork directly and conduct a video call from the Soho workshop to talk through frame options before anything is made. Frames are handmade using sustainably sourced FSC-certified timber, available in any shape including round, oval, hexagonal and custom silhouettes, and same-day photo printing and framing is available for tight deadlines. Global delivery in specially designed crates and an optional home installation service make this a genuinly premium, full-service option.

Pros: Genuinly consultative, bespoke service with collection and video consultation; unusual shapes available; sustainable FSC-certified materials.
Cons: The premium, hands-on service comes at a higher price point than the more standard online framers — not the budget option on this list.

The Artistic Framing Company

The Artistic Framing Company, based in Waterlooville, is run by genuine fine art frame makers, gilders, carvers and restorers — Peter and Julia, who are repeatedly praised by exhibiting artists for understanding how a frame should serve the painting rather than compete with it. Testimonials from working artists describe handing over entire exhibitions of paintings with nothing more than “can you frame them please” and trusting the result completely — the kind of relationship that takes years of consistent quality to build. They also restore antique period frames, which is a genuinly specialist skill most online framers don’t offer at all.

Pros: Genuine working relationships with exhibiting artists; antique frame restoration available; Guild-recognised craftsmanship.
Cons: Less of an instant, self-service online ordering experience — this is a relationship-based framer rather than a quick checkout process.

Beyond Print

Beyond Print — already covered in our giclée printing guide for their print services — also offers bespoke made-to-measure framing using sustainable woods including oak, walnut and tulip, with over 1,000 frame and colour choices available in their London studio. Floating frame and window mount options add genuine depth and presentation quality, and all online orders are dry-mounted as standard. For artists who want both the print and the frame handled by the same studio in one relationship, this is a genuinly convenient option.

Pros: Same studio handles both printing and framing if you want that convenience; genuine sustainable wood options; floating frame and window mount choices.
Cons: Choosing the same provider for both print and frame means less opportunity to mix and match a specialist printer with a specialist framer if that’s your preference.

John Jones

John Jones is, without exageration, one of the most respected names in UK fine art framing. Founded in north London in the 1960s by John Jones, who had no formal framing training but built the business into the trusted framer for the Tate, the V&A, the National Portrait Gallery, Victoria Miro and Sotheby’s, among many others. John Jones himself was awarded an MBE in 2012 as “Master Framer” for services to the arts, and the in-house team of around seventy craftspeople work from a genuinly enormous 38,000 square foot workshop in Finsbury Park, milling, spraying and finishing everything on site. This isn’t a budget or even mid-range option — prices start in the hundreds of pounds — but for genuinly significant work, exhibition pieces, or anything heading to auction or a serious collection, the museum-standard conservation framing and design consultation John Jones offers is hard to match anywhere else in the UK.

Pros: Genuinly unparalleled reputation and client list; true museum-standard conservation framing; design consultation considers how and where the work will be displayed.
Cons: Pricing starts high and consultations are booked weeks in advance — this is for significant pieces, not an everyday print.

Fletcher Gallery Services

Fletcher Gallery Services has specialised in museum standard framing of contemporary works on paper since 1979, working with galleries, artists, businesses and private clients from their studio on Banner Street in London. They use proprietary picture framing software called ArrowCalc to provide accurate estimates from the genuinly vast number of material and style combinations available, and recommend bringing artwork in person so their team — with over 40 years of collective experience — can advise properly before anything is made. Lead times run 10-15 working days, reflecting the bespoke, consultative nature of the service rather than a fast online checkout.

Pros: Genuine museum and conservation-grade expertise with over four decades of specialist history; personal consultation and advice included as standard.
Cons: Requires an in-person appointment for best results rather than a fully remote online ordering process, and the 10-15 day lead time suits planned projects better than urgent deadlines.

How to Choose the Right Framer for You

If you want a reliable all-rounder with a genuine discount: e-Frame with code DAS10. If speed matters most: EasyFrame. If you want UK-manufactured quality trusted by a working gallery: Frames Express. If you want printing and framing combined in one order: Best4Frames or Beyond Print. If you want a genuinly bespoke, consultative, handmade experience: Soho Frames. If you’re framing something genuinly significant heading for exhibition, sale or a serious collection: John Jones or Fletcher Gallery Services for true museum-standard conservation work. And if you’re an exhibiting fine artist who wants a framer who understands paintings specifically, including antique restoration: The Artistic Framing Company.

Whichever you choose, always specify acid-free, conservation-grade mounting board and ask about UV-protective glazing if the piece will hang anywhere with natural light — the small extra cost protects the value of work that may have taken considerably longer to make than it takes to frame.

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