Prints guide
We’ve teamed up with the talented, Sussex-based team at King & McGaw to create your wall print – here’s a guide and some FAQs to help you make your selection.
Each print is bespoke – it is produced on demand (POD) by King & McGaw according to your choice of materials, and they then deliver it to you. Please note that we’re currently unable to deliver wall prints to European Union countries and Northern Ireland.
Step 1: choose your wall print
It’s possibly the hardest but best bit, so why not enjoy a cuppa or glass of wine as you look through our collection of bespoke prints.
Step 2: choose your type – paper or canvas?
Paper options
The paper used is sustainably sourced. Its stock is measured in gsm, and both of these options are a similar thickness to the flexible card-like front covers of magazines:
Photographic paper (230gsm): a favourite of professional photographers as it gives a satin, lustre finish with a pearl-like texture.
Fine art paper (250gsm): ideal for museum-quality reproductions and gives a gently textured matt surface.
Canvas options
The 260gsm canvas is often preferred by photographers and artists for its textured finish, clarity and consistent quality. Choose between:
Stretched canvas: your print will be hand-stretched (with no border) over a custom-made wooden frame ready to display (the image is confined to the full front face of the canvas, it is not stretched to wrap the sides which remain white). Or, in addition, you can choose to have it mounted in a frame. Gold and silver frames are not available for canvas prints.
Rolled canvas: your print will arrive rolled and ready for you to frame yourself (it comes with a 10% white border).
Step 3: choose your size (longest edge)
Once you select the type of format you would like for your print, the size options in centimetres (cm) are presented in the next drop-down menu called the Longest Edge (cm).
If you select a landscape image, the longest edge will be the width but if you select a portrait image, the longest edge will be the height.
The longest edge defines the size of your print. The other dimension (the shortest edge) adjusts accordingly and depends on the image orientation and type of format you choose. Please refer to the table on each print’s product description for the shortest edge measurement.
The longest edge (and shortest edge) measurement includes the border, but not any frame.
The border
Every print has a surrounding white border. The border width is 10% of the longest edge measurement.
For example, if you select photographic or art paper with the longest edge of 100cm, the 10% border that surrounds the image will be 10cm on all sides.
For example, if you select a stretched canvas with the longest edge of 100cm, the 10% border that surrounds the image will be 10cm on all sides. However, this border wraps around the edges of the structure that stretches it, which means the sides are white (and the image fills the full front face of the canvas).
Actual image size
All images are produced in their original uncropped format. Depending on the size you select for photographic or fine art paper, the actual image size within the border will vary.
If you select canvas, the image is stretched to cover the full front face of the canvas, therefore the longest and shortest edge measurement will also be the actual image size.
Please refer to the table on each print’s product description for the actual image size measurement.
Step 4: choose your frame
Once you have selected the type and longest edge, the framing colour options can then be shown in the next drop-down menu, for example black, white, natural (which is a natural wood colour called oak veneer). Gold and silver frames are not available for canvas prints.
Black, white, grey and natural frames are 1.6cm wide and stand 3.2cm from the wall.
Gold frames are 2.3cm wide and stand 2cm from the wall.
Silver frames are 4.4cm wide and stand 1.9cm from the wall.
Each frame is handmade from sustainably sourced wood, and shatter-resistant acrylic plexiglass.
The prints come ready to display – and enjoy.
Frequently asked questions
Do you crop the original images?
No. Each image is resized to fit the bespoke print option, but the original image is not cropped.
What is the actual image size? How large will the photograph be within the border or frame?
As we don’t crop the images, the actual size of the image within the white border of your print depends on the type (paper or canvas) and on the longest edge measurement that you select. Please refer to the table on each print’s product description.
For stretched canvases, the actual image size is the same as the longest and shortest edge measurements. This is because the border on the stretched canvas wraps around the structure that stretches it, so the edges are white and the image covers the entire front face of the product.
How large is the border?
Every print has a surrounding white border. The border width is 10% of the longest edge measurement.
For example, if you select photographic or fine art paper with the longest edge of 100cm, the 10% border that surrounds the image will be 10cm on all sides.
The border on the stretched canvas wraps around the frame that keeps it taught, so the edges are white and the image covers the entire front face of the product.
For rolled canvases the same applies, the border is there to give you flexibility about how you choose to display it.
The border is included in the longest edge (and shortest edge) measurement shown in the table of each print’s product description.
How large will my print actually be?
The number in the longest edge drop-down menu refers to the longest dimension of the piece of paper or canvas (and includes the border). This means if you select a landscape image, the longest edge will be the width but if you select a portrait image, the longest edge will be the height.
For example, if you choose a landscape image, then you select a longest-edge size from the drop-down menu of 60cm, this will mean that the total paper/canvas size will be 60cm wide, including the border, but not including the frame.
What is the width and depth of the frame? How thick is the frame and how far away from the wall does it sit?
Black, white, grey and natural frames are 1.6cm wide and stand 3.2cm from the wall.
Gold frames are 2.3cm wide and stand 2cm from the wall.
Silver frames are 4.4cm wide and stand 1.9cm from the wall.
How large will my framed wall print be?
The frame size depends on which frame you choose.
Black, white, grey and natural frames are 1.6cm wide.
Gold frames are 2.3cm wide.
Silver frames are 4.4cm wide.
To get the total product size of a framed print, you will need to add the width of the frame to the longest edge (and shortest edge) measurement. The longest and shortest edge measurements are shown in the table on each print’s product description.
Not all combinations of framing are given as options, why is that?
Brown-coloured frames are not available as their popularity has decreased over the years, meaning it wouldn’t be cost-effective to supply it.
Gold or silver frames for stretched canvases are not available as the mouldings we use to make them aren’t compatible for that particular format.
How are the prints printed?
They’re made using the innovative SwissQ print system, which is a large-format flatbed printer. It’s fitted with low-energy LED lights which, together with the ultraviolet (UV) printing process, means printing is precise, it’s energy efficient and paper waste is kept to a minimum.
The ultraviolet (UV) inks used are vegan and do not contain Volatile Organic Compounds (VOC), N-Vinyl-Caprolactam (NVC) nor Triphenylphosphine Oxide (TPO), which are typically used to cure the ink from liquid into solid form. In short, being VOC-, NVC- and TPO-free means the ink is better for the environment.
Are the materials used sustainably sourced?
The solid-wood frames come from raw ash and oak trees grown in sustainably managed forests in north America, where they’re left to mature slowly to achieve an even colour and texture.
The paper is a sustainably sourced.
What type of glass is used in the frames?
The glass used in the frames is acrylic glazing. It is 90% ultraviolet (UV)-protected and shatter-resistant to preserve the prints from light damage and bleaching. Cast acrylic is a high-quality material with 92% optical clarity and is also fully recyclable.
You used to offer prints by John James Audubon, John Reeves and previous Wildlife Photographer of the Year exhibitions, why are they no longer available?
In October 2024, we teamed up with a new print supplier, King & McGaw, to launch our Wildlife Photographer of the Year 2024 bespoke print range.
The print selection that we originally offered, including images from previous years of Wildlife Photographer of the Year, will return and be available to buy here again, so please keep an eye out.
Do you deliver everywhere?
We can deliver wall prints everywhere except for: Russia, Belarus, countries in the European Union (EU) and Northern Ireland.
Why don’t you deliver wall prints to countries in the European Union (EU) or Northern Ireland?
We are currently unable to send wall prints to EU countries due to changing trade rules for non-EU ecommerce (online) stores, but we’re working on this and hope to do so again in the future.
In 2021 there was a lot of uncertainty due to changing trade rules for non-EU ecommerce (online) stores and this meant we temporarily stopped delivery to Northern Ireland. The Windsor Framework came into effect on 1 October 2023 with updated guidance, and while it will take time to work through the new regulations and customs systems, we aim to be shipping to our Northern Ireland customers again soon.
How long will my prints take to be delivered to my address?
Each print is made bespoke to your selection, so timings are approximate and will be affected by the delivery providers in your country as well as public holidays.
UK delivery:
Unframed prints take 7–10 days from the date of your order.
Framed prints take up to 14 days from the date of your order.
International delivery:
Prints take up to four weeks from the date of your order.
How much is delivery?
Delivery to UK addresses is £3.99 for orders under £50, or free for orders of £50 or over.
Delivery to international addresses is £30 per order.
I have ordered more than one print. Will they be delivered together?
Prints ordered in the same order will be dispatched at the same time. However, because unframed prints are packaged separately to framed prints, the actual parcels might arrive at different times, as this will depend on the delivery provider arrangements.
What happens if I want to return my wall print?
As each print is produced to a customer’s bespoke requirements, we are unable to make a refund unless the print arrives damaged or faulty. Find out more about refunds and returns.
I have a specific question about my wall print. Who can I ask?
Please get in touch with the Museum team via email: hello@nhmshop.co.uk or telephone: +44 (0)20 7942 5000 or by using the contact us form.