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 FAQs to help you make your selection.
Each print is bespoke. It’s produced on demand by King & McGaw according to your choice of materials, and they deliver it to you. We’re currently unable to deliver wall prints to European Union countries and Northern Ireland.
Step 1: Choose your wall print
Now comes the hard bit, choosing your print! 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 grammes per square metre (gsm). Both paper 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's 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 aren’t 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 – the longest edge
Once you’ve decided between paper and canvas, next choose your print size. The size options in centimetres 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. 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. Refer to the table on each print’s product description for the shortest edge measurement.
The longest edge and shortest edge measurements include 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 a longest edge of 100 centimetres, the 10% border that surrounds the image will be 10 centimetres on all sides.
If you select a stretched canvas with a longest edge of 100 centimetres, the 10% border that surrounds the image will be 10 centimetres 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.
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 will show in the next drop-down menu. For paper, you can choose between black, white, grey, silver, gold or natural, which is a natural wood colour called oak veneer. For canvas, gold and silver frames are not available.
- Black, white, grey and natural frames are 1.6 centimetres wide and stand 3.2 centimetres from the wall.
- Gold frames are 2.3 centimetres wide and stand 2 centimetres from the wall.
- Silver frames are 4.4 centimetres wide and stand 1.9 centimetres 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 isn’t cropped.
What’s 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 whether you choose paper or canvas and on the longest edge measurement you select. 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 sides are white and the image covers the entire front face of the canvas.
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 100 centimetres, the 10% border that surrounds the image will be 10 centimetres on all sides.
The white border on the stretched canvas wraps around the frame that keeps it taught. This means the image covers the entire front face of the canvas and the white border covers the sides.
For rolled canvases the same applies. The white border is there to give you flexibility about how you display it.
The white border is included in the longest edge and shortest edge measurements 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 this measurement includes the border. This means if you select a landscape image, the longest edge will be the width. 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 60 centimetres, this will mean that the total paper/canvas size will be 60 centimetres 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?
This will depend on what frame you choose.
- Black, white, grey and natural frames are 1.6 centimetres wide and stand 3.2 centimetres from the wall.
- Gold frames are 2.3 centimetres wide and stand 2 centimetres from the wall.
- Silver frames are 4.4 centimetres wide and stand 1.9 centimetres from the wall.
How large will my framed wall print be?
This will depend on what frame you choose.
- Black, white, grey and natural frames are 1.6 centimetres wide.
- Gold frames are 2.3 centimetres wide.
- Silver frames are 4.4 centimetres wide.
To get the total product size of a framed print, add the width of the frame to the longest edge and shortest edge measurements. 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 aren’t available, as their popularity has decreased over the years, so it’s no longer cost effective to supply these.
Gold or silver frames for stretched canvases aren’t available, as the mouldings we use to make them aren’t compatible with this 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 printing process, means that printing is not only precise and energy efficient but that paper waste is kept to a minimum too.
The ultraviolet inks used are vegan and don’t contain Volatile Organic Compounds (VOC), N-Vinyl-Caprolactam (NVC) or Triphenylphosphine Oxide (TPO), which are typically used to cure the ink from liquid into solid form. 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 also sustainably sourced.
What type of glass is used in the frames?
The glass used in the frames is acrylic glazing. It’s 90% ultraviolet-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 and John Reeves as well as from 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 Audubon and Reeves prints, as well as images from previous years of Wildlife Photographer of the Year, will return and be available to buy here again.
Do you deliver everywhere?
We can deliver wall prints everywhere except for Russia, Belarus, countries in the European Union and Northern Ireland.
Why don’t you deliver wall prints to countries in the European Union or Northern Ireland?
We’re currently unable to send wall prints to European Union countries due to changing trade rules for non-European Union 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-European Union 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?
Each print is made bespoke to your choices, 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.
Will my delivery be tracked?
Yes. Different couriers, such as Royal Mail, ParcelForce and DHL are used, depending on the product(s) ordered, the destination of the delivery and any industrial action or busy periods that might affect our service.
I 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 separate 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’re unable to provide a refund unless the print arrives damaged or faulty. Find out more about refunds and returns.
What are your last-order dates for delivery of wall prints in time for Christmas Day 2024?
If your order contains only unframed prints, please order before:
- 12pm on Sunday 8 December for UK deliveries.
- 12pm on Sunday 24 November for international deliveries.
If your order contains framed prints, please order before:
- 12pm on Sunday 8 December for UK deliveries.
- 12pm on Sunday 1 December for international deliveries.
I have a specific question about my wall print, who should I ask?
Email our team at hello@nhmshop.co.uk or call us on +44 (0)20 7942 5000 or use the contact us form.