How to Care for Your Framed Fine Art Print

You've chosen the piece. You've found the wall. Now it's yours - and like anything worth having, it deserves a little care.

Fine art prints aren't like a poster from a chain store. Mine are printed on Ilford papers, chosen specifically for their depth, their longevity, their ability to hold detail and tone the way the moment deserved. If you're investing in a piece like this, it deserves to be properly framed, never left loose or pinned up unprotected. Framed and cared for properly, it doesn't just last years. It lasts generations.

Here's how to keep it that way.

Keep it out of direct sunlight

Light is the biggest threat to any print, fine art or otherwise. Direct sunlight, even for part of the day, will slowly fade tones and shift colour balance over time. It happens gradually, so gradually you might not notice until you compare it to the day it arrived.

Choose a wall that gets indirect or filtered light. North-facing rooms in the southern hemisphere tend to be the brightest, so if that's where you're hanging it, a spot slightly out of the sun's direct path is your first line of defence.

Depending on the size of your print, your frame may come with UV-protective glass, which helps reduce fading. But even with UV glass, direct sunlight will still take its toll over time, think of it as added protection, not a free pass to hang it in a sunny spot. If you're having your piece framed by your own framer, ask them for UV glass specifically. It's a small detail to request, and it makes a real difference over the years.

Mind the humidity

Paper and moisture don't mix well, even behind glass. Bathrooms and kitchens tend to carry more humidity in the air than you'd think, and over time, that moisture can work its way in, affecting the paper's surface or the frame itself.

My advice is simple: however good the frame, a bathroom still isn't the right home for a fine art print. Choose a room where the air stays dry and steady, and it'll reward you for it.

Dust gently

A soft, dry microfibre cloth on the glass is all your print needs. Never spray cleaner directly onto the glass, mist a cloth instead, and only ever use a glass-safe, ammonia-free cleaner. 

Choose your framing carefully

Framing isn't just presentation, it's protection. Acid-free matting and UV-protective glazing go a long way toward preserving your print's true colour and tone over the years. If you're framing it yourself, it's worth asking your framer specifically for archival, acid-free materials and UV glass. It costs a little more upfront. It pays for itself in longevity.

Think of it as an investment, not a decoration

A framed fine art print isn't something you set and forget the way you might a printed canvas from a homeware shop. It's paper, light, and a moment, cared for the right way, it will still be telling that story on your wall in twenty years' time.

Questions about your specific piece?

Every print is a little different depending on size, finish, and where it's going in your home. If you're ever unsure how to care for or frame a particular piece, just ask, I'm always happy to help you get it right.

Shop the full collection at michellefey.com - Abstract, Black & White, and Landscape fine art prints, printed on Ilford papers in Hawke's Bay, New Zealand.