Buying Guide

Standard vs. custom size picture frames

Order by a size name or cut to your measurement — a straight side-by-side from the people who make both.

The short answer

Choose standard-size picture frames when your prints already match a common size such as 8×10 or 16×20 and you have no mat or thick contents. Choose custom-size frames when the piece is an odd size, when a mat changes the size you need, or when it has real thickness, such as a stretched canvas, a jersey or a pressed textile. Both are made by Customized Picture Frames from a minimum order of 12, with a free mockup within 24 hours and standard production of about 2 weeks.

Side by side

	Standard size	Custom size
Sizes	Common print sizes such as 4×6, 5×7, 8×10, 11×14, 16×20 and 24×36	Cut to your measured artwork, with three sizes stated: artwork, sight and outside
Fit to your print	Most standard sizes sit on three photo aspect ratios; 5×7 and 11×14 sit slightly off, so a print may need a small crop or a mat	The aperture is cut to the piece you are actually framing, so there is nothing to crop
Mats	A mat adds twice its width to each dimension, so an 8×10 print with a 2-inch mat needs a 12×14 frame	The mat is part of the quote and the outside size is stated, so the wall can be planned
Depth	Suits flat work such as prints and photographs	Rebate depth is quoted in millimetres against the measured stack, for canvases, textiles, jerseys and objects
Glazing	Glass or acrylic, clear or UV-filtering	Glass or acrylic, clear or UV-filtering, with spacers to keep glazing off the surface
Reorders	Order by the size name	Keep all three numbers on file so the second batch matches the first
Minimum order, turnaround, mockup	12 frames, about 2 weeks, free mockup within 24 hours	12 frames, about 2 weeks, free mockup within 24 hours
Best for	Offices, events and gifts where prints already match a common size	Studios, framers, collectors, clubs and anything that is not flat paper

Where standard sizes win

Standard sizes are the simplest choice when the artwork is a print or photograph that already matches a common size. Most of the sizes that sell in volume fall on just three aspect ratios, which makes a large run a short, repeatable decision. Remember that a mat is the most common reason a bulk order comes back wrong, because the print size and the frame size are no longer the same number. Read the standard picture frame sizes guide.

Where custom sizes earn their place

Custom sizes matter when the contents are not standard paper. Glazing, mount, artwork and backing add up to a stack, and if that stack is deeper than the rebate the backing sits proud and forcing it bows the moulding, so the rebate depth is quoted in millimetres against your measured stack. Certificates are a common case: awarding bodies trim to their own house sizes, so the aperture is cut to the document you are actually framing. See custom-size and deep-rebate frames, certificate and award frames and why rebate depth and sight size matter.

The verdict

Pick standard when your prints already match a common size and you want a quick, repeatable order.

Pick custom when the piece is an odd size, needs a mat that changes the frame size, or has depth that has to fit in the rebate.

Either way, the minimum order is 12 frames, your free mockup arrives within 24 hours and the finished order ships in about 2 weeks. Send your sizes and what is going in through the quote form and we will tell you which route fits.

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