Framed personalised watercolour prints arranged on a gallery wall

Framed vs Unframed Watercolour Prints | Sentimental Prints

June 6, 2026

Framed or unframed, most people treat it as a minor finishing detail. It isn't. An unframed print stays in its envelope until the recipient finds the right frame and a free afternoon; for a gift, that gap can quietly stretch into months. Choosing framed closes it before it opens. Here's how to tell which is right for your personalised watercolour print.

What "framed" actually means here

Our frames are solid wood, available in Black, White or Natural, and the print arrives mounted inside, ready to hang. Nothing to assemble, nothing to source. The frame adds £30 to the print price, bringing the range to £64.95–£94.95 depending on size.

"Unframed" means the print ships flat, carefully packaged, without mounting hardware. The paper and the watercolour are identical either way; it's not a lesser product. It just arrives as a print rather than a finished wall piece. That distinction is what drives the decision.

Unframed prints: best for…

The giver who knows the recipient's walls. If you've been to her flat, you know whether the aesthetic runs to natural oak or sleek black or chunky gallery frames she sources herself. Unframed gives her that choice without you guessing.

Homes with an existing gallery wall. A gallery wall usually has a look: a mix of frame depths, colours, moulding profiles. Dropping in a frame from us may clash. An unframed print on premium paper drops into any existing frame the recipient already owns, without disrupting what's already up there.

Larger sizes where the recipient wants flexibility. Our 45 × 60cm print is a statement piece. Someone with strong opinions about their space may well want to choose the frame weight and colour themselves. Unframed hands that decision back to them.

Gifting when you're posting it yourself. Unframed ships flat and slightly lighter, which can matter if you're sending internationally or adding it to a bigger parcel.

Price range unframed: from £34.95 (21 × 29.7cm) to £74.95 (45 × 60cm).

Framed prints: best for…

Gifts that need to arrive ready. A framed print is a complete, finished object. The recipient unwraps something they can put on the wall today. No errand to run, no frame to buy, no delay between the gift and the moment it's actually up. For a new home gift especially, something they can hang right now is genuinely the point.

New home and housewarming gifts. Someone who's just moved has blank walls, no established aesthetic yet and probably no frames spare. A framed print of a place that means something to them, the old street, a favourite view, the home itself, goes straight up.

Gifting across a distance, to someone you can't shop with. If you're sending a print to a mum who lives two hours away or a friend in another city, unframed means she has to find a frame before it gets hung. Framed removes that step entirely.

When you want the print to feel like a present, not a project. There is a real difference between unwrapping a flat envelope and unwrapping something in a frame. The weight of it, the solidness, reads as finished. For a big occasion, that matters.

Anniversary and milestone gifts. A personalised watercolour print of a wedding venue, a first home, or a couple on a significant trip is the kind of gift that should feel substantial. A wood frame does some of that work without competing with the portrait.

Price range framed: from £64.95 (21 × 29.7cm, any frame colour) to £94.95 (45 × 60cm, any frame colour).

How to decide

If any of these are true, choose framed:

You're giving it as a gift and won't be there to help hang it
It's a new home or housewarming gift
The occasion is significant enough that "ready to hang" matters
You know the recipient's walls well enough to pick Black, White or Natural

If any of these are true, choose unframed:

You know the recipient has specific frame preferences or an existing gallery wall
You want the largest size (45 × 60cm) and want them to choose the frame weight themselves
You're posting it yourself and want to keep it light and flat
You're buying for yourself and already have the right frame

The one thing that doesn't change: you'll see a free digital proof of the watercolour before anything prints. Nothing ships until you've approved it, so the decision you can't reverse is the frame, not the portrait itself.

Our recommendation

For most gift occasions, choose framed. The gap between "I own this print" and "it's on the wall" is real, and the frame closes it. Our wood frames in Black, White or Natural are deliberately understated, so they work against most walls without competing with the portrait.

The one exception: if you know the recipient well enough to be confident they'll want to choose the frame themselves, unframed is the more considered choice. But if there's any doubt, framed is the safer one. The print that ends up on the wall is the one that was worth giving.

Browse the full range of personalised watercolour art prints, both framed and unframed, in three sizes, and see your free digital proof before anything prints.

If you're choosing a print as a gift, our best-sellers is a good place to start, the prints ordered again and again tend to be the ones that work across the widest range of homes. For a gift specifically for her, our gifts for mum collection includes framed and unframed options alongside everything else.

Frequently asked questions

Can I choose a different frame colour than Black, White or Natural?

Not currently, our wood frames come in those three finishes, and they're the ones that work best alongside the soft palette of a watercolour print. If you have a specific aesthetic in mind, unframed gives you full flexibility to source the frame yourself.

Is the print the same quality framed and unframed?

Yes. The paper and the print are identical whichever option you choose. The frame adds a solid wood mount, a protective cover and the ready-to-hang hardware. What you're paying for with framed is the finishing and the convenience, not a better print underneath.

What size should I choose?

The three sizes are 21 × 29.7cm, 30 × 40cm and 45 × 60cm. As a rough guide: 21 × 29.7cm suits a desk or shelf; 30 × 40cm is the most versatile and works well as the main piece on a wall; 45 × 60cm is a statement and needs more space around it. When in doubt, 30 × 40cm is the one most customers come back to.

How long does delivery take?

Personalised watercolour prints are delivered in days once you've approved your digital proof. You'll see the proof first, nothing prints until you love it, so factor in a little time for that approval step when you're planning around an occasion.

Does the frame add much to the parcel size for posting?

A framed print ships in a reinforced box, which is bulkier than the flat envelope an unframed print ships in. Both are well-protected. If you're sending internationally or adding the print to a larger gift parcel, unframed is the lighter, flatter option.