Best Affordable Art Prints
The art is rarely the expensive part. Custom framing is. Buy to a standard size and the whole project changes price.
By Janet H. · Published
Buy prints already sized to a standard frame — 8x10, 11x14, 16x20, 18x24 or 24x36. Custom sizing is where framing gets expensive, and a print in an awkward size costs more to frame than most people pay for the art.
After that, the cheapest upgrade available is a mat. A print in a generous mat reads as considered; the same print filling a tight frame reads as a poster.
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How these picks were chosen
We select on published specification — rated weight capacity, frame size compatibility, mounting method and materials — plus the durability patterns owners report at volume. We do not test these products ourselves. Read our full method.
Photographs on this page are licensed category images, not photographs of the individual products. Each link opens the product’s live listing, where the current photos, sizes and price are shown.
Quick picks
Tap any row to jump to the full write-up.
| # | Product | Best for | Price |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Americanflat Art Print Set Unframed prints sold as coordinated sets in standard frame sizes, which is the cheapest honest route to a gallery wall that holds together. | Best coordinated set | |
| 2 |  upsimples Picture Frame Standard sizes in multi-packs with hardware and mats included, which is where the cost of a gallery wall actually sits. | Best cheap frames | |
| 3 |  Golden State Art Pre-Cut Mat Board A pre-cut acid-free mat costs a fraction of the frame and does more for how the print reads than any frame upgrade at the same money. | Best cheap upgrade | |
| 4 |  Stupell Industries Framed Canvas Wall Art Arrives finished and ready to hang, which removes the framing cost entirely — usually the larger half of the budget. | Best framed-and-done option | |
| 5 | Americanflat Picture Frame A consistent line across a wide size range, so frames bought at different times still match — which is what keeps a room-by-room build from looking accidental. | Best single frames |
Standard sizing is the whole saving
| Print size | Frame route | Cost driver |
|---|---|---|
| 8x10 | Stock 8x10 or 11x14 matted frame | Low — the most stocked sizes there are |
| 11x14 | Stock 11x14 or 16x20 matted frame | Low |
| 16x20 | Stock 16x20 frame | Low |
| 18x24 | Stock 18x24 poster frame | Low |
| 24x36 | Stock 24x36 poster frame | Low |
| A3, A4 or any metric size | Custom mat inside a stock frame | Moderate — the mat has to be cut |
| Anything genuinely odd | Custom frame, or a float frame | High — this is where the money goes |
The frame sizes chart lists everything stocked, and the mat chart turns any print size into a frame size.
What makes inexpensive art look expensive
The full guide to this goes further, but those three account for most of it.
Coordinated sets, and why they work
A set of prints designed to hang together solves the hardest problem in building a gallery wall cheaply: making unrelated images look related. The palette and the style are already reconciled.
The trap is buying a set and then not committing to it. Coordinated sets work when all of them hang together on one wall; split across three rooms they lose the thing you bought them for. The layout templates have the arrangements.
Where inexpensive prints come from
Most mass-market wall art is licensed stock imagery printed on demand. That is why so much of it looks alike, and there is nothing wrong with it at the price — but it is worth knowing the difference between that and buying from a working artist, which is often not much more expensive.
Where to buy art prints covers the routes and what each is good for, including how to tell whether a named artist is behind a listing at all.
The picks in full
Each entry states what it is for, the specification that decides it, and who should skip it.
1. Best coordinated set
Americanflat Art Print Set
Americanflat
Unframed prints sold as coordinated sets in standard frame sizes, which is the cheapest honest route to a gallery wall that holds together.
- Format
- Unframed paper prints, sold as coordinated sets
- Sizes
- Standard frame sizes so no custom framing is needed
- Best for
- Filling a frame set you already own
- Shipping
- Flat or rolled depending on size
The spec that decides it: Coordinated sets printed to standard frame sizes, so no custom framing is needed.
Skip it if: You want one statement piece — a set is built for a wall, not for a focal point.
2. Best cheap frames
upsimples Picture Frame
upsimples
Standard sizes in multi-packs with hardware and mats included, which is where the cost of a gallery wall actually sits.
- Sizes
- Standard sizes, usually sold in multi-packs
- Glazing
- High-definition plexiglass
- Matting
- Mat included on most sizes
- Hardware
- Wall-mount hardware included in the box
The spec that decides it: Standard sizes in matched multi-packs with mats and mounting hardware.
Skip it if: You need one frame — multi-packs only save money at volume.
3. Best cheap upgrade
Golden State Art Pre-Cut Mat Board
Golden State Art
A pre-cut acid-free mat costs a fraction of the frame and does more for how the print reads than any frame upgrade at the same money.
- Cut
- Pre-cut bevel opening, standard step-down sizes
- Material
- Acid-free board with backing and a clear sleeve on most packs
- Sizes
- Common pairs such as 11x14 matted to 8x10
- Packs
- Singles and multi-packs
The spec that decides it: Pre-cut bevel openings on acid-free board, in standard step-down pairs.
Skip it if: Your frames already ship with mats and you are happy with the border width.
4. Best framed-and-done option
Stupell Industries Framed Canvas Wall Art
Stupell Industries
Arrives finished and ready to hang, which removes the framing cost entirely — usually the larger half of the budget.
- Formats
- Stretched canvas, floater-framed canvas, wood plaque, framed giclee
- Construction
- Hand-stretched over a wooden frame
- Hanging
- Arrives ready to hang
- Origin
- Printed in the USA
The spec that decides it: Hand-stretched canvas, ready to hang, no framing required.
Skip it if: The room is humid or greasy — canvas belongs in neither.
5. Best single frames
Americanflat Picture Frame
Americanflat
A consistent line across a wide size range, so frames bought at different times still match — which is what keeps a room-by-room build from looking accidental.
- Sizes
- Wide standard range from 4x6 to 24x36
- Glazing
- Shatter-resistant polished plexiglass on most sizes
- Matting
- Most sizes ship with a removable mat
- Orientation
- Hangs vertical or horizontal; most sizes also stand
The spec that decides it: Consistent standard sizing and finishes with shatter-resistant plexiglass.
Skip it if: You are buying several at once — a multi-pack costs less per frame.
Common questions
What is the cheapest way to get wall art?
Unframed prints in standard sizes, put into inexpensive standard-size frames bought separately. Custom sizing is what makes framing expensive, so a print already sized to 8x10, 11x14 or 18x24 avoids that cost entirely.
How do you make cheap art look expensive?
Mat it generously so the image sits inside a 2.5 to 4 inch border, size it correctly to the furniture below at two-thirds to three-quarters of the width, and keep frame finishes consistent across the room. None of those involves buying better art.
Are coordinated art print sets worth buying?
For a gallery wall, yes — they solve the hardest problem, which is making unrelated images look related. The trap is splitting the set across several rooms, which loses exactly the thing you bought it for.
Do art print listings include the frame?
Often not. Many inexpensive listings photograph an unframed print inside a mockup frame, and what arrives is a sheet of paper. Check what actually ships before you budget for the project.
Is it cheaper to buy art framed or unframed?
Unframed, if the print is a standard size and you buy a stock frame separately. Framed is cheaper only when the alternative would be custom framing — which is the case for any print in a non-standard size.
Sources for the figures on this page
Read next
- Where to Buy Art Prints
The five places art prints come from, what each is good for, and how to tell licensed stock from an artist's work.
- How to Make Cheap Art Look Expensive
Matting, scale, hanging height, frame consistency and glazing — the five changes that do almost all the work.
- Picture Frame Sizes Chart
Every standard frame size with its unmatted and matted capacity — the table to check before you order anything.
- Mat Sizes for Standard Prints
The complete print size to mat opening to frame size matrix, with published border widths by artwork size.
- Gallery Wall Templates
To-scale layouts for 3, 5, 6, 7 and 9 frames with all dimensions labeled — the page no competitor publishes.
- Best Picture Frames
Frame lines compared on glazing, mat quality, size range and depth — plus what genuinely changes with price.