Searching “A4 frame size with mount” usually means you have a print in your hand and a frame shop full of numbers that don’t match. A4 is a paper size, not a frame size, and the mount (the card border around the picture) changes everything. Here’s a plain guide to which frame fits an A4 print, with or without a mount, plus the US Letter equivalent if your print came that size.
First, the size of an A4 print
A4 measures 210 × 297 mm, or roughly 8.3 × 11.7 inches. US Letter, the standard in North America, is 8.5 × 11 inches (216 × 279 mm): a little wider and a little shorter. Every No Hands Art print comes in both sizes, so pick the one that matches the frames you can buy locally.
Option 1: an A4 frame with no mount
The simplest choice. An “A4 frame” has a glass or acrylic opening that takes a 210 × 297 mm sheet edge to edge. The frame’s moulding sits over a few millimetres around the outside, so leave a little breathing room around anything important at the edge of your design. Our posters are laid out with a generous parchment margin for exactly this reason.
Without a mount, the print sits right against the glass. That’s fine for a quick, clean look on a shelf or desk, but it can look slightly cramped on a big wall.
Option 2: an A3 frame with an A4 mount (the classic choice)
This is what most framers mean by “A4 with mount”. The frame itself is A3, 297 × 420 mm, and it comes with a mount whose window is cut to show an A4 picture. The extra card around the print gives it room to breathe and makes a small poster look considered and finished, like something from a gallery rather than a printer.
Check the mount’s aperture (the size of the window). A well-cut A4 mount has an aperture a few millimetres smaller than the print on every side, often around 200 × 287 mm, so the edges of the paper tuck behind the card and stay hidden.
Option 3: 30 × 40 cm frames
Many UK and European shops sell 30 × 40 cm frames with a mount cut for A4. The border ends up slightly narrower than in an A3 frame, which suits a gallery wall where you’re fitting several frames together.
What about US Letter?
If you print the US Letter version, look for an 11 × 14 inch frame with a mount cut for 8.5 × 11. A standard 8 × 10 inch mount opening is a touch too small for Letter and will crop the edges, so check the label before you buy.
Choosing a mount colour
For parchment-toned prints like ours, an off-white or soft ivory mount is the safe choice: bright white can make the paper look yellowed beside it. A cream mount in a dark wood or antique brass frame gives that “always been there” look, which is the whole idea behind the brand.
Two prints that look right in a mount
Lost Time Is Never Found Again
Franklin’s line from Poor Richard’s Almanack, set under an antique brass clock. In an A3 frame with a cream mount it reads like something out of an old library rather than an office poster. See the printed poster.
Lack of Time Is Actually Lack of Priorities
A sharp line for a desk or home office. Mounted in a slim dark frame, the parchment and letterpress type look collected, not bought off a shelf. See the printed poster.
A quick checklist before you buy
- Print size: A4 (210 × 297 mm) or US Letter (8.5 × 11 in)?
- Mount or no mount? With a mount, buy the next frame size up (A3 or 30 × 40 cm for A4; 11 × 14 in for Letter).
- Mount aperture slightly smaller than the print on every side.
- Mount colour: ivory or off-white for parchment prints.
- Glass or acrylic: acrylic is lighter and safer in a child’s room or a hallway.
If you’re printing one of our digital downloads at home first, our guide to printing digital wall art and framing it covers paper and printer settings, and A4 vs Letter explains which size to choose.
Every print we make carries one line about time under a clock with no hands. Many of those lines come from Time’s Richest Harvest, the book behind the posters, so if one stops you on the wall, the book is the full thought behind it.