What Comes in the Box With a Custom Print

Hanging hardware is the small print most buyers forget to check until the print arrives. Here is what custom print sellers typically include, what they do not, and how to avoid a second purchase.

Auvrique Editorial · Fine Art Editions

The short answer

Most reproduction sellers, including those offering Aaron Douglas editions through custom print services, ship framed prints with hanging hardware included at no extra cost. Canvas prints often ship without a kit, since stretched canvas can hang on a single nail. Check the product page before ordering, because policies vary by seller and format.

What sellers usually include

The short answer for framed prints is that a hanging kit is nearly always included. Sellers of reproduction editions treat the hardware as part of the frame, the way a picture framer would. A typical kit holds wire or D-rings, screws, and a wall hook or two, enough for a print in the 12 by 16 to 24 by 36 inch range. Nothing is added to the price. If a seller charged separately for a hook and a screw, buyers would notice and say so in reviews.

Canvas is the exception worth knowing about before you order. A stretched canvas usually arrives with a hanging bracket or sawtooth hanger pre-attached, sometimes with nothing at all, because a stretched canvas can rest on a single nail driven at an angle. Anyone weighing up formats can compare how a canvas edition hangs against a framed poster before committing, since the mounting method is part of that decision. Neither format should require a separate hardware purchase from a third seller.

Where buyers get caught out

The real extra cost is rarely the kit. It is the wall fixing for your specific surface. A standard hook suits plasterboard and most interior walls. Brick, tile and stone need anchors and a masonry drill, and no print seller supplies those, because they cannot know your wall. Budget a few dollars for the right anchor if you hang on masonry, and assume the included kit covers everything else.

Two habits prevent surprises. First, read the product page line that lists included accessories for wall mounting before checkout, not after delivery. Second, if the listing is silent, ask the seller directly. A seller who answers with a specific list of parts is one who packs them. Vague answers are the signal to buy hardware alongside the print. This matters more for large formats, where weight shifts the hardware requirement, a point covered in more depth in the size guide for hallway placements.

Check before ordering

Confirm the product page lists a hanging kit or pre-attached hardware.
Ask the seller directly if the listing is silent on accessories.
Budget separately for masonry anchors if your wall is brick or stone.
Match hardware weight ratings to large formats above 30 inches.

Hanging a print without a kit

If a print arrives without hardware, the fix is cheap and takes minutes. D-rings and braided wire cost under ten dollars at any hardware shop. Screw two D-rings into the frame sides a third of the way down, string wire between them with a few inches of slack, and hang on a single hook. This method also lets you level the print with a nudge, which fixed brackets do not allow.

Heavier pieces deserve a second look at the wall side of the equation. Anything above roughly ten pounds should sit on a hook rated for its weight, driven into a stud where possible. Canvas prints carry their hardware differently from framed posters, and the difference between the two formats is set out plainly in the comparison of canvas and framed poster mounting. Get that right once and the print stays level for years.

The kit is never the hidden cost. The wall is.

Format	Hardware included	Extra purchase needed
Framed print	Wire, D-rings, wall hooks	None for standard walls
Stretched canvas	Bracket or sawtooth, sometimes none	None, hangs on a nail
Any format on brick	Kit as above	Masonry anchors, a few dollars

Typical hardware by format

Key takeaways

Framed prints from reproduction sellers almost always ship with a hanging kit at no extra cost.
Canvas prints may include a pre-attached hanger or nothing, because stretched canvas hangs on a single nail.
The only common extra purchase is masonry anchors for brick, tile or stone walls.
Read the included accessories line on the product page before checkout to avoid surprises.

Related questions

Do canvas prints need special hardware to hang?

Usually not. A stretched canvas is light for its size and can hang on a single nail driven at an angle into the stretcher bar. Many sellers attach a sawtooth hanger or wire anyway. Above roughly 30 inches wide, use two points and a level, since large canvases drift on a single nail.

What tools do I need to hang a framed print?

A hammer, a hook, and a spirit level cover most framed prints. The hanging kit supplies the wire, D-rings and hooks. Add a drill and wall anchors only if you are fixing into brick, tile or stone, where a plain nail will not hold. The whole job takes under fifteen minutes.

Is hanging hardware different for large prints?

Yes. Prints above about 24 by 36 inches, or heavier than ten pounds, need hooks rated for the weight and ideally two fixing points. A stud finder helps on plasterboard walls. The kit included with the print covers the frame side; the wall side is your responsibility and depends on your wall type.

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