What is included in the box

A framed poster ships as a single assembled unit, not as separate parts you build yourself. The glass or acrylic face, the print, the backing board and the frame are already joined. The hanging device is attached at the factory or by the framer before dispatch, so you do not need to fit it on arrival. That is the practical meaning of ready to hang, and it is the part most buyers care about most. The box is heavier than an unframed print and needs two hands to move it safely. Open it flat on a table rather than on the floor, and check the corners before lifting it against a wall.

The frame itself is the main variable. A thin metal frame is light and the supplied hanger is usually enough for a normal bedroom wall. A deeper wooden frame carries more weight and the same wire may feel less secure on a plasterboard wall with no stud behind it. None of this is specific to Boitel. It is the difference between a framed poster and a stretched canvas, which hangs from a cleat or a bracket built into the stretcher bars. If you are comparing the two, the framed poster is the one that arrives with a hanging device already in place. Still Life, Canvas is the canvas option in the same range, and it hangs differently.

What you still need to do

Ready to hang does not mean ready for every wall. The hanger or wire supplied with a framed poster is designed for a solid fixing, usually a single nail or screw driven into a wall plug or a stud. A hollow plasterboard wall may hold a light frame with a specialist plug, but a heavier frame is safer with a finding screwed into a stud or a masonry wall. The gap between those two situations is where most installation problems happen, and it is the one thing the box cannot solve for you. Measure the frame first, then choose the fixing before you make the hole.

The second task is positioning. A framed poster has a fixed orientation, so you decide whether the top edge sits at eye level or higher on a blank wall. A wire hanger lets the frame sit a little lower than the fixing point, which matters when you are trying to balance it above a console or a bed. If you want the frame perfectly level, use a spirit level on the top edge before you drive the fixing. That is the only step that turns a framed poster from something you own into something that reads as intentional on the wall. How do I choose between a canvas print and a framed poster for Maurice Boitel's work? covers the choice that comes before this one.

When the supplied fixing is not enough

The most common reason a framed poster does not feel ready to hang is the wall, not the frame. A wire hanger on a single nail works on a solid interior wall and on a plasterboard wall with a suitable plug. It is less reliable on a heavy frame hung from a hollow wall with no finding behind it. If you are hanging the frame above a bed or a sofa, the vibration from daily use can work a loose nail free over time. A screw into a plug or a stud solves that without any change to the frame itself.

A second situation is a wall that cannot take a nail at all, such as tile, glass or a rendered surface that chips under a hammer. In that case the frame is still ready to hang in the ordinary sense, but you need a different fixing method, such as a suction cup hanger for glass or a specialist adhesive for tile. Those are bought separately and are not part of the standard shipment. The frame itself is not the problem. The problem is that ready to hang describes the object, not the wall it will sit on. How long does shipping take for a Maurice Boitel print from Auvrique? is the separate question about transit time.