Newsprint yellows and turns brittle faster than most paper. We frame front pages, clippings and magazines on acid-free board behind UV glazing, with no glue on the page.
We frame newspapers, clippings and magazines at 1242 Davie Street: a front page from a historic day, a birth or wedding notice, an article about you or your business, a magazine cover. Newsprint is low-cost paper made to be read once. It carries its own acid, so it turns yellow and brittle with age, and light speeds the change. No frame stops that completely. The right materials slow it.
How the paper is held
A newspaper page is attached with small paper hinges along its top edge to an acid-free backing board, so the sheet hangs flat and can move as the air in the room changes. Acid-free means the board is made so it does not turn acidic and stain the paper it touches. A mat, a border of card with an opening, lies over the page and keeps the glazing off its surface. No glue or tape touches the printed area. Our guide to acid-free mats and backing explains why the board matters so much with acidic paper.
Lamination and heat mounting are permanent, and a page treated that way stops being an original. If keeping the original matters to you, avoid both.
A drawing gets the same care as a printed page: acid-free board behind it and a mat that keeps the glazing off the surface. Broadcasting Anxiety is a graphite drawing on artboard, 30 by 40 cm, of a figure in a shirt with a television set for a head.
A full front page. Shown whole and open, or folded as it was sold with the top half showing.
A clipping. One article or notice, with a wide mat around it. If the page is still whole, bring it whole and decide at the counter whether to cut it.
A whole magazine. The magazine sits in a recess, a shallow space cut to its size in acid-free board, with the cover showing. It stays complete and lifts out when the back of the frame is opened.
A cover or a spread. A single cover, or two facing pages opened flat.
A page with a photograph. An article and a photograph from the same day, side by side, each in its own opening in one mat.
A frame shows one side of a page. If an article continues on the back, decide which side matters more before you come.
Light and glazing
Glazing means the sheet of glass or acrylic at the front of the frame. For newsprint we recommend UV glazing, which filters out ultraviolet light, the part of daylight that does the most damage to paper and ink. Hang the frame on a wall away from direct sun, and away from the steam of a kitchen or bathroom. Our guide to framing works on paper covers the rest.
Original or copy
For a page you cannot replace, there is a second option. A print shop can make a good copy of the page. You frame the copy and store the original flat, in the dark, in an acid-free folder. The copy hangs in the light and the original stays out of it. Many people frame the original anyway, because the real page is what matters to them. Both are sound choices, and we frame either one the same way.
With a painting there is only the original. Whispers Through Ink, an oil on canvas from our gallery, 30 by 40 cm, shows two people sitting on a bed with a typewriter between them, and the real piece is the one that hangs.
A full newspaper page is large, so the frame, the mat and the glazing are large, and size is the main factor. UV glazing costs more than plain glass. Extra openings in the mat add cutting, and a whole magazine needs a deeper frame than a single page. We quote at the counter when we have seen the paper.
What to bring or send
Bring the paper flat between two sheets of stiff cardboard. Old newsprint cracks along a fold when it is bent back and forth, so open a folded page once and leave it open. If you live outside Vancouver, send the size of the page and a photograph. Comics are covered on our comic book framing page, and printed posters under poster framing.
Walk in at 1242 Davie Street during opening hours. Enter your email on this page for a 10% framing code to show at the shop, and see custom framing for everything else we frame.
How it works
1
Bring it in, or send photographs
Walk in to 1242 Davie Street during opening hours. If you are not in Vancouver, send the dimensions and a photograph and we will work from that.
2
We look at the actual piece
What it is made of, what condition it is in, and where it is going to hang all change the answer. You get a straight recommendation and a price for your piece, not a rate card.
3
It is made by hand and fitted
Cut to the piece, using conservation materials, and finished with hanging hardware rated for the actual weight.
Common questions
How do I keep a framed newspaper from turning yellow?
A framed newspaper yellows more slowly behind UV glazing and against acid-free board, on a wall away from direct sun. Newsprint carries its own acid and reacts to light, so no frame stops the change completely. UV glazing filters out ultraviolet light, the part of daylight that does the most damage, and acid-free board keeps the frame from adding acid to the page.
Can a whole magazine be framed without taking it apart?
Yes, a whole magazine can be framed complete, with the cover showing. The magazine rests in a recess, a shallow space cut to its height, width and thickness in acid-free board, and a mat overlaps its edges to hold it in place. No glue or tape touches it. When the back of the frame is opened, the magazine lifts out as it went in.
Should I frame the original newspaper or a copy of it?
Framing the original newspaper and framing a copy are both sound choices. A copy made at a print shop can hang in a bright room while the original stays flat in the dark, where it changes more slowly. The original on the wall is the real page from the day, and it will yellow over time even behind UV glazing. We frame either one the same way.
Can a folded newspaper be framed flat?
Yes, a folded newspaper can be framed open and flat, and the fold stays visible as a line across the page. Old newsprint cracks along a fold when it is bent back and forth, so open the page once, slowly, and leave it open. A front page can also be framed folded as it was sold, with the top half showing.
Can a newspaper article and a photograph go in one frame?
Yes, a newspaper article and a photograph can share one frame. Each sits in its own opening in a single mat, and the openings are cut from one sheet so the spacing is exact. This suits a wedding notice with a wedding photograph, or a sports report with a team picture. Bring both items so the layout can be planned on the counter.
Should a newspaper be laminated before it is framed?
A newspaper that you want to keep as an original should stay unlaminated. Lamination seals the page in plastic with heat and adhesive, and it cannot be undone. A frame with acid-free board and UV glazing protects the page from handling, dust and light, and the page can still be taken out later in the state it went in.
Where should a framed newspaper hang?
A framed newspaper should hang on a wall that gets no direct sun, in a room with dry air. Daylight yellows newsprint and fades its ink, and steam from a kitchen or bathroom makes the paper ripple. A hallway, a study or an office wall away from the window suits it. UV glazing adds protection, and a shaded wall adds more.
10% off your custom framing when you show this code at our shop
We frame, stretch canvas and reframe by hand, in our own workshop inside the gallery at
1242 Davie Street. Enter your email and your code appears right here. Show it at the
counter and we take 10% off the job. The code does not expire.
Send the measurements, what it is made of, and a photograph. We will tell you what it actually needs, including when the answer is that it needs less than you expected.
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Exceptional Service and a Truly Memorable Art Purchase
I had a wonderful experience with Van Art Hub Gallery. I came across two pieces by Melina Ghaemi — *Mad Mirrors* and *Small World in the Hands of a Stranger* — and immediately fell in love with them.
I contacted Van Art Hub Gallery, and they were incredibly helpful throughout the entire process, from arranging the payment to organizing the shipping. At first, I was a little skeptical and nervous about how everything would work, especially since the paintings were still in Iran and it was shortly after the war. But the gallery handled everything with such professionalism and care that my concerns quickly disappeared. Amazingly, they were able to get the paintings to Canada in just two days!
The pieces are absolutely captivating. Even when I picked them up from the frame maker and was simply carrying them to my car, several people stopped and asked me about the paintings. That says a lot about how striking and special Melina Ghaemi’s work is.
A big thank you to Van Art Hub Gallery for making this experience so smooth and enjoyable. I truly appreciated their professionalism, communication, honesty, and integrity throughout the entire process. I would happily work with them again and highly recommend them to anyone interested in purchasing art through the gallery.
I got my order today and your work is really good. I didn’t expect to get a certificate for this painting, it was a surprise. Thanks for caring about small details.
The support team was really helpful and followed up nicely, wich I really appreciated. The painting is just like the photo – great quality and very detalied. I just wish it arrived a bit sooner, but honestly it was worth the wait.
I received my painting today. The support team was great and very responsive. The artwork is exactly what I was hoping for – even more beautifull in person. Truly a valuable piece. I’ll definetely order again. Thank you!
