Canvas, acrylic or metal: which should you choose?
Choose canvas for a matte, warm photo you can hang almost anywhere, acrylic for vivid colour and depth, aluminium for a clean, modern look that can go in a kitchen or bathroom, wood for something natural, and a poster if you like to change things around. The biggest difference is gloss: the glossier the surface, the deeper the colours, but the more of the window you see in it.
By Edwin van Boven · updated 12 November 2026
The five materials side by side
| Material | Surface | Suits | Watch out for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Canvas | Matte, with a fine woven texture | Portraits, painterly images, large sizes | Very fine detail looks a little softer |
| Acrylic | High gloss, colours look deeper | Vivid colour, night shots, strong contrast | Reflects a window or lamp opposite |
| Aluminium | Smooth and flat, no frame | Landscapes, cityscapes, close-ups | Less depth than acrylic; a dent stays |
| Wood | Warm and natural | Clear shapes, warm colours | Not for damp rooms |
| Poster | Matte, satin or gloss paper | Changing often, a smaller budget, a frame of your choice | Easily damaged without a frame |
Canvas: matte and forgiving
Canvas is fabric stretched over a frame. Ours is polyester or polycotton, 280 to 380 gsm. The surface is matte with a fine texture, like a painting.
How it looks. Because canvas hardly reflects, you can hang it straight across from a window. The texture softens the image slightly. For portraits, skin, landscapes and images that already look like a painting, that works in its favour. On a photo with small lettering or tiny details, you will notice it.
The edges. The image wraps around the sides of the frame, so a strip of a few centimetres all round ends up on the side. Keep heads and important details away from the edge of your photo.
Hanging. Canvas is light for its size, and nothing breaks if it falls. That makes it a safe choice for a child’s room.
The weak point. Fabric and frame don’t like moisture, so keep canvas out of the bathroom. Dust it with a dry, soft cloth, never a wet one.
Acrylic vs metal: depth or a clean look?
These two are the ones people compare most. Acrylic (often sold as plexiglass) gives depth and shine. Aluminium, which is what most shops mean by a metal print, gives a flat, modern look and copes better with damp. Here is each in more detail.
Acrylic: depth and gloss
We print on acrylic glass 3 mm or 5 mm thick. From the front they look the same; 5 mm feels more solid and weighs more.
How it looks. The glossy surface makes colours look deeper and blacks darker. A night photo, a sunset or a brightly coloured AI image comes out strongly.
Weight. Acrylic weighs about 1.2 kg per litre. Without a hanging system that works out at roughly:
| Size | 3 mm | 5 mm |
|---|---|---|
| 30 x 40 cm | 0.4 kg | 0.7 kg |
| 50 x 70 cm | 1.3 kg | 2.1 kg |
| 80 x 120 cm | 3.4 kg | 5.7 kg |
A large panel belongs on a proper wall plug, not a picture nail. Acrylic, aluminium and wood come with or without a hanging system on the back, canvas with or without a hanging kit.
The weak point. Gloss reflects. With a window or a lamp opposite, you will see it in your photo. Fingerprints show, and acrylic scratches more easily than ordinary glass. Clean it with a soft microfibre cloth and a little water, not a glass cleaner with alcohol or ammonia. The upside compared with glass: acrylic doesn’t shatter into sharp pieces.
Aluminium: clean, and fine with damp
On an aluminium print, your image is printed in full colour onto a metal panel and cut to size, without a frame.
How it looks. Modern and flat, with crisp edges. Bright photos with strong contrast, such as landscapes, city scenes and close-ups, suit it well.
Where it can hang. Aluminium doesn’t rust or warp, which makes it the material for a kitchen or bathroom, as long as it’s out of the shower spray. It is light and rigid, so even a large size stays flat.
The weak point. It doesn’t have the depth of acrylic. And if it falls on a corner, the dent stays. When you compare print shops, check the type of panel: on brushed aluminium the metal shows through the light parts of your photo; on white-coated aluminium it doesn’t.
Wood: warm and natural
On a wood print, your image is printed directly onto a wooden panel. That gives a warm, natural feel that suits images with clear shapes and warm colours, such as a silhouette, a line drawing or an autumn landscape.
The weak point. Depending on how it’s printed, the wood grain can show through the light parts. That’s part of the charm, but a photo with a lot of white or soft skin tones looks less even. Wood also reacts to moisture and heat, so don’t hang it in a bathroom or right above a radiator.
Poster: light and easy to change
A poster is paper: matte, satin or gloss, ours from 135 to 300 gsm, from A4 to A0. Matte doesn’t reflect; gloss gives deeper colours but reflects, just like acrylic.
The weak point. Paper creases, marks and curls at the edges. In a frame with a clear front it’s protected. The upside: a poster is usually the cheapest and lightest option, so it’s easy to replace when your child grows up or your taste changes.
Which material where?
- Living room with big windows: canvas or a matte poster, because they don’t reflect.
- Kitchen or bathroom: aluminium, out of the shower spray.
- Child’s room: canvas or a poster; light, and nothing breaks if it falls.
- Vivid colours on a wall with no window opposite: acrylic.
- Full sun: no material is immune. Colours fade over time in direct sunlight, so avoid hanging a photo in full sun for years.
Is your photo big enough?
The material makes little difference to sharpness; the number of pixels does. A large panel is viewed from further away, so it needs fewer pixels per centimetre than a small print. How far a phone photo goes is explained in is your photo good enough to print large. For your own photo, the print size checker tells you per size, right in your browser.