Common Mistakes When Hanging Art Prints (And Easy Fixes)

Quick answer

Hang prints so the centre of the artwork sits at roughly eye level, usually 145–152 cm from the floor, and treat that as your default before making exceptions. Most art hanging mistakes come from going higher than that, buying a print that is too small for the wall, or spacing a gallery wall so loosely it stops reading as one group. Fix the centre line first, then adjust for furniture and ceiling height.

Almost every art print display mistake I see in homes comes from the same handful of habits: hanging too high, choosing a print that is too small for the wall, and treating a gallery wall like a scattered collection rather than one composition. None of these are hard to fix once you know what to look for.

Below I've taken the most common claims about picture hanging height and print placement and given each one a straight verdict, using what I know from the prints themselves rather than invented rules. Where a print's own format affects the decision, I've said so.

Myth: higher looks more gallery-like

This is the single most common art hanging mistake. Hanging prints too high makes a room feel top-heavy and leaves a dead gap between the artwork and the furniture below it. The fix is simple: measure the centre of the print, not the top edge, and aim for roughly eye level. If you're hanging above a sofa or sideboard, leave 15–25 cm between the top of the furniture and the bottom of the frame so the two read as a pair.

If your ceilings are unusually high, you can nudge the centre line up slightly, but only slightly. The goal is for the print to feel connected to the room, not floating near the ceiling.

• Measure from the floor to the centre of the print, not the hook.
• Aim for 145–152 cm as a starting point, then adjust.
• Keep 15–25 cm between furniture and the bottom of the frame.

Myth: any small print works on any wall

A small print on a large blank wall will always look lost, no matter how well it's hung. This is a scale problem, not a height problem, and it's the second most common art print display mistake. The fix is either to go bigger or to group smaller pieces so the overall shape holds the wall.

Small formats like A5 are brilliant in tight spots, above a desk, or in a cluster, but they need company to hold a big wall. If you're working with an A5 print, plan for two or three together rather than one alone.

• Match the total artwork width to roughly two-thirds of the furniture below it.
• Group small prints rather than hanging one on a large wall.
• Sketch the layout on paper before making any holes.

Myth: gallery walls should be evenly spaced

Even spacing sounds tidy, but it often creates the opposite effect: a grid that feels stiff and disconnected. The real goal is consistent spacing, not identical spacing. Pick a gap, usually 5–8 cm, and keep it roughly the same between every piece so the group reads as one unit.

Gallery wall mistakes usually come from mixing too many frame styles, colours and sizes without a unifying thread. Choose one anchor piece, then let the others support it. If you're working with prints from the same series, that shared colour palette does most of the work for you.

• Pick one anchor piece and build around it.
• Keep gaps consistent, around 5–8 cm.
• Limit frame styles to two at most.

Myth: you need to see the print to choose the spot

You don't. Cutting paper templates to the exact size of your prints and taping them to the wall is the fastest way to test placement before committing. It lets you move things around without patching holes later.

This matters most with prints whose colours shift depending on light. Neon and risograph inks in particular look brighter in person than they do on screen, so a print that seemed subtle online may read much louder on your wall. Test the position at different times of day before you drill.

• Use paper templates the same size as each print.
• Check the wall at morning and evening light.
• Step back at least two metres to judge the layout.

Verdicts on common hanging claims

• Higher is more gallery-like: Hanging prints too high is the most common art hanging mistake. It disconnects the artwork from the furniture below and makes the room feel top-heavy. Verdict: false. Aim for the centre of the print at roughly eye level, 145–152 cm from the floor.
• Small prints can hold any wall: Scale, not height, is usually the problem. A single A5 print on a large blank wall will always look lost, however carefully it's hung. Verdict: false. Group small prints or go bigger.
• Gallery walls need even spacing: Identical gaps create a stiff grid. Consistent gaps of around 5–8 cm read as one composition without feeling rigid. Verdict: false. Consistency beats evenness.
• You must hang the print to judge it: Paper templates the same size as each print let you test placement on the wall without making holes. Verdict: false. Template first, drill second.

Print details that affect hanging

• A5 Creative Juice: Risograph printed in soy based inks in neon pink, orange and green onto paper made from recycled coffee cups. A5, 14.8 × 21 cm, open edition and unsigned. The listing notes that neon tones appear brighter in real life than on screen. Because the neon inks read brighter on the wall than online, this is a print worth testing in its spot before you commit to a hook. Its A5 size also means it holds a wall best in a pair or cluster rather than alone.
• A5 Saucy Risograph Print: Risograph printed using neon pink, sunflower, orange and green inks onto paper made from recycled coffee cups. Open edition, made in London, A5. The warm ink mix pairs naturally with the cooler greens in the Creative Juice print, so the two work well as a gallery wall pair with consistent spacing.
• A2 Rare Artefacts: A silk screen print inspired by a trip to Mexico and the country's handmade traditions, including a family of artisan ceramicists, a town of weavers and the Folk art museum of Mexico City. At A2, this is large enough to anchor a wall on its own, so it doesn't need grouping. Its size makes the centre-line rule more important, since a misplaced large print is far more noticeable than a misplaced small one.

Get the centre line right, match the print to the wall, and keep gallery wall gaps consistent. Those three fixes solve almost every art hanging mistake, and they cost nothing but a tape measure and a bit of paper.