The Advent of AI, Flexible Wide-Format Printing Solutions, and the Growing Number of Images Captured Offer New Revenue Opportunities for Professional Framers.

By Dan Steinhardt

Custom frame shops cater to a range of customers, from the everyday smartphone user displaying their favorite memories to the pro photographer displaying their work. With nearly 2 billion photos uploaded to social media daily, the number of images shared online underscores an opportunity for picture framing professionals to turn this abundance of content into new revenue opportunities.

As AI increasingly impacts how images are created, understanding AI tools and learning how to leverage the latest technology to enhance workflows and create high-quality images for customers will help set frame shops apart. In addition, with the onset of wide-format printing technology designed to accommodate a range of applications and specialty media, picture framers can get ahead in the coming year by serving as expert resources, offering high-quality, personalized one-stop-shop services for customers looking to turn their images into tangible works for display, gifts and more. 

Turning the Digital into the Tangible

Creating prints worthy of framing will help differentiate framing professionals as most consumers do not consider that the images on their phones can be printed. Forward-looking framing shops can market their websites as a resource for customers to upload images, enabling them to go after the mass market opportunity, with the added benefit of offering custom framing services. However, images captured on smartphones often lack the resolution needed for high-quality printing as most are not using the RAW setting available on smartphones for maximizing quality and resolution. With the increasing number of low-resolution smartphone images, how can framers ensure customer images are print worthy?

Today, there are a range of AI-enabled options available to address lower-resolution images you could not print previously. Framers can easily implement software into workflows to make a photo worthy of printing and at larger sizes. In addition to AI features in Adobe Creative Cloud applications, there are standalone applications, such as offerings from Topaz Labs that can up-res files and also address images that have motion blur and/or high levels of noise. Now if an image is print-worthy, it is also frame-worthy.

If You Can Print It, You Can Frame It

Using the latest AI tools, the framing industry is faced with a unique opportunity to capitalize on the constant demand for physical memories by offering high-quality printing. From standard prints to canvas wraps, adding in-house printing can help framers differentiate from competitors in the evolving and increasingly competitive digital landscape.

Today there are a range of printing options for use in framing, including compact photo printers, ranging from desktop solutions to floor-standing models, that support a variety of media, expanding the output capabilities for framing shops. These aqueous solutions are designed for high-quality output and offer benefits such as an expanded color gamut and support for multiple media types, producing wide-format prints for framing, canvas, and custom posters. In addition to the expanded color gamut, aqueous-based printers also have long-lasting print permanence, with prints produced on certain aqueous printers delivering up to 200 years for color prints and up to 400 years for B&W when combined with select media.

Incorporating large-format printing into services simplifies the framing process for customers, making the frame shop the only destination from start to finish. Framing shops can leverage the opportunity to market printing and upload services via their websites. A large-format printer also enables framers to expand the output applications offered to customers. After all, the bigger the print, the bigger the profit opportunity for additional customized framing services.

In addition, the personalization industry has been growing steadily, allowing framers to add additional ROI opportunities. Customers are willing to pay more for a unique, customized product that reflects their personal story, from distinctive frame materials to a handwritten message on a photo to colorized enhancements on the print itself.

Using readily available software, picture framers can manage the business investment in digital printing by tracking jobs and planning for future workflows. For example, Epson Cloud Solution PORT remote monitoring system, available on select Epson professional printers, is a cloud-based service that enables framing professionals to improve the planning and costing of their print production, analyze productivity, receive operational updates about the print jobs, ink levels, and maintenance status.

Print Permanence: Looking at 2025 and Beyond

The credibility and reputation of picture framers are rooted in their ability to provide a reliable method for people to preserve memories and for photographers to display their work with confidence. Understanding permanence and implementing the right workflow will help differentiate custom shops from competitors who may not implement the same technology or possess the acumen to educate customers.

Print permanence refers to how well a printed image resists fading, yellowing, and other forms of degradation over time. With inkjet, print permanence is based on the ink and media used, and the environmental conditions the print is exposed to, including light, heat, relative humidity and atmospheric pollutants like ozone.

There are three categories of papers—photo, fine art/matte, and canvas—offering varying levels of print permanence. Most manufacturers of digital photographic materials follow industry-accepted test practices. Comparative testing by an independent third party, such as Wilhelm Imaging Research, allows professionals to make informed decisions based on how different products perform relative to each other under the same display conditions. The primary benefit of third-party testing from an entity such as Wilhelm Imaging Resource is the unbiased data that gives framers apples-to-apples comparisons to make informed decisions about the media and ink used for a customer’s project.

Looking Ahead: Ensuring “The Why” for Customers

In 2025, providing a personalized experience will enhance customer engagement and loyalty. Moreover, serving as a resource and expert on creating high-quality prints, producing unique framing products, and print permanence proficiency will undoubtedly help custom framing professionals stand out in the increasingly disruptive landscape.

When every framed print tells a story, focusing on “the why” remains the foundational component for success. Why is the image or piece of art important to the customer to display or preserve? Using the why, how can a framer customize the final product in a way that best reflects their customer’s personal story?

By embracing a customer-centric approach and understanding the deeper meaning behind each project, custom framing professionals can elevate their services beyond standard framing. When every frame tells a story and every detail reflects the customer’s vision, the result is not just a finished product but also a lasting connection.

In 2025 and beyond, success will come to those who blend technical expertise and craftsmanship with, creativity, and a focus on the why, creating memorable products that inspire loyalty and set their business apart.