How to hang prints without ruining them

Every artist has a story about a print getting bent, torn, or covered in a sticky handprint at a con. Prints are usually the most time-intensive, highest-cost item on the table, and they're also the most fragile thing you're asking strangers to handle. How you hang them matters as much as the art itself.

Bags first, always

This should go without saying but it doesn't always: every print facing outward should be in a clear sleeve or bag before it goes anywhere near a clip or a wall. Sweaty hands, spilled drinks, and general con chaos will ruin a bare print in seconds. Bagging costs you a few cents per print and saves you from remaking your entire stock mid-show.

Clips versus tape versus grommets

Small bulldog clips or wooden clothespins on a wire or string are the standard for a reason, they're reusable, they don't damage the print, and repositioning takes two seconds. Tape is fine for temporary signage but leaves residue and can tear the print on removal, avoid it for anything you're trying to keep pristine. Grommets and actual frames look the most premium but they're slower to set up and take real table or wall depth, better suited to your two or three hero pieces than your whole print run.

• Clip through the sleeve, not the bare print, if you can
• Leave a couple centimetres of clearance so prints don't touch each other and smudge or crease
• Weight the bottom of any hanging print run so wind or foot traffic doesn't send it swinging into the next one

Height and sightlines

Your prints should be visible from the aisle, not just from directly in front of your table. Hang your strongest pieces at a height that catches the eye of someone walking past, generally just above table height up to about head height for a seated vendor. Anything hung too high gets missed entirely, anything too low competes with what's actually sitting on the table.

Building the actual hanging structure

A grid of string or wire clipped between two poles works, but it sags over a long day and needs constant re-tensioning. A rigid panel wall behind the table solves that because the structure doesn't flex, and you can clip directly onto the panel edges or run a wire between two fixed points that won't loosen up by hour six. It also means you can rearrange your print layout between shows without re-drilling or re-stringing anything, you're just moving panels and clips.

For most single-table setups, this is the most common use we see for the Shapeshift kit, a stable backdrop wall that holds a full grid of clipped prints without the sag that string setups get by the afternoon.

Protecting prints in transit, not just on display

Ruined prints don't only happen on the table. Stiff backing boards behind your bagged prints stop them from bending in your carry case, and packing them flat rather than rolled avoids the curl that never quite goes away. If you're driving to a con, prints go on top of the pile, never underneath something heavy.

Quick reference

None of this is complicated, it's mostly about not skipping the sleeve and giving your prints something rigid to hang from. Do that and the worst thing that happens to your art all weekend is someone loving it enough to buy it.

Curious what a Shapeshift kit actually looks like in person? Head to the Artist Booths homepage to see the full lineup and find the one that fits your table.