How Much Does Michaels Custom Framing Cost?

Updated on August 28, 2026 | Written by Alec Pow
This article was researched using 13 sources. See our methodology and corrections policy.

Michaels custom framing currently starts at $29 for its 10-Minute Custom Framing photo product, while in-store Everyday Value Packages run from $79 to $529 for standard sizes from 8×10 through 32×40. Fully customized mouldings, oversized pieces, jerseys, shadowboxes, canvases, and 3D objects are priced by the project and can cost more than the published package range.

The price depends on which Michaels framing service you are actually buying. A digital Framed Photo currently starts at $49 for 5×7 and reaches $194 at 32×40, while bringing a physical item into a store for an Everyday Value Package starts at $79. The difference matters because the old low prices often quoted for Michaels refer to printed digital-photo products, not necessarily to framing artwork you already own.

For the in-store Value Packages, size is only one price driver. At 32×40, the Standard package costs $199, Deluxe costs $379, and Premium costs $529. The art stays the same size, but upgraded moulding, additional mats, and anti-reflective glazing can add hundreds of dollars.

Article Highlights

• Michaels’ current 10-Minute Custom Framing photo option is advertised at $29 (at $30 per hour, earning that amount would take about 58 minutes, before taxes).
• In-store Everyday Value Packages run from $79 to $529 across published 8×10 to 32×40 sizes.
• Digital Framed Photos run from $49 to $194 and should not be confused with in-store framing of a physical artwork.
• At 32×40, upgrading from Standard at $199 to Premium at $529 adds $330, or about 165.8%.
• On one current 5×7 online configuration, changing only the selected moulding takes the promotional price from $81.60 to $194.10, a $112.50 difference.
• Normal Michaels coupons exclude custom framing, although Michaels runs dedicated framing promotions and currently advertises an extra 10% off eligible in-store custom framing for cardmembers.
• Current Michaels turnaround guidance is 7–10 days for standard delivery, 3–5 days expedited, and 14–21 days for regular store pickup on online custom orders.

How Much Does Michaels Custom Framing Cost?

Artwork size	Standard Value Package	Deluxe Value Package	Premium Value Package
8×10	$79 (about 2.6 hours of work at $30 per hour)	$109	$179
11×14	$89	$129	$199
16×20	$129	$209	$299
20×24	$149	$249	$329
24×36	$179	$329	$429
32×40	$199	$379	$529

These are Michaels’ current published Everyday Value Package prices. Standard includes standard-level moulding, UV-protective glass, one standard mat, and preservation fit and mount. Deluxe adds deluxe-level moulding, anti-reflective UV-protective glass, and two mats. Premium includes premium-level moulding, anti-reflective UV-protective glass, and three standard mats.

For outside market context, HomeGuide currently places typical professional picture framing at $50 to $500, with a reported national average of $275 and some projects reaching $700. Michaels’ fixed package table therefore spans much of the broader custom-framing market before specialty work is considered.

Four Different Ways to Buy

10-Minute Custom Framing: Michaels currently advertises this at $29. You upload a digital image, Michaels prints and frames it, and the product is designed for quick in-store pickup. It includes an acid-free mat, UV-protective acrylic, and hanging hardware. This is the lowest-cost custom-looking option, but it is not the same service as bringing in an original painting, diploma, textile, or collectible.

Framed Photos: Michaels’ current digital framed-photo price schedule starts at $49 for 5×7, then lists $69 for 8×10, $79 for 11×14, $99 for 16×20, $139 for 24×36, and $194 for 32×40. These prices include the printed image, conservation-quality mat where applicable, conservation-clear acrylic, and frame.

Everyday Value Packages: These are the in-store Standard, Deluxe, and Premium packages in the table above. They are the cleanest published benchmark for someone who already has a physical picture or artwork and wants professional custom framing at a known package price.

Full custom and specialty framing: Michaels also frames jerseys, memorabilia, canvases, documents, mirrors, and three-dimensional objects. These projects do not fit neatly into one nationwide fixed-price table. Michaels says the final estimate depends on the selections and current promotion, so a store or online frame-builder quote is the useful number for specialty work.

What You’re Paying For

Custom framing is a combination of the moulding around the artwork, glazing in front of it, mats or spacers, mounting method, backing, hardware, and the labor needed to measure and assemble the finished piece. The choice of materials can matter as much as the dimensions.

Michaels’ Standard package uses UV-protective glass and one mat. Deluxe and Premium move to anti-reflective UV-protective glass and add more mats. Online frames commonly use conservation-clear acrylic instead of glass. Acrylic is lighter and more resistant to shattering, while different glass products can offer different levels of reflection control and preservation.

The item itself also changes the job. A flat print can be matted and mounted conventionally. A jersey or other three-dimensional object needs depth, positioning, and a shadowbox-style presentation. A loose canvas may need stretching before it can be framed. Michaels’ current framing process guide confirms that loose canvas can be stretched and mounted as part of a custom project.

A 5×7 Can Cost $81.60 or $194.10

Michaels’ online frame builder gives a rare look at how much moulding alone can change the bill. Under the current 70%-off online promotion, a 5×7 digital photo in a 1-inch flat matte black frame is $81.60. The displayed configuration includes a standard mat and conservation-clear acrylic.

Keep the same 5×7 photo size but switch to a 1 15/16-inch ornate gold moulding and the current promotional price becomes $194.10.

The difference is:

$194.10 – $81.60 = $112.50.

Relative to the matte-black configuration:

$112.50 ÷ $81.60 = about 137.9% more.

The ornate configuration therefore costs about 2.38 times as much even though the uploaded image remains 5×7. Michaels displays higher “Traditional Retail” reference values for both configurations, so the useful comparison here is between the actual promotional prices shown at the same time rather than between the struck-through reference prices.

Premium Materials

The official Value Package table lets us isolate another large price swing without changing the artwork dimensions.

At 32×40:

Standard = $199
Deluxe = $379
Premium = $529

Moving from Standard to Premium adds:

$529 – $199 = $330.

That is:

$330 ÷ $199 = about 165.8% more.

Across all six published Value Package sizes, the Premium-minus-Standard dollar premiums are $100, $110, $170, $180, $250, and $330. Their average is:

($100 + $110 + $170 + $180 + $250 + $330) ÷ 6 = $190.

So across Michaels’ published size ladder, choosing Premium instead of Standard adds an average of $190 to these six package examples. For a replaceable poster, that upgrade may be hard to justify. For art displayed in a bright room or a piece where lower reflections and the finished presentation matter, the extra glazing, moulding, and mat layers may be the point of paying for custom work.

How Michaels Framing Sales Work

The old strategy of bringing a generic Michaels coupon to the frame counter is no longer reliable. Michaels’ current coupon policy excludes custom framing from its normal item and entire-purchase coupons.

Instead, Michaels runs framing-specific promotions. Its current custom-framing site advertises 70% off selected online custom frames. The sale terms exclude categories such as Value Packages, same-day custom framing, photo gifts, value canvas, expedited shipping, and certain other services, so the banner percentage should not be applied to every framing product in the store.

Michaels Cardmembers also currently receive an extra 10% off eligible in-store custom framing under the card program’s terms, with the discount taken after applicable custom-framing promotions. That offer does not apply to online purchases at MichaelsCustomFraming.com. A buyer using the card should compare the savings with the card terms and avoid carrying interest merely to earn a framing discount.

The safest approach is to compare the actual final quote. Michaels itself says custom-framing pricing depends on the chosen design and current promotion, and the online builder changes the total in real time as the frame, mat, and glazing change.

Michaels vs Other Framers

Michaels is not automatically the cheapest or the most expensive. The comparison depends on whether the competing quote includes similar moulding, matting, UV protection, anti-reflective glazing, mounting, and shipping.

Simply Framed currently publishes starting custom-frame prices of $55 at 8×10, $80 at 16×20, $127 at 24×30, and $188 at 30×40. Those are starting prices rather than direct equivalents to Michaels’ Deluxe or Premium packages, but they show that online specialists can be competitive at common sizes.

Hobby Lobby takes a different approach and says its custom frame mouldings are always 50% off the marked frame price, with the discount applying to the frame rather than every component of the finished project. Our separate Hobby Lobby custom framing cost guide looks at that competitor in more detail.

Recent community reports also show why getting both quotes can pay. In February 2026, one framing customer reported a Michaels promotional quote of $186 for a 12×12 painting and $128 from a local framer for what the poster described as the same frame style. That is anecdotal rather than a national pricing rule, but it is a good reason to compare specifications instead of assuming a chain or independent shop will always win.

When Custom Framing Makes Sense

Low-cost photo case: if the goal is simply to turn a digital image into a framed gift, the current $29 10-Minute option can make far more sense than designing a $100-plus full-custom frame.

16×20 physical artwork case: the published Standard Value Package is $129, Deluxe is $209, and Premium is $299. Upgrading from Standard to Premium adds $170. For a replaceable print, Standard may be enough. For meaningful or light-sensitive art, the anti-reflective glazing and extra presentation options may justify spending more.

32×40 display case: the same published package ladder is $199, $379, and $529. A buyer choosing Premium over Standard is committing an extra $330. At that price level, it is worth getting a second quote from another framer with closely matched materials.

Custom framing makes the most sense when the piece is valuable, sentimental, unusually sized, difficult to mount, or important enough that presentation and preservation justify the extra cost. An inexpensive standard-size poster may be better served by an off-the-shelf frame.

Specialty projects also have different economics. A sports jersey needs a deeper presentation than a flat photograph, so our guide to the cost of framing a jersey or T-shirt is a better comparison for memorabilia. If the piece itself is being created for an event, the cost of live wedding painter services can put the framing bill in context.

What We Verified

• Checked: all 18 current Standard, Deluxe, and Premium Value Package prices directly against Michaels’ in-store framing table.
• Confirmed: the $49 to $194 Framed Photo prices are a separate digital-print product rather than the same thing as bringing in physical art for a Value Package.
• Cross-referenced: two current 5×7 online builds and calculated a $112.50, or 137.9%, price difference caused largely by the selected moulding.
• Verified: Michaels’ normal coupons currently exclude custom framing, while framing-specific promotions have separate terms and exclusions.
• Checked: Michaels’ current published turnaround of 7–10 days standard delivery, 3–5 days expedited, and 14–21 days store pickup for regular online custom framing.
• Compared: Michaels’ current pricing structure with published independent framing prices from HomeGuide, Simply Framed, and Hobby Lobby.

Answers to Common Questions

How much does Michaels custom framing cost?
The current advertised entry point is $29 for 10-Minute Custom Framing of an uploaded photo. In-store Everyday Value Packages run from $79 to $529 across published sizes and package levels. Fully customized specialty work is quoted by project.

How much does Michaels charge to frame a 16×20?
For the current in-store Value Packages, a 16×20 costs $129 Standard, $209 Deluxe, or $299 Premium. A digitally printed 16×20 Framed Photo is currently $99, which is a different product.

Can I use a Michaels coupon on custom framing?
Normal Michaels coupons currently exclude custom framing. Michaels runs separate custom-framing promotions with their own eligible collections and exclusions.

How long does Michaels custom framing take?
For regular online custom framing, Michaels currently lists 7–10 days for standard delivery, 3–5 days for expedited delivery, and 14–21 days for store pickup. The separate 10-Minute Custom Framing product is intended for much faster in-store pickup.

Is Michaels custom framing worth it?
It can be for sentimental art, unusual sizes, jerseys, canvases, or pieces that benefit from custom mounting and UV-protective materials. For an inexpensive standard-size print, a ready-made frame can cost far less.