I’ve always struggled to decorate the walls in my home with beautiful artwork and photos, positioned in just the right places. I’m getting better at it, though, partly because I’ve learned some handy tricks that let me focus on using technology for assistance so that I’m less anxious about my artistic inability.

With some specialty paper, a printer, and a few other items, you can create and hang your own photos and wall art with minimal stress.

Printing Photos and Graphic Illustrations
If you have some artwork and photos you want to hang on your walls, chances are you can actually print a decent quality version of them yourself. “Consumer printers are largely focused on photo quality,” says Tony Hoffman, a printer analyst here at PCMag. In other words, if you have a color printer in your home, chances are it’s fully equipped for printing photos that will be of high enough quality that you’ll be able to hang them on your walls without embarrassment. Use glossy photo paper, and you should be all set.

Graphic illustrations, however, are another story.

Which type of printer to use? Small business printers tend to be better designed to handle materials with graphics since businesses often need brochures, flyers, and other materials with graphics. Laser, LED-based printers used in small offices usually fall considerably short for photos, says Hoffman.

I asked illustrator and artist Michael Marsicano(Opens in a new window) (on Twitter @MMillo(Opens in a new window)) if it’s possible to print good-looking graphic illustrations at home that would be suitable to frame and hang.

“It’s absolutely possible to print your own artwork at home,” Marsicano says. He prints his works on 190gsm(Opens in a new window) warm tone rag paper—which has “a nice tangible quality and doesn’t disrupt any contrast or tone,” he says—using an Epson Stylus Photo inkjet printer. “The color match is top-notch,” he adds.

Be sure to adjust your printer’s settings for not only the paper size, but also its weight. In test-printing one of Marsicano’s illustration, Hoffman and I cycled through more sheets of expensive 190gsm paper than I had anticipated trying to get it just right. In the image below (one of Marsicano’s illustrations), the left print was not adjusted for paper weight in the printer settings, and you can see color separation along the edge especially. The print on the right was adjusted correctly.

The Epson Stylus Photo R2000 ($1,699.99 at Amazon)(Opens in a new window) , R2880 ($1,699.99 at Amazon)(Opens in a new window) , and R3000 were all named PCMag Editors’ Choices, and they range in price from around $499 to $800. Depending on your needs, you may want a model that can print on heavy stock 13-by-19 inch paper(Opens in a new window) (the R300 does), and those models typically list at the higher end of the price spectrum.

Quality, color, and ink. Marsicano also recommends making sure your digital works are of high enough quality to start. “Obviously, low-resolution and image compression can impact a print, especially if it is on a larger scale. Keep it at 300dpi, and avoid printing JPGs if possible. And don’t skimp on the ink! While a full replacement can be in excess of $100, Epson ink really delivers.”

Hoffman had a few other pointers for graphic illustrations, noting that large swathes of dark colors often don’t print as well as lighter colors, unless you have a printer that specifically has a black ink tank. Otherwise, “black” will actually be a mix of all the other colors, and, for your wall art, it could be noticeable. So if you have your pick of images, steer away from black backgrounds and lean toward lighter colors and gradients.

Outsourcing options. Certainly, there are times when printing at home isn’t the best option. What if you want to print onto canvas? Or what if you own a printer that meets your day-to-day needs but can’t hold large enough paper for your wall art and you only have a few prints to make? In those kinds of cases, you should outsource the job, and you have two basic options: go local or use an online company that will mail you your prints.

For the first option, copy your art files onto a USB stick and head over to your favorite office supply store, which will be able to print poster-sized works, or glossy prints, or whatever you need. And you’ll probably want a poster roll container to transport it home, so pick one up if the store doesn’t offer it to you automatically. Depending on what you’re printing, you may want to call ahead to make sure they have what you want in stock, or bring your own.

For the second option, you can use an online service such as Shutterfly(Opens in a new window) or EasyCanvasPrints(Opens in a new window). While the cost can add up, these services offer a lot of options for the type of product you can create—acrylic prints, canvas prints, posters, wood wall art—and you can often get good deals if you order several pieces at once, such as a wall display package.

Hanging Your Art
There’s an easy way to figure out how you’ll hang your artwork without punching half a dozen holes in your wall. It’s an absolutely essential method for designing collage wall art projects.

You’ll need a printer, a ruler, and a level. If you don’t have a level, you can find a level tool app on most smartphones (Bubble Level for Android(Opens in a new window), for example, or iHandy Level for iPhone(Opens in a new window)). If you want a tool that can help you align photos on diagonals and such, you could invest in a laser level, such as the GTL2 from Bosch(Opens in a new window).

Here’s what to do:

1. Create shape outlines that are the same size as your frames (or mirror, or whatever you plan to hang on your walls) using the software program of your choice, or a sheet of paper and a ruler if you’re going low-tech. You don’t need any fancy vector art software. Microsoft Word or Google Drive’s document or drawing apps. If you have a round frame with a six-inch diameter, draw a six-inch diameter circle. If you have a four-by-six inch frame, outline a rectangle with those dimensions.

If your artwork or frames are larger than the printer paper you have on hand, you can just tape together pages, overlapping them as necessary to create the size you need. Or you can just draw on a larger sheet of paper the correct outline. There are a number of ways to do it.

2. Measure the location of each frame hook or wire, and mark it on the front of each of your outlines in the corresponding location. Again, you can do this in your software program, or just with a pencil.

3. Print the shapes, then cut them out so that you have a paper replica of each piece of your wall art. You don’t need to cut them out perfectly.

4. Use the cutouts to imagine where you’ll place your wall art by taping them into place, and then standing back to assess the design, spacing, etc. Move them around until you’re happy with it.

5. Tap a nail through each cutout at the hook mark. Now remove the tape and tear down the cutouts.

6. You can now hang your wall art on each hook. Use your level or level tool app to straighten them.

Additional Resources
For more tech tips for your home, see Get Organized: Tech for Home Projects and Get Organized: Apps and Tools for Home Decorating.

Also check out Society6(Opens in a new window), an online marketplace for wall-ready graphic art.