Designer Portfolio Prints are 8x12 inch portraits set in 11x14 inch mats, from $250 each, and they're designed to be kept as a set rather than framed all at once. Most families store theirs in a folio box, a protective case that holds the full collection flat, or in a keepsake window box, which has a cut-out lid so the top print can sit on display like a small object. Both let you choose which prints go on the wall now and swap them over time.
Why a matted print instead of a framed one
A framed piece is a commitment. Once it's on the wall, it stays there until you actively decide to change it, and most families don't get around to that more than once every few years. A matted print is different. The mat does the finishing work, giving the print a clean, even border, but it stops short of locking the piece into one frame or one spot. You get the presentation of a finished piece with none of the pressure to decide, right now, exactly where it lives forever.
This matters more than it sounds like it should. Families change. A child's face at four looks nothing like it did at two, and the portrait that felt like the obvious choice at the viewing and design appointment might not be the one you want above the mantelpiece two years later. Matted prints let that decision stay open. You pick the favourites at the appointment, and the box holds the rest until you're ready for them.
What the folio box actually holds
The folio box is built to protect the set, not to decorate a shelf. It's the practical option if you're mainly thinking about longevity, keeping the mats flat and free of dust and light between framings. Families with several children often use it to hold portraits from more than one session side by side, so the whole run of family portraits stays together in one place rather than scattered across drawers.
If you're weighing up how many prints to keep in mats versus how many to frame straight away, it's worth reading how to choose the right wall art size for the sessions you already have on the wall. The two decisions, framing and storage, tend to inform each other. A family that's committed to a large collection in the loungeroom often keeps the remaining favourites in the folio box for the hallway or bedrooms later.
The keepsake window box, for the prints you want to see
The keepsake window box does the same job of protection but adds one thing the folio box doesn't: a window in the lid, so the top print is visible without opening the box at all. It suits families who want a small, changeable display rather than a fixed one, on a bookshelf, a bedside table, a desk. Swap the top print out for a new favourite whenever the mood takes you, and the rest of the collection stays safely underneath.
It's also the version most people reach for when portraits are shared rather than kept. A window box travels well because everything inside is already matted and protected, so there's no extra wrapping needed before it goes in a bag or a suitcase.
Rotating prints through frames over time
One of the quieter benefits of matted prints is that they don't ask you to decide everything at once. You can frame two or three now, the ones from this year's session, and leave the rest in the box until a birthday, a school milestone, or simply a change of season gives you a reason to swap them. The mat's standard 11x14 inch size means it goes straight into an off-the-shelf frame without any resizing, so rotating a print in and out is a five-minute job, not a project.
This suits families who are still building out their walls, room by room. If you've already worked through how to display portraits along a hallway, you'll know the temptation is to fill every space in one go. Matted prints let you resist that. Display what feels right now, keep the rest ready, and let the display grow the way the family does.
Giving portfolio prints as a gift
Because each print in a portfolio set is already matted and stored, the folio box and the keepsake window box both work as considered gifts, particularly for grandparents. A handful of favourites in a window box gives someone a portrait they can put straight on a shelf without a trip to a framer, and the box itself keeps the print in good condition for as long as they want to hold onto it.
Families choosing a gift alongside a larger piece for their own home sometimes prefer the album format instead. If that sounds closer to what you're after, our guide to Keepsake Art Albums covers the bound alternative, which suits a full narrative of the session rather than individual prints.
Where portfolio prints fit at the design appointment
Portfolio prints are chosen at the viewing and design appointment, the same sitting where you select artwork for the walls. There's no need to decide in advance how many you want matted versus framed. Bring your favourites to the appointment, see them properly sized in the gallery, and work out the mix of framed pieces, a folio box, and a keepsake window box that suits how your family actually lives with portraits. Pricing for the full range is shown openly at the consultation, and the product guide sets out the options if you want to look through them beforehand.
Every portrait begins with a conversation at the Belgrave gallery.