Personalised Christmas Gifts: Custom Art Prints
The best personalised Christmas gifts mark a date, a place or a name that already means something to the person you are giving to. A custom star map of the night you met, a street name poster for the family home or an anniversary date print is made with the names, dates, places or words you choose, so nobody else will have the same one.
Below: personalised print ideas for a partner, for family, and for friends, new parents and sports fans, how to choose the details, and which size to give.
Prints for this look
Personalised gifts for a partner
A custom star map shows the sky as it was on a chosen date, over a chosen place. Pick the night you met, the day you got engaged or your wedding date, and add a few words of your own. In black and white it suits almost any room, which makes it one of the easiest personalised gifts to get right.
A map print with a heart marks one spot on a city map: where you first met, your first flat or the street where you got engaged. An anniversary date print keeps it even simpler, with your date in large numbers and your names alongside.
If your first wedding anniversary falls around Christmas, a print also counts as the traditional paper gift. Browse our paper anniversary gifts.
For mum, dad and the family home
A street name poster with the name and number of the family home is a warm gift for parents and grandparents, or for anyone who has just moved and wants to mark the new address. A family story poster lists the names and dates that matter to a household, and looks good in a hallway where everyone passes it.
For mum or dad, think about the place or the year that shaped the family: the town where they grew up, the day they married, the home you all remember. Pair it with something from our housewarming gifts if they have a new place to fill.
For friends, new babies and sports fans
- Friends: a personalised quote print with a motto, a favourite line or a shared joke, set in clean black and white type. A song favourites print lists the songs that mean something to them, from a first dance to a road trip playlist.
- New parents: a baby nursery poster or a born this day print celebrates a new arrival with their name and the details of the day.
- Sports fans: a custom basketball jersey poster carries their name and number, so it looks like their own shirt on the wall.
- Friends who are a couple: a map print with a heart on the place they got engaged or the street of their new home.
See the full range in our personalised prints collection.
How to choose the details
Choose a moment they will recognise straight away. A first date, a wedding, a birth or the day a house became home all work better than a date you have to explain.
Keep the words short. A few words, such as names or a phrase you both use, read more clearly than a long message. Double-check spellings and dates with someone who knows, quietly, before you order. It is the one part of the gift that has to be exactly right.
Think about where it will hang, too. A star map on a black background suits a darker or moodier bedroom, while a beige date print or a cream map sits more easily in a light, neutral room.
Which size to give
An A4 or A3 print is the easiest size to give. It is simple to wrap, fits on a shelf, a desk or a bedside wall, and suits star maps and date prints, which have plenty of space around the design. Go up to an A2 print when you know it will hang above a bed or a sofa as a statement. Two smaller prints that tell one story, such as a star map and a date print from the same day, also make a good matching pair.
If you would rather they chose the date, place or words themselves, give a digital gift card instead. Our A sizes fit standard off-the-shelf frames. Every print is made to order on museum-grade matte paper, so order early for Christmas.
