The Ultimate Guide to Buying Colorado Landscape Fine Art Prints
Bringing a piece of Colorado’s natural beauty into your home is more than decoration — it’s a way to stay connected to the mountains you love. Fine art prints bring texture, color, and balance to a room, turning empty walls into focal points that reflect your style and connection to nature.
If you’ve ever wondered which print type, finish, or size is right for you — or how to properly display and care for your artwork — this guide walks you through every detail.
Why Invest in Fine Art Landscape Prints
A fine art print isn’t just an image — it’s a carefully crafted piece of art designed to last. Produced with archival inks and museum-grade materials, fine art prints offer exceptional detail, tonal depth, and color accuracy that endures for decades.
Unlike mass-produced posters, they are made for those who value authenticity and craftsmanship — people who want to bring the serenity of alpine mornings or the vibrancy of autumn aspens into their daily surroundings. Whether you live in the mountains or simply feel inspired by them, fine art prints offer a timeless way to connect with nature indoors.
Understanding Print Types & Finishes
Each photograph carries its own mood — and the right material will enhance it. Here’s how to choose the best finish for your space:
Archival Paper Prints: Why Rag Paper Matters
Prints on fine art paper are among the most traditional and trusted formats. But not all papers are created equal — the choice of substrate makes a big difference in durability, appearance, and environmental footprint.
Cotton rag / 100% cotton paper (also called “rag paper”) is the gold standard for archival prints. It’s made from cotton fiber rather than wood pulp, which gives it superior strength, longevity, and flexibility. Rag papers are typically acid-free, lignin-free, and more stable over time.
When selecting a paper, look for specifications such as “100% cotton rag,” “acid-free / lignin-free,” “museum grade,” and optionally “OBA-free” (optical brightener agents) for added archival integrity.
Framed Prints: Ready-to-Hang and Protected
Framed prints offer a polished, gallery-ready presentation and protect artwork from dust, light, and handling.
Most fine art prints use UV-protective acrylic or plexiglass, which shields the image from fading. For the best clarity and minimal glare, museum acrylic is ideal—especially in bright rooms or for large-format pieces.
Choose a frame that complements your space: match wood tones to furniture for cohesion, or go with black or white for a timeless, versatile look.
Most framed prints include a 2-inch mat, creating visual breathing room between the image and frame—be sure to account for the mat width when measuring your wall.
Other options, such as float frames or deckled-edge prints, add depth and a contemporary feel. Use acid-free materials for preservation and ensure your hanging hardware is suited to the print’s size and weight.
Acrylic Prints: Modern and Luminous
Acrylic prints offer a sleek, contemporary look that enhances color, contrast, and depth. The image is face-mounted directly behind a sheet of clear acrylic, giving it a vibrant, almost three-dimensional appearance.
Acrylic comes in two main finishes: glossy and non-glare (matte or diffused). Glossy acrylic intensifies color saturation and contrast, making it perfect for dramatic skies, sunsets, and vibrant mountain scenes. Non-glare acrylic softens reflections and is better suited for bright rooms with large windows or direct lighting.
For long-term preservation, museum-grade acrylic offers added UV protection, reduced reflection, and greater scratch resistance. The surface can be cleaned easily with a soft microfiber cloth, making acrylic prints a low-maintenance option.
Acrylic prints are typically ready to hang and require no framing, giving them a clean, frameless presentation that works beautifully in modern or minimalist interiors.
Metal Prints: Sleek, Durable, and Affordable
Metal prints combine durability with a modern, minimalist aesthetic. The image is infused directly onto a sheet of aluminum, creating a vibrant, reflective surface with rich color and crisp contrast.
Because the image becomes part of the metal itself, these prints are scratch-resistant, waterproof, and fade-resistant, making them ideal for high-traffic areas, kitchens, or even bathrooms where humidity is higher.
However, because of this printing method, metal prints can lose a small amount of fine detail and subtle tonal range compared to paper or acrylic finishes. On the other hand, they’re significantly more affordable and lighter in weight than acrylics, which makes them easier to hang and ship.
Metal prints are a great option for those who want a contemporary, ready-to-hang piece that delivers bold color and a clean, modern look — without breaking the bank.
Canvas Prints: Common, But Not Ideal for Fine Art Photography
Canvas prints are a widely available and inexpensive option, but they aren’t well suited for showcasing fine art photography. The printing process transfers the image onto textured canvas fabric, which tends to dull detail, soften contrast, and reduce color accuracy.
While the texture can create a painterly look, much of the fine photographic quality — especially the sharpness and tonal depth — is lost in the process. Over time, canvas prints can also be more prone to warping or surface wear compared to archival paper, acrylic, or metal options.
For those seeking true-to-life color, clarity, and longevity, canvas simply doesn’t meet the standards of a fine art print.
How to Choose the Right Print for Your Space
Selecting the right print involves more than choosing an image — it’s about how the artwork interacts with the light, color, and scale of your room.
Lighting
Use non-glare acrylic or matte paper in bright rooms or spaces with large windows to reduce reflections.
Glossy finishes shine under soft, directional lighting such as LEDs (ideally 3000–3500K).
Avoid placing prints in direct sunlight or near heat sources — even with UV protection, consistent exposure can shorten their lifespan.
Mood & Color
Warm tones — like alpenglow skies or golden aspens — add energy and a sense of coziness.
Cool hues — such as blue ridgelines or snowy peaks — create a calm, serene atmosphere.
For cohesive interiors, consider selecting prints that complement your room’s existing color palette or browse by tone (gold, green, blue, monochrome).
Scale
Standard prints up to 40″×26″ fit most wall spaces, while large-format pieces make bold statements in open areas.
When planning your layout, leave breathing room around each piece so the artwork has space to stand out.
Visualizing artwork to scale — whether through design software or wall mockups — helps ensure perfect placement before purchasing.
Why Choose Tamara Susa Fine Art Prints
Each fine art print is created from my Colorado landscape photography collection, captured across Aspen, Snowmass, and the surrounding Rocky Mountains. Every image is carefully edited and prepared for printing to preserve the light, color, and emotion of the landscape. Working with trusted fine art printing partners, I ensure each piece maintains the quality, depth, and detail that reflect the true beauty of the Colorado wilderness.
My fine art landscape prints are produced with archival materials designed to last for generations. Whether printed on cotton rag paper, acrylic, or metal, each print is crafted with museum-quality precision, offering accurate color, clarity, and texture that transforms a photograph into a true work of art.
I offer two ways to purchase prints:
Standard Prints (Online Orders): Smaller pieces can be ordered directly through my website via a professional printing lab. You can choose your preferred material type and size — from archival paper to acrylic or metal — and have your artwork printed and shipped directly to your door.
Custom Fine Art Prints: For larger or specialty pieces, I work closely with local Colorado printmakers to personally approve and sign each piece. These custom, large-scale prints are carefully inspected for quality, sharpness, and color accuracy before delivery.
I do not offer canvas prints, as they tend to lose the fine detail and tonal range that make a photograph exceptional. Instead, I focus on framed prints, acrylics, and metals — materials that best preserve the clarity, contrast, and emotional impact of each image.
Collectors, designers, and homeowners choose my prints for their blend of artistic integrity and technical excellence — the same qualities that have defined my work as a professional photographer in Aspen for over a decade. Each piece tells the story of a place: the alpenglow on Mount Daly, the shimmer of golden aspens, or the quiet expanse of Snowmass after fresh snowfall.
Popular Print Styles & Collector Favorites
Looking for inspiration? Here are some of the most sought-after styles and subjects in Colorado fine art photography — all available within my collections:
Colorado Fall Colors: Vibrant aspens, golden valleys, and crisp mountain light.
Winter Landscapes: Quiet alpine scenes and snow-covered peaks with soft, tonal depth.
Aerial Landscapes: A bird’s-eye view of mountain patterns, rivers, and seasonal transitions.
Snowmass Through The Seasons: Iconic local views that celebrate the heart of the Rockies.
Black and White Photography: Stripped of color, these images focus on emotion and texture.
Many of my fine art photography prints can be customized to fit your space — including specific sizes, materials, or finishes. If you don’t see the exact dimensions you need, please reach out, and I’ll be happy to recommend the best options or create a custom print tailored to your vision.
Why Invest in Fine Art Landscape Prints
Choosing a fine art print means investing in craftsmanship, longevity, and authenticity. Each piece is produced with the same care and intention as the moment it was photographed — ensuring that what you hang on your wall is not just art, but a lasting connection to the natural world.
Whether you’re curating a mountain home, designing a modern space, or searching for a meaningful gift, Colorado landscape photography prints bring the essence of the outdoors inside — the calm, the color, and the light of the place we call home.
👉 Explore the full collection to find the Aspen, Snowmass, and Colorado landscape prints that speak to you.
