An acrylic easel is specified by what it does not do: it does not cast a shadow on the work, it does not draw the eye, and it does not let a painting slide forward during a three month show.
A photography gallery in Berlin used 10 mm clear easels for a print show. Two weeks in, the larger prints had crept forward until the bottom edge rested on the lip at a bad angle, because the lean was 8 degrees.
Acrylic easel lean and lip geometry
- Lean: 12 to 15 degrees from vertical
- Lip depth: 8 to 12 mm
- Body: 10 mm clear, 12 mm above 3 kg
- Joint: solvent bonded, then polished
The lean is a friction decision. At 12 degrees a canvas stays where it is placed for months; at 8 degrees it creeps. The lip is a framing decision: deep enough to catch the frame, shallow enough not to hide it.
Joints and the invisible stand
A bonded joint polished after assembly disappears at normal viewing distance, which is the point. A visible adhesive line behind the lip reads as a cheap stand, and the fix is a solvent bond with a proper soak period, not a thicker sheet.
Load path matters on larger work. The lip carries the frame weight in shear, so the joint area has to be generous: a 100 mm long lip on a 1 kg print is fine, the same lip on a 5 kg framed canvas is not.
Where a show needs a full enclosure rather than an easel, museum display case glazing covers the sealed case route, and display racks cover the retail version of the same idea.
Send your artwork sizes and display heights to oversales@rpplexiglass.com for an easel and plinth quote.
Frequently Asked Questions
What lean angle should an acrylic easel use?
12 to 15 degrees from vertical. Flatter and the canvas slides forward; steeper and the top edge throws a shadow across the work under gallery lighting.
What lip depth for an acrylic easel?
8 to 12 mm. A 12 mm lip holds a 20 mm frame without covering the moulding; 20 mm reads as a shelf and hides the bottom of the artwork.
Can an acrylic easel hold a heavy canvas?
Up to about 4 kg in 12 mm clear. Above that the joint at the lip takes the load and a bonded acrylic easel needs a metal insert or a different design entirely.