Classic or Custom Skateboard Wall Art: How to Choose

Last updated: July 2026 · By Stanislav Arnautov · Berlin · 13 min read

Both options print onto the same deck, so the decision is not about quality. It is about two things: what you want on the wall, and whether you have an image that will actually work on this shape.

The actual difference

The materials, the printing and the finishing are the same either way, and so is the price: a single deck from ~$140, a diptych ~$230, a triptych ~$310.

What genuinely differs is three things. Certainty — with a classic you can see exactly what you are buying, while a custom piece is made from a file you supply. Lead time — custom involves a preparation step before printing, so it needs ordering further ahead of any deadline. And suitability — a classic in the catalogue has already been composed to sit on this shape, whereas a custom image may or may not survive it.

That last point is where most of the useful advice lives, and it is covered below.

When classic is the better choice

Choose a classic when you want art history on the wall — Klimt, Hokusai, Van Gogh, Michelangelo, Vermeer — and want the reassurance of seeing the finished piece before ordering.

It is also the right call when you are buying for someone whose taste you know only broadly. A masterwork is a safe gift in a way a personal image is not, because it does not depend on your reading of what they would want on their wall.

And it is the practical choice when you need it soon, since there is no preparation step. Browse by period through the Renaissance, Japanese, Van Gogh, Klimt and botanical guides.

When custom is the better choice

Choose custom when the specific image is the point: a photograph that matters to you, a pet, a portrait, a place, your own artwork or design, lettering that means something to a particular person.

It is the stronger option for occasions tied to a specific moment or person — a wedding, a new home, a milestone, a memorial — where a masterwork, however beautiful, is not about them.

And it is the obvious choice if you are a designer, illustrator or photographer wanting your own work on a physical object.

Which images work on a deck

This is the part worth reading before you commit to an image, because the deck's proportion is roughly 4.25:1 and that is unforgiving.

Works well: anything vertical. A standing figure, a full-length portrait, a tall building, a tree, a waterfall, a lighthouse. Also lettering and typography, which sit naturally in a long narrow field. Also patterns and textures, which have no composition to break. And close-up detail — a face, an eye, a hand, a single flower — cropped tight.

Works badly: wide horizontal scenes. A group photograph, a landscape, a panorama, a wide family shot. Cropping these to 4.25:1 either cuts most of the subject away or shrinks it until nothing is legible. A wide image is the single most common reason a custom deck disappoints.

A useful test: open the image on your phone and crop it to a tall narrow strip. If what remains still reads as the picture you wanted, it will work. If the crop destroys it, consider a diptych or triptych, which spread one image across a long horizontal run instead — see the sizing guide.

What file you need

The print is around 85 cm tall, so the file has to hold up at that size.

Supply the highest-resolution original you have, not a version that has been through messaging apps or downloaded from social media — both compress heavily and strip resolution. A photo straight off a modern phone camera is usually fine; the same photo after being sent through a chat app often is not.

Vector files such as PDF, AI or SVG are ideal for logos, lettering and illustration, since they scale without any loss at all.

Bear in mind that printing shows detail a phone screen hides. Softness, noise and compression artefacts that are invisible at 15 cm become visible at 85 cm.

Images you cannot use

Worth stating plainly to save disappointment: custom printing needs an image you have the right to use.

Your own photographs and artwork are fine. Public-domain paintings are fine. Images you have licensed are fine.

Copyrighted characters, film and music artwork, sports club badges, brand logos you do not own, and photographs taken by someone else are not — including images pulled from the internet. This is the same rule any print shop works under.

Gifts

The two options suit different situations, and the distinction is more useful than "classic for art lovers".

A classic is the safer gift when you are not certain of someone's taste, or when the recipient will hang it in a room you have never seen. It carries no risk of the recipient feeling obliged to display something personal.

A custom piece is the stronger gift when you know the person well and the image has a specific meaning between you. It is unmatched for that, and misfires badly when the meaning is one-sided.

Practical note: order custom well ahead of the date. See the gift guide.

Using both together

The two work well in one room, provided you give them different jobs. A classic reads as the anchor — recognisable, compositionally resolved, doing the decorative work. A custom piece nearby reads as the personal note.

Hung the other way round, with a personal image dominating and a masterwork as a satellite, the arrangement tends to look unresolved, because the classic pulls attention it is not meant to have.

FAQ

Should I choose a classic or a custom skateboard deck?

The materials, printing, finishing and price are the same either way, so the decision comes down to three real differences. Certainty: with a classic you see exactly what you are buying, whereas a custom piece is made from a file you supply. Lead time: custom involves a preparation step, so it needs ordering further ahead of a deadline, while a classic can ship sooner. And suitability: every classic in the catalogue has already been composed to sit on the deck's narrow shape, whereas a custom image may or may not survive it. Choose a classic when you want art history on the wall, when you are buying for someone whose taste you know only broadly, or when you need it soon. Choose custom when the specific image is the whole point — a photograph, a pet, a portrait, a place, your own artwork — or for an occasion tied to a particular person or moment.

What kind of image works best on a custom deck?

Vertical images, because the deck's proportion is roughly 4.25:1. Standing figures, full-length portraits, tall buildings, trees, waterfalls and lighthouses all sit naturally on the shape, as does lettering and typography, which suits a long narrow field. Patterns and textures work well because they have no composition to break, and tightly cropped close-up detail such as a face, an eye, a hand or a single flower works for the same reason. What works badly is wide horizontal material: group photographs, landscapes, panoramas and wide family shots. Cropping those to 4.25:1 either removes most of the subject or shrinks it until nothing reads, and a wide source image is the most common reason a custom deck disappoints. A quick test is to crop the image on your phone to a tall narrow strip and see whether it still reads as the picture you wanted.

What file should I supply for a custom deck?

Supply the highest-resolution original you have, because the print is around 85 cm tall and the file has to hold up at that size. Avoid versions that have been through messaging apps or downloaded from social media, since both compress heavily and strip resolution — a photo taken on a modern phone is usually fine, but the same photo after being sent through a chat app often is not. Vector files such as PDF, AI or SVG are ideal for logos, lettering and illustration, since they scale without any loss. Bear in mind that printing reveals detail a phone screen hides: softness, noise and compression artefacts that are invisible at 15 cm become clearly visible at 85 cm. You also need the right to use the image — your own photographs and artwork, public-domain paintings, or properly licensed images — rather than copyrighted characters, brand logos or photographs taken by someone else.

Is a custom deck the same quality as a classic one?

Yes. Both start from the same 7-ply cross-laminated Grade-A Canadian maple, both have the image applied by the same direct-to-substrate UV printing process, in which ink is cured straight onto the sealed maple so that it bonds into the surface rather than sitting on a paper layer, and both are finished the same way, glassless and fitted to hang. Choosing custom involves no compromise in materials or process. The differences are practical rather than qualitative: custom needs a preparation step before printing, so allow more time; and the final result depends on the source file you supply, which is the one variable a classic does not have. A low-resolution or heavily compressed image will print exactly as well as the file allows, which is why supplying the original rather than a shared copy matters.

Article summary

Classic and custom decks use the same maple, the same printing and the same finishing, and cost the same — a single from around $140, a diptych ~$230, a triptych ~$310 — so the choice is not about quality. Three things genuinely differ: certainty, since a classic can be seen before buying while a custom piece is made from a supplied file; lead time, since custom needs a preparation step; and suitability, since classics have already been composed for the deck's shape. Choose classic for art history on the wall, for a recipient whose taste you know only broadly, or when you need it soon. Choose custom when the specific image is the point, or for an occasion tied to a particular person. The decisive practical question is whether your image suits a 4.25:1 field: vertical subjects, lettering, patterns and tight crops work, while wide landscapes, panoramas and group photographs do not, and that mismatch is the most common cause of disappointment. Supply the highest-resolution original rather than a copy sent through a messaging app, use vector files for logos and lettering, and use only images you have the right to print. As gifts, a classic is safer when taste is uncertain and a custom piece is stronger when the image has specific shared meaning.

About the author

Stanislav Arnautov is the founder of deckarts, a graphic designer and print specialist originally from Ukraine, now based in Berlin, where he personally designs and prepares every deck.

Related guides

• Design your own deck — the custom service
• How to design your own — the process in detail
• How to choose — step by step
• Sizes and formats — single, diptych, triptych
• Materials and quality — what you are buying
• Gift guide — buying for someone else