Buying guide
How to choose a custom moon phase print.
Most custom moon prints come from specialist shops like us, The Night Sky and moonme, from Etsy sellers, or as charity gift packs. The good ones work out the moon from your date, time and place. Choose The Night Sky for a $39 starting price and 30-day returns, moonme if you’re in the EU, an Etsy seller for a file you print yourself, a gift pack if you don’t know their date, and us to design it yourself or put several moons on one print.
Checked by Filip Ljubić, Moon Phase PrintsWe make one of the prints compared hereHow we checked
Which should you choose?
The facts behind each line are in the table below, with sources.
Moon Phase Prints
That’s us · UK, US, Canada, Australia
Fits if you want:
- to choose the style, colours, names and message yourself
- two to four moons on one print, each with its own date and place
- a wood or metal frame, canvas or acrylic, or a print up to 60 × 90 cm
The Night Sky
US shop, prints near you
Fits if you want:
- a $39 starting price, for a 12 × 12 in print
- to return it within 30 days if you don’t like it
- a star map or jewellery from the same shop
- the most reviews: 4.8 from 3,950 on the moon print
moonme
Italian shop, ships in the EU
Fits if you want:
- delivery inside the EU
- a photo-real NASA moon with earthshine
- a warning when your date falls on a new moon
An Etsy seller
Marketplace, many sellers
Fits if you want:
- a file you print yourself
- many independent sellers and styles to choose from
Ask the seller whether they use your date and place, or pick one of a few stock phases.
A gift pack
For example Sue Ryder, £19.99
Fits if you don’t know the date that matters to them. They fill it in, and the poster is made afterwards.
A star map instead
A different keepsake
Fits if the whole sky matters more than the moon: every star above a place, rather than one moon drawn large. Moon phase print or star map?
What should you compare first?
What sets the moon
The date only, or the date, time and place.
A preview of your moon
See the actual moon for your date before you pay.
The price delivered
One size, unframed, to your country, delivery included.
Returns
What happens if you don’t like it, not only if it’s damaged.
Delivery time
Including the days it takes to print.
Which details change the moon?
Three details decide what the moon on a print looks like. A shop that asks for all three can draw it as it was.
10 April and 23 April 2024
The date sets the phase.
It decides how much of the moon is lit, from a thin crescent to full. This is most of the difference between two prints.
The lit part grows about 12° a day
The time fine-tunes it.
A few hours shift the moon only slightly. It matters most near a new or full moon. If you don’t know the time, a rough one is fine.
The same evening, seen from two places
The place sets the tilt.
The moon sits more on its side near the equator and more upright further north or south. Several shops account for this, including us.
What about a new moon?
On a new moon there’s almost nothing to see, so ask what the print will show. Ours shows the thinnest crescent, or, within a few hours of the exact new moon, a dark moon with faint surface detail. Never an empty space.
How can you check it’s right?
With a free tool, in about five minutes.
- 1. Write down the moment. The date, local time and place used on the print. If you didn’t choose a time, ask which one the shop used. Ours uses 10pm.
- 2. Open a reference. NASA’s Moon Phase and Libration page for that year [X1], or the moon phase pages on timeanddate.com [X2].
- 3. Convert the time. NASA’s tool takes the time in UTC, so convert from local time first.
- 4. Compare the lit part. Its shape and size should match. A few hours make little difference, except close to a new or full moon.
- 5. Allow for the tilt. NASA shows celestial north up, as seen from the northern hemisphere; each year also has a south-up page. A print that turns the moon for your place can look rotated against it. The lit shape should still match.
- 6. Test the editor. Move the date on by seven days. The moon should move about a quarter of its cycle, for example from a thin crescent to about half lit.
How do moon print makers compare?
The same questions, answered from each shop’s own pages and checked 28–29 October 2026. Each fact links to its source. “Not stated” means we couldn’t find it on the shop’s pages; it doesn’t mean they don’t offer it.
| Checked 29 Oct 2026 | Moon Phase Prints (That’s us) | The Night Sky | moonme | Gift pack |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| What sets the moon | Date, time and place [M2] | Date and place; time not listed [N1] [N2] | Date; time optional. The place is only printed [O1] | They choose the date later [S1] |
| Tilt for your place | Yes [M2] | Yes [N2] | No. The place is only printed text [O1] | Not stated |
| Moon imagery | Our moon artwork, shown beside NASA’s for four dates [M2] | Based on NASA lunar orbiter data [N2] | NASA renders, with earthshine [O1] | Not stated |
| Preview of your moon | Yes, live as you edit [M6] | Yes, live [N1] | Yes, live, with a warning on a new moon [O1] | No, it’s a kit [S1] |
| Moons on one print | 1 to 4 [M3] | 1 [N1] | 1 [O1] | 1 [S1] |
| Formats | Poster, wood or metal frame, canvas, acrylic [M3] | Paper print, also foil, glow or canvas; frame extra [N1] | Poster, wood frame [O1] | Poster in a gift tin [S1] |
| Sizes | 30 × 40 to 60 × 90 cm [M3] | 12 × 12 to 24 × 32 in [N1] | A4 to 70 × 100 cm [O1] | Not stated |
| Paper | 200 gsm matte [M1] | 200 gsm, “archival pigment inks”, 100+ year colour guarantee [N2] | 230 gsm fine art [O1] | Not stated |
| Delivery cost | Free [M1] | Free standard [N3] | Free in the EU [O1] | Not stated |
| Delivery time, as each shop states it | 5–8 business days to the US [M6] | 5–7 business days to the US [N4] | 5–10 business days [O1] | Not stated |
| If you change your mind | No returns. Damaged or wrong prints replaced or refunded [M4] | Return within 30 days [N3] | Not stated | Not stated |
| Reviews | 4.8 from 895, all products [M5] | 4.8 from 3,950, moon print [N1] | 3.7 from 5 on Trustpilot [O2] | Not stated |
Etsy sellers. Many independent sellers list moon prints on Etsy, often as a digital file you print yourself [E1]. How the moon is worked out, the paper, sizes and returns all vary by seller, so check each listing and ask whether they use your date, time and place.
What does the same print cost?
One moon, unframed, about 30 × 40 cm (12 × 16 in), with standard delivery.
Each shop prices in its own currency, so we haven’t converted. Prices checked 28–29 October 2026.
Moon Phase Prints
$55
30 × 40 cm poster, free delivery to the US. [M1]
The Night Sky
$49
12 × 16 in print, free standard delivery. £40 for 30 × 40 cm in the UK; a frame is extra. [N1]
moonme
€49
30 × 42 cm (A3) poster, free delivery in the EU. [O1]
Sue Ryder gift pack
£19.99
A kit in a gift tin. They choose the date and the poster comes later; size not stated. [S1]
What to ask before you buy.
- Does the moon use my time and place, or only the date?
- Can I see my moon before I pay?
- What happens if I don’t like it?
- When will it arrive in my country, counting the days to print it?
- What will the print show if my date was a new moon?
- Is it a printed poster, or a file I print myself?
Common questions.
Is a moon phase print accurate?
Yes, if the shop works out the moon from your date, time and place. Compare its preview with NASA’s view for the same moment, using the steps above. We show our moon beside NASA’s for four dates on our accuracy page.
Moon phase print or star map?
A moon print shows one moon, drawn large, and the date does most of the work. A star map shows every star above a place and needs the exact time. Our moon phase print or star map guide compares them side by side.
What if I don’t know the time?
Use a rough time. The moon changes about half a degree an hour, so a few hours make little difference unless your date is close to a new or full moon. If you don’t choose a time, our editor uses 10pm.
Can I put two dates on one print?
Yes, at some shops. Ours fits two, three or four moons on one print, each with its own date and place. The Night Sky and moonme show one moon per print.
How long does delivery take?
It depends on the shop and your country. Ours usually arrives in 5–8 business days to the US, with free delivery. The Night Sky states 4–5 business days to the UK and 5–7 to the US; moonme states 5–10 business days.
How we checked
Prepared by Filip Ljubić, Moon Phase Prints. Last reviewed .
We read each shop’s product pages, help pages and review profiles on 28 and 29 October 2026, and tried their editors with the same date and place: London, 10 October 2026, a new moon. Every fact in the table links to the page it came from.
We make one of the prints compared here. If something has changed or we got it wrong, email hello@moonphaseprints.com and we’ll correct it.
Sources
All pages accessed 28 and 29 October 2026. Prices, review counts and policies change often.
Moon Phase Prints
The Night Sky
moonme
Etsy and Sue Ryder
See the moon for your date.
It’s free to try, and you’ll see your moon before deciding on a print.