Paint-by-numbers kits broadly fall into two categories: stock kits (a pre-made design printed in bulk) and custom kits (a unique design made from your own photo). Both have their place.
This is an honest comparison of the two — written by people who design custom kits, but who genuinely think stock kits are excellent for the right person.
Cost
Stock kits are cheap. A perfectly decent landscape or floral stock kit costs A$25–40 and will give you an enjoyable few evenings. Custom kits cost two to three times more, because every design is made individually.
If price is the main consideration and you mostly want the activity, a stock kit is a perfectly good answer.
Side by Side
The two kinds of kit differ on more than price. Here is how they usually compare on the specifications that actually change the painting experience.
| Pre-made kit | Custom kit | |
|---|---|---|
| Price | A$25–40 | A$59–149 |
| Subject | Generic design, printed in bulk | Your own photo |
| Canvas material | Cotton canvas | Linen canvas |
| Number of colours | 12–20 | 24–36 |
| Preview before printing | None | Free preview before printing |
None of those rows makes a pre-made kit a bad kit. They simply explain where the extra money goes.
Finished Result
A well-painted stock kit looks like a well-painted print of a generic image. A well-painted custom kit looks like a hand-painted portrait of someone or something you love.
Both are pleasant on a wall. Only one of them carries a story when guests ask about it.
Materials play a part in that too. Cheaper generic kits often ship on flimsy fabric that has to be stretched or framed later, while a custom kit should arrive on stretched linen that is ready to paint and ready to hang. The paints follow the same pattern: budget acrylics tend to dry chalky, where premium pots stay vibrant and are more forgiving if you go over a line.
Sentimental Value
This is where the two categories separate completely. A stock kit is a finished painting. A custom kit is a finished painting of your dog, your wedding, your late grandfather's farmhouse, your first car.
When people show us finished custom kits, they almost always start by telling us the story of the subject. Nobody does that with a stock kit.
As a Gift
Stock kits make pleasant, light gifts — a relaxed evening in a box. Custom kits make heavyweight gifts: anniversaries, memorials, milestone birthdays, retirements. The difference is roughly the same as the difference between a nice bottle of wine and a handwritten letter.
When Stock Kits Win
You want the activity, not the keepsake. A stock kit gives you the meditative experience of painting without the commitment of a personal subject.
You want a quick, low-risk first kit. Stock kits are a great way to find out whether you enjoy paint by numbers at all before ordering a custom one.
Group events. Hens parties, baby showers, paint-and-sip nights — stock kits are easier to organise in volume.
When Custom Kits Win
The painting itself needs to matter as much as the activity. Pets, family, homes, weddings, memorials.
The palette is calibrated to your photo. A stock kit uses a factory preset palette chosen for the printed design. A custom kit's colours are worked out from your own image, which is why skin tones, fur and light in a window tend to come out closer to what you remember.
Major gifts. A custom kit costs more than a stock one, but is dramatically more meaningful to receive.
Pieces you actually want on the wall forever. Stock kits get hung for a year. Custom kits get hung for a lifetime.
If you are unsure which one is right for you, the honest answer is: most people who paint a stock kit eventually order a custom one, and most people who paint a custom one don't go back. Start wherever your budget and your subject takes you.
You also don't have to pick a side for good. Plenty of painters end up doing both — a stock kit when they just want a quiet evening at the table, a custom one when the subject is worth the extra.
— Be Artistic Club