Mail-order frame source? Pre-built?

[Sal Santamaura]

..I do not like AR as it softens the image slightly...

Anti-reflection (AR) coated glazing, whether glass or acrylic, such as Tru Vue AR Reflection Free Glass and Optium Acrylic, do not soften the image at all. You have probably seen softening with the Museum versions, which add a laminated plastic layer to absorb UV. If find that layer very distracting and unnecessary. Stick with the plain AR types from Tru Vue and every nuance of a print's sharpness is clearly visible.

[Greg Blank]

Tru Vue Ar is good stuff, one side produces the best result it has a very slight texture on the out side, the glass also has a slight red bias which makes it more color pleasant than standard window glass. there are also plain glasses used for framing that have less of a green bais. The Optimum (looks like no glass in the frame) runs somewhere around 90-100 bucks a sheet for 16x20 if I recall correctly.

Anti-reflection (AR) coated glazing, whether glass or acrylic, such as Tru Vue AR Reflection Free Glass and Optium Acrylic, do not soften the image at all. You have probably seen softening with the Museum versions, which add a laminated plastic layer to absorb UV. If find that layer very distracting and unnecessary. Stick with the plain AR types from Tru Vue and every nuance of a print's sharpness is clearly visible.

[Sal Santamaura]

Tru Vue Ar is good stuff, one side produces the best result it has a very slight texture on the out side...

No, AR Reflection-Free is smooth, anti-reflection coated on both sides. You might be thinking about Tru Vue Reflection Control, which is a typical textured "non-glare" glass.

Tru Vue Ar...has a slight red bias which makes it more color pleasant than standard window glass...

I've not noticed any red in AR. Production less than, say, five years old is on a low-iron substrate that appears pretty much free of green or any other color cast, at least in my rooms illuminated by diffuse sunlight and/or tungsten.

...The Optimum (looks like no glass in the frame) runs somewhere around 90-100 bucks a sheet for 16x20 if I recall correctly.

I found a source

http://www.preservationglazing.com/specs.html

selling pre-cut sheets. I paid around $45 each for 11x14 so, if it's linear with respect to area, your recollection seems correct.

[Greg Miller]

Really! How much would they charge for a custom 12x15 frame and board cut to the specifications I set out above? I'm sure that they will/can do it but they are going to charge you for it for sure. I paid ~ $25 for the hardware for my last 12x15 Nielsen black frame at University Art in Palo Alto (not a "discount" store). Regular glass is included in the price but I went to Tap Plastics and got regular clear picture acrylic for ~$6 or so.

Assembling the frame and cutting the board (once you have done and checked the math) is quick and easy. A little more time consuming is positioning the print on the board and then tacking it down.

Thomas

About $35 for a Nielsen frame and acid-free materials - $29 if you buy 4 or more.. http://www.framedestination.com/fram...0000000000000/. And you'll save the gas and time running around to get all the materials. And you won't have to pay for any mistakes in cutting materials. Seems like pretty much a wash to me.

Edit: Make that $27 for 4 when using AlphaMat instead of Alpha Rag, and glass instead of acrylic (just to keep the comparison apples to apples) (I normally use AlphaRag, but would probably use AlphaMat in a float mount with such little reveal).

[Greg Miller]

Anti-reflection (AR) coated glazing, whether glass or acrylic, such as Tru Vue AR Reflection Free Glass and Optium Acrylic, do not soften the image at all. You have probably seen softening with the Museum versions, which add a laminated plastic layer to absorb UV. If find that layer very distracting and unnecessary. Stick with the plain AR types from Tru Vue and every nuance of a print's sharpness is clearly visible.

Thanks.

[polyglot]

And where would an Australian buy these things? FDI does not ship internationally and I'm really struggling to get hold of affordable framing supplies.

The last place I called I hung up on in disgust because they wanted $50 for an un-cut 4-ply matte.

[Eric Biggerstaff]

Polyglot,

Try:

http://www.archivalmethods.com/index.cfm?

They may ship out of the country.

[Sal Santamaura]

Tru Vue Ar...has a slight red bias which makes it more color pleasant than standard window glass...

...I've not noticed any red in AR. Production less than, say, five years old is on a low-iron substrate that appears pretty much free of green or any other color cast, at least in my rooms illuminated by diffuse sunlight and/or tungsten...

...The Optimum (looks like no glass in the frame)...

I found a source

http://www.preservationglazing.com/specs.html

selling pre-cut sheets. I paid around $45 each for 11x14 so, if it's linear with respect to area, your recollection seems correct.

I just used the first sheet of that 11x14 Optium. Under the same illumination conditions described above, it does impart a warm, reddish-brown cast to prints/mats under it. To my eyes, among glazings with reasonable US availability, only recent-production Tru Vue AR glass essentially "disappears" in the frame.

[srbphoto]

I didn't look over the whole thread but with having the gallery you can buy wholesale from Hankins-Koppel. They are in South San Francisco and the prices are awesome. You have to have a business license in a related field. They will cut to size and have great glass prices.

This was about 5 or 6 years ago, but a Nielson frame 20X24 priced out to around $15 a frame with glass. I did buy enough for 20 frames though. It would have a little cheaper if I cut the frame stock myself. Not sure what the current prices are.

[Darin Boville]

I didn't look over the whole thread but with having the gallery you can buy wholesale from Hankins-Koppel. They are in South San Francisco and the prices are awesome. You have to have a business license in a related field. They will cut to size and have great glass prices.

This was about 5 or 6 years ago, but a Nielson frame 20X24 priced out to around $15 a frame with glass. I did buy enough for 20 frames though. It would have a little cheaper if I cut the frame stock myself. Not sure what the current prices are.

Hey, there are a Museum Glass dealer as well--outstanding tip. Thanks,

--Darin