Matting & Framing for Display

[Corran]

Are people really paying $500-600 to frame one 40cm square print with plain white matte?

Like I said, it's been a while...

No.

Take a gander at this thread I made some time ago for cheap framing supplies:
https://www.largeformatphotography.i...porary-Display

My personal recommendation is to find a local frame shop owned and operated by a small business owner, not a corporation, and establish a relationship. My frame shop charges me very little to cut mats, since I've done lots and lots of business with them and send people that way too. For a mat cut to that size I might pay $10-20 tops with nicer rag board. Simple Nielsen-style frames are at their cheapest 50 cents or maybe a dollar per inch for each set of sides. A simple piece of foamcore for backing or another piece of mat will be a few more dollars. Cut glass will be a bit expensive these days but if you are the least bit handy, go buy some plexi from Home Depot and a cutter/scorer and do it yourself. Should be $20-25 for a larger piece and cut it to size. You shouldn't spend more than $100-150 even for very nice materials.

I've matted hundreds of prints in the last few years doing art festivals and framed lots as well, and I have to be very conscious about prices because it adds up quick.

[Vaughn]

I don't buy the acceptable, not acceptable schtick....

That's good, because I hear the price of both types of schtick has gone up a lot lately -- the high demand for it in DC is the main reason.

Frame Destination is who I have been buying frames and associated material from -- though I buy and cut my own matboard for windows.

[LabRat]

Go to museums and gallery's and see the tint of the mats they use... And since the gallerys and museums usually mount or remount work, they will have a preference for color hanging in their space... You can often ask, call, or email their mounting depts and ask, even big outfits like the Getty, or maybe on their website...

You owe to yourself a trip to Valley Moulding and Framing over behind Burbank Airport, as they are the wholesalers to pro framing shops, gallerys, museums etc... They have everything and at the lowest prices, but most items have a minimum #... They sell to the public, but keep saying you will pay sales tax, as they must have a problem with customers trying to say it's for resale (no tax)...

As for mat color, try to avoid extremes, such as Ultra White (which can look to "dry" and can have a blue cast under some conditions), or too warm as that can look too yellow under some lights...Consider it can be viewed under different light, as halogen, cfl, led, availible light, dim living room etc, and will look different under each... Best bet for warm or cool effect is the color next step from neutral, as it will look more so in an environment it's hung in...

Cooler mat color for harder, colder images, but slightly warm for vintage looking shots... Avoid too warm unless you want it to look like it's been hanging in a old bar room for decades... ;-)

Steve K

[Chuck Pere]

I just used one of these wood frame kits from Archival Methods: https://www.archivalmethods.com/prod...12-wood-frames. Easy to assemble and not too costly. Are people using glass or plastic with the larger 22x28 frames? I've always just used glass with 16x20 but the plastic that came with the Gallery 12 kit was very easy to handle. Just costs a lot more.

[bob carnie]

I only use one line of Museum Rag board, for all my work, one colour white, I also prefer simple wood frames , have not done a metal frame in my shop in 20 years. By keeping simplicity I can always match matts from one show to the next and never worry about the colour being off... Also inventory becomes quite simple as the repeatability of materials becomes very convenient.

[neil poulsen]

It's been a while since I've framed anything, and last I did it was in a different country. . . .

Wow! I stay away from custom framers and do my own matte cutting and framing. I have a Logan matte cutter that I like, and I designed a table on which to use it.

As for frames, I like the metal put-together frames, where you can purchase the correct length and the correct width and assemble the frame yourself. Usually in black.

Another custom-framing rip-off is plexiglass. I get mine from a supplier (Tap Plastics) here in Portland that does the cutting for free. They also have the museum plastic that protects the image from UV. Much, much less expensive.

If I need a ready-made frame, Michaels periodically has 50% off discounts, where one can save quite a lot of money.

Framing Destination looks interesting. I'll check them out as well. And just a few weeks ago, I ran into Craft Warehouse that sells discount frames.

[Vaughn]

I ordered a bunch of frames (with glass) from FD -- the Fed-X guy tossed the packages over my 6 foot fence. FD does a great job of packing and the frames and glass (in the frames) received no damage.

[Corran]

I also recently ordered a frame on etsy, that was an odd size, for a print my mom wanted to get framed. It was 18 x 36, and came with the frame and glazing. The frame was thinner than I thought it'd be from photos and also made of plastic, but looks fine on the wall, and the included plexi glazing was actually quite nice. $36 including shipping. I ordered the print with a built-in "mat" by oversizing the 12 x 32 print to 24 x 36 (standard print size) and trimmed the image to fit, and then used a simple $4 piece of foamcore as a backing for the frame. The print on matte-surface Kodak paper (Lightjet) was $25, so this large print was $65 total to put on the wall. Some close inspection of the frame may disappoint, but it looks great otherwise. Point is, there is cheap ways to do it.

[chris_4622]

I only use one line of Museum Rag board, for all my work, one colour white, I also prefer simple wood frames , have not done a metal frame in my shop in 20 years. By keeping simplicity I can always match matts from one show to the next and never worry about the colour being off... Also inventory becomes quite simple as the repeatability of materials becomes very convenient.

Bob,
What is the board you use and which color white? Also the link as your signature doesn't work.
chris

[6x6TLL]

Pieter and all the other's who replied, thank you so much for the recommendations and suggestions.

I just got back from Reclaimed Frame and was pleasantly surprised by the service, expertise and very affordable pricing. Had that not worked out, several of the other suggestions here, including Frame Destination, had offers far less than Blick at a comparable quality.

This is a great forum and terrific resource.