Framing advice

June 28th, 2016
Hi fellow photo enthusiasts,

I went out on a limb and decided to get a black and white photo of my hubby printed as a belated birthday present. The printer recommended a2 size and without realising how big this actually is I went ahead. First time I've ever used a professional printer and I was a wee bit excited. The print looks stellar but at this size framers are asking between $150-$180 for their service. Has anyone framed a print this size before? I was hoping to use a mat board and a thin black frame but I can't find any at this size. I am living in Perth and have contacted a few framers already but they are all quoting me $150+. Will I be forced to go to Target to buy a cheap frame or can somebody help me out with another suggestion??? EEK...I thought about making my own mat board but I am horrible at fiddly tasks like that.

Daniela
June 28th, 2016
Probably in danger of being not very helpful here.. but... in the UK I have used online framers for my paintings & have been surprised by both the quality and speed of delivery. Very much better value than the shops. Just make sure you measure carefully and read around for independent reviews. At a standard A2 size you will probably get a great deal. Good luck.
June 28th, 2016
When we lived in Perth one of the big hardware stored had a section for framing, you chose your own framing material from them and they put it together for you, it was much cheaper than any of the professional framers. Sorry, can't remember the name off hand. I did an evening course on framing at one of the colleges and it worked out so much cheaper and I now do all my own framing.
June 28th, 2016
Boo
Hahaha i am sorry to laugh but when i read the title of this thread i read...

Farming advice

Hahaha, did wonder what farming had to do with this site...lol
June 28th, 2016
@lizhammond hi liz. Thanks for the suggestion. I guess that would work for a photo that they print develop themselves but as I alreadh have mine printed not sure i am game enough to send it in the post for fear of it getting lost or damaged. Thanks for contributing to the discussion though.
June 28th, 2016
@judithdeacon that sounds like a fab idea. I was wanting a mat board done as well. Guess i'll try the net for hardware stores and see what i can find. Great suggestion and helpful advice. Thank you.
June 28th, 2016
The ones here you measure your print ( they give very clear instructions on what to measure), any mount you want & coose the frame and glass if you want & any fixings. Then the frame gets sent to you and you do the assembly. so no trusting your print to the post.:-) Hope you find the right solution.

June 29th, 2016
@lizhammond,

Thanks for the clarification. I did find an online store based in Sydney. I'm wondering if you know what frames are the lightest? Aluminium perhaps? I was wanting something light for our old walls.
June 29th, 2016


This is the print. Any suggestions for frame color/thickness welcome. Also do mat boards come in a standard size or do you choose that too? I'm so clueless. I had even contemplated an aluminium frame as it kind of has an edgy feel. What do you guys think? Something light to hang on our old rental property walls is essenial. Thanks a bunch!
June 29th, 2016
I would have a look at some of the discount stores for a frame. They buy in bulk and so yes the price is cheap. However the product is not always cheap. If it is hanging on a wall and looked at from about 5m who will be able to tell it was purchased from a cheap shop. I use frames from a discount store and I am really pleased with them. Hope this helps and go and have a look.
June 29th, 2016
Jo
I don't know if you have an Ikea over there but I have used their
70 x 100 cms frames for some of my bigger images and they are uber cheap and perfectly good, an alterative is to use perspex sheets with the image sandwiched between the two, I have some artwork hung like this as conventional framing was going to be twice the amount I paid for the drawings!!! fab shot by the way, good luck.
June 29th, 2016
@jo13 Thanks so much for the reply. I will check Ikea but I am a bit scared about doing my own framing after going to the expense of having it done of top quality paper. How exactly do you hang perspex? Btw I just checked out your portrait photography and it's stunning. Looking forward to following your page.
June 29th, 2016
That is a large size photo. Making mats is not hard, but not that easy without a Mat Cutter that gives a nice beveled edge. You can look for the size frame and have the framing company just make the mats (request that they give you the whole mat and create the backing board so that the photo hangs correctly). And then put the photo in the mat, put it in the pre-purchased frame and save quite a bit of money.

When I do shows I tend to buy a frame, have a mat made, and then put it all together. Do look for one that is ready to be hung because putting in the screw hooks and running wire is a bit annoying if you do not have a softer wood.

Also would you go down a size to A3 which probably has better frames. Target tends to not have frames that large. A3 297 x 420 mm 11.7 x 16.5 in
June 29th, 2016
http://www.officeworks.com.au/shop/m20ProductDisplayView?catalogId=10551&langId=-1&productId=303178&storeId=10151

Hey all, after searching target, big w, Kmart, bunnings and spotlight, office works is the only store I have found that stock a frame for an A2 print.
June 29th, 2016
or this from IKEA although the size is 50x70 which is too big for my 40x60cm print. http://m.ikea.com/au/en/catalog/products/art/10297454/
June 29th, 2016
@phillyphotos i like this idea but so far the only frame i have found which fits an A2 is $80, made in China and has a perspex front. On the upside it would be light. 😉
June 30th, 2016
Metal frames are much easier to put together yourself, and online places would be pretty cheap. In the US, I use an online company that often has 50% off coupons. They can cut a mat, cut backing to size, cut plexiglass, and send you all to assemble. Don't know if you can get this, but framesbymail.com does all of this, and in other cases can also print your photo and assemble all. You can upload the image and try different frames, mats, etc.
June 30th, 2016
@vstap. Thanks that may be another option. I actually purchased the frame from office works and the print didn't fit so it seems it is a tually bigger than A2 in size. I think my only option is going to be to have a frame made online or to have to framed professionallly. I'll look into that shop. Thanks!
June 30th, 2016
@photographynewbie Hi Daniela if you want ideas on framing and mounting etc try uploading the image to a site http://whitewall.com as you can browse through their extensive range of options to make the picture look how you want and then buy it elsewhere but it at least lets you see what it will look like.
June 30th, 2016
Thanks for the heads up @andysg. That's great advice.
July 1st, 2016
@andysg @vstap @phillyphotos @jo13 @padlock @lizhammond @judithdeacon hi everyone. Thank you all for your time and suggestions. After purchasing an A2 sized frame for $80 I foubd the image didn't fit. I went to al gallery down the road and they told me they could make me a black box frame with small acrylic buffer for $110 so I happily obliged. I'll be sure to post a photo when it arrives. For an extra $30 I get a custom made frame and the work is done for me. I hope hubby likes it.
July 1st, 2016
@photographynewbie great news
Write a Reply
Sign up for a free account or Sign in to post a comment.