framing flat art/posters/etc.

[shecky]

i have a number of largeish posters and flat artwork i need to frame. does anyone have any experience with this type of thing? i know i can go to a Michael's and have them do it but i hear bad things. i am looking for really simple, acid free black aluminum frames that will hopefully properly protect and display the work. i have friends who have gotten some oversize posters framed professionally for more than $1000 per, but i am looking for a cheaper solution that will not ruin the artwork. other than people trying to sell you frames, i am having a hard time finding out what i need to know about framing, rabbets, matts, dry-mounting, etc... on the net.

thanks!

 

[Lovesong]

These guys are among the best. I'm lucky to have a store in town. Depending on where you live there might be a store near you. They do great work in terms of framing, and the stuff they sell is good quality. Do take what I say with a grain of salt, as most of the stuff I frame is photos- they are easily replaceable, thus my quality demands are likely not as stringent as yours.

 

[ibook30]

I used to frame pictures for a living, and if you are thinking about a metal frame, and want to save money- do it yourself ! It's very easy, the only thing that can be scary is handling the sheet glass.
Here's my advice-

If you really like the prints - and they are not fine art - have them drymounted to foamcore. Call a couple of frame shops to get pricing on the drymount, and if you want mats cut have them do that too.

Next get your glass and metal frame (lots of affordable online frame dealers)

Finally- assemble.

Hope this helps !

 

[shecky]

i do like the prints and i was hoping it would be something i can do myself. they are not technically "fine art" but i have a few silk-screened posters that are worth a few thousand $ each (signed by the designer) and then a few more that are my own work digitally printed that could be reproduced if need be. all of it is flat, no thick paintings, etc.

i do like the metal frame and i have seen plenty of places online that sell it (i usually use Dick Blick for stuff like this) so i understand that i order 2 sets of frame pieces for a single frame (2 vertical pieces, 2 horizontal pieces), screw it together with the included hardware, then i would dry-mount the pieces to board - i assume i would want to find acid-free foamcore? and can i dry mount with an iron or something similar?

a lot of places seem to push acrylic instead of glass - i assume glass is more money but there looks like a lot of UV blocking acrylic out there. thoughts?

also i have heard that the art itself should not touch the glass/acrylic. so therefore i would need to use a matteboard? or can it just be a sandwich of backerboard/art/glass or backerboard/art/acrylic?

 

[ibook30]

If it's worht a couple thousand - it's worth taking good care of! IT might be smart to get a pro involved, but I would recomend shopping around, and I still believe Michaels and similiar shops are usually overpriced. Try looking in the yellow pages for a small local shop.

Fine art should not touch the glass - correct.
A mat will keep the work from touching the glass.

Acid Free matboard and foamcore are both good ideas, for fine art.

Most drymounting I have used should be done by a professional - using an iron is not a good idea. Drymounting is often done with a machine that uses either pressure or suction to insure the piece is very flat and there are no air bubbles - special teflon boards should be used also to make sure the piece does not rub against the drymounting machine. Finally- Drymounting work that is worth a couple thousand could be dodgey - most drymount glues can not be removed, adn those that can - well I have had mixed success with those. If you drymount it - ask lots of questions to make sure it is what you want.

Real glass vs acrylic- I prefer real glass, but on big pieces - it scares me to hang a big piece of sheet glass, so I will sometimes use acrylic. Acrylic is lighter and does not break easily, but it tends to bend and go a little convex - which looks funny to me. The UV blocking and non glare options are good for both acrylic and real glass. They increase the price significantly - but they can be a goood idea, depending on where the piece is going to hang and what kind of light is in the area. In my house most of the frames have real glass, and only two have non glare glass. Personally - I don't like it - unless the frame is near a window and is hard to see without the special glass.
Last word on glass- if it is a big piece and you use real glass with a metal frame - be careful! Most metal frames don;t offer a lot of support by themselves, so tension and pressure (from the frame hangin gon the wall) will go to the glass and backing board quickly. Make sure you hang large pieces with lots of support....

You have the right idea as far as metal frames goes, they can be put together very easily. While I have never priced frames on Dick Blick - I think of them as a good art supply company.

 

[mkrishnan]

I used to frame pictures for a living, and if you are thinking about a metal frame, and want to save money- do it yourself !

I've done PictureFrames.com for things in my apartment and been very happy.

 

[Black&Tan]

I've done PictureFrames.com for things in my apartment and been very happy.

I second that. I've always done my own framing and they are, by far, the cheapest and best around. If you're doing it yourself, you can get all the materials from them, frames, acrylic, mounting wire and even matboard. everything is VERY well packed.