Framing Help/Advice Thread

ToolFanFromWayBack · Sun Jan 25, 2015 1:49 am

Trying to frame hypostatis. Don't like the heavy bottom. So you frame guys, how does one go about framing a print with 1/2 inch borders on top and 2 sides but a 1 inch on bottom ultimately end up with an even mat all way round. Note: I am trying to frame out the border all the way round without trimming the bottom of the print...

KSUvet · Sun Jan 25, 2015 1:57 am

ToolFanFromWayBack wrote:Trying to frame hypostatis. Don't like the heavy bottom. So you frame guys, how does one go about framing a print with 1/2 inch borders on top and 2 sides but a 1 inch on bottom ultimately end up with an even mat all way round. Note: I am trying to frame out the border all the way round without trimming the bottom of the print...

Just make the mat wider than the bottom border all the way around. (BTW, those measurements aren't accurate based on my copy of Hypostasis, because I'm working on it this evening as well. Maybe you were just throwing those out for the example.)

ToolFanFromWayBack · Sun Jan 25, 2015 2:51 pm

KSUvet wrote:
ToolFanFromWayBack wrote:Trying to frame hypostatis. Don't like the heavy bottom. So you frame guys, how does one go about framing a print with 1/2 inch borders on top and 2 sides but a 1 inch on bottom ultimately end up with an even mat all way round. Note: I am trying to frame out the border all the way round without trimming the bottom of the print...
Just make the mat wider than the bottom border all the way around. (BTW, those measurements aren't accurate based on my copy of Hypostasis, because I'm working on it this evening as well. Maybe you were just throwing those out for the example.)

Yeah, didn't hve it in front of me so those numbers were a for instance. Thanks for the advice. I was making way more complicated..

Cinlabyrinth · Tue Feb 17, 2015 11:10 am

Took a few prints to a local frame shop in a really nice area to get some ideas for framing them. A couple of them I had goals of getting them matted, and a couple I just wanted put in a nice frame, museum glass, with spacers. When I mentioned spacers, they said they really advise against spacers and if I wanted the print to be put in a frame with no mat, they would drymount it and not use spacers, as spacers are worse in their opinion. Truth to this? All of my DIY's with no mats are framed with spacers, nothing I have is drymounted unless someone did it without my consent, but only a couple of my prints have been "professionally" framed and only 1 without mats. It's a very reputable frame shop in town so it made me curious. Spacers < drymount?

alittle · Tue Feb 17, 2015 11:12 am

Time to move on to a different framer.

Baker · Tue Feb 17, 2015 11:47 am

alittle wrote:Time to move on to a different framer.

Cinlabyrinth · Tue Feb 17, 2015 11:48 am

Figured as much

mistersmith · Tue Feb 17, 2015 6:11 pm

How are spacers, which perform a necessary function, "worse" than completely ruining the art via drymounting?

They may have had spacers ruin prints before, which can happen if you assemble things so tight that the spacers indent/crimp the paper. But, that's an assembly mistake, and not an issue inherent to spacers. Then again, anyone saying spacers are worse than mounting is exactly the kind of yahoo that would make that error and not realize what they did wrong.

JBFrame · Tue Feb 17, 2015 10:30 pm

alittle wrote:Time to move on to a different framer.

Absolutely 100% agree - don't ruin your valuable art by dry mounting. The 3.00 movie poster that is never going to go up in value is fine to drymount but anything that has value and possibly increase in value should never be drymounted.

Sithlord32 · Wed Feb 18, 2015 1:49 am

JBFrame wrote:
alittle wrote:Time to move on to a different framer.
Absolutely 100% agree - don't ruin your valuable art by dry mounting. The 3.00 movie poster that is never going to go up in value is fine to drymount but anything that has value and possibly increase in value should never be drymounted.

drewsal04 · Wed Feb 18, 2015 11:31 am

I recently re-framed some of my favorite Mondo posters (Stout KB & DU, Tong RW, Danger Psycho, and Assorted Marvel) and upgraded to black wood frames, standard acrylic, and archival mounting board (all from American Frame). Here is what I ended up with--frame/acrylic/poster/mounting board all secured by points. I did not use mats or spacers and the frame openings are all exactly 24 x 36. The posters (which I plan on keeping in the frames long term if safe) are hung in my basement, which is almost always dark and cool. My question is--will those posters be okay and not get damaged? I've combed through the Framing Corner section of the forum and read about prints sticking to glass, but not acrylic sometimes, UV damage, etc. I've been driving myself nuts thinking about this! Opinions/advice would be appreciated! Thanks!

Cinlabyrinth · Thu Feb 19, 2015 2:23 pm

drewsal04 wrote:I recently re-framed some of my favorite Mondo posters (Stout KB & DU, Tong RW, Danger Psycho, and Assorted Marvel) and upgraded to black wood frames, standard acrylic, and archival mounting board (all from American Frame). Here is what I ended up with--frame/acrylic/poster/mounting board all secured by points. I did not use mats or spacers and the frame openings are all exactly 24 x 36. The posters (which I plan on keeping in the frames long term if safe) are hung in my basement, which is almost always dark and cool. My question is--will those posters be okay and not get damaged? I've combed through the Framing Corner section of the forum and read about prints sticking to glass, but not acrylic sometimes, UV damage, etc. I've been driving myself nuts thinking about this! Opinions/advice would be appreciated! Thanks!

My opinion is use spacers, but I'm far from an expert. No clue if prints will stick to acrylic, but why risk it when spacers can be installed so easily? Your only concern, though, would be would the extra 1/8" that a spacer would take up fit inside those points too? Or would it squeeze the print too tightly? I'm of the opinion to keep the print off of anything whether it's glass or acrylic just to be safe. I'm sure experts will chime in soon though.

mistersmith · Thu Feb 19, 2015 6:02 pm

drewsal04 wrote:I did not use mats or spacers and the frame openings are all exactly 24 x 36. The posters (which I plan on keeping in the frames long term if safe) are hung in my basement, which is almost always dark and cool.

Basements are also traditionally more humid than the rest of your house, and even if they aren't, they're equally as humid, which means water is trapped between the print and the acrylic right now. And that's what's gonna do the damage, not light or temperature.

drewsal04 · Thu Feb 19, 2015 8:23 pm

Thanks for the input, I appreciate it!

allyouzombies · Fri Mar 06, 2015 8:03 pm

Newb question here. I just got some landscape prints framed (Stout LTROI and Moss Lawrence of Arabia) and I want to hang them. Are two hooks necessary for prints this size, or would one do the job?