Mounting, Framing, etc

[Rob MacKillop]

I treated myself to a nice print of one of my images, via The Print Space, using baryta paper. I ordered it yesterday afternoon, and I was surprised to see it arrive at 11am today, well packaged, and looking more beautiful than I thought any of my images ever warranted. Very pleased...but...

It cost £15 for the 8"x8" print. Using their online software, I added a backing, card framing, then a wooden outer frame, and the cost rose to £90, some options took it well over £100. For one image! I have about 30 images I'd like to be nicely printed and framed - around £3,000...nae chance! So, I just got the paper print, without the add ons.

So, how do you guys get your good images printed?

 

[Rob MacKillop]

Ah...Ikea?

 

[Pete Askew]

I bought a 'job-lot' of Ribba frames in the UK a few years ago and transported them to Germany as you couldn't get oak versions over here. Most have a 30 x 30cm cutout although I have some non-square (what a horrid term!) ones as well. Sadly the new versions are made out of Weatabix! But the black ones might be OK.

I have used these people as well and was quite impressed.

Picture Frames & Customised Picture Framing for Photos | Frame Express

 

[Julian de'Courcy]

Rob I used to take a morning 300 mile round trip to Ikea, then fill the car boot. That is several years ago, then they had good frames. They are still as new. No warping and proper glass with good mounts.
Mounts are easy to make, you need a proper hand cutter.They are inexpensive. It cuts against a ruler, flat and the blade is set at an angle. You cut from the reverse side of the mount. If you mark it out correctly, it is very quick and easy. I used to cut down the existing mount or purchase mounting card. Some brown sticky paper parcel tape to seal the rear. The nice thing about having several frames you can swap and change pics from time to time.

The price you paid does seem a lot, almost bespoke prices? Yes I would recommend sourcing good frame from a high street retailer and cutting your own mount. I also like to use a frame quite a bit larger than the image, using a decently large mount. I suspect for 30 images. ball park prices? Frames £10-£20 each. Mounting card not sure but a quick look £2.50 -£3 A1, a mount cutter under £20, you only need the cutter on it's own if you have a good guide rule already. Also sometimes the mount with the frame you can re-cut to your needs. At the most I would think £25 per very high quality mounted frame plus the cost of the print.

 

[Beth Carter]

CG Pro Prints Home

seems to be printed on canvas board made to look like canvas rather than canvas. dirt cheap prices, ready to hang, no need for a frame.

 

[Rob MacKillop]

I'd prefer UK places, Beth, but thanks anyway.

Pete's suggestion of Frame Express - the online software is easy to use, and I guess their prices are reasonable - until you add vat and postage, and suddenly 70% has been added. I might try it once, just to see what it looks like.

- - - Updated - - -

I suppose one answer would be to get ready-made frames with mounts, and print the images to match (with 4mm added all round, to fit under the mounts)?

 

[Davie Hudson]

all of my exhibition frames are from ikea i threw the mounts away and cut my own (the mount cutter was £90) and i spose time will tell if they are good enough

 

[Chris Dodkin]

IKEA - then print to match their mount size(s)

Which reminds me - I have 4 frames in front of me needing pictures - must get to the lab!

 

[Rob MacKillop]

Davie - I'll check out you handiwork on Wednesday

Cheers, Chris. That's what I was thinking. We have an Ikea in Edinburgh. Might get there on Saturday - unfortunately at its busiest time...

 

[Chris Dodkin]

Gotta love IKEA on the weekend - hoards of people arguing about why the huge SKNNOBJROT they just purchased, won't fit in their Fiat 500!

 

[Davie Hudson]

Davie - I'll check out you handiwork on Wednesday

you shouldn't have told me that lol.... I'm installing it tomorrow morning

 

[Rob MacKillop]

Good luck!

 

[Davie Hudson]

Good luck!

thank you

 

[Davie Hudson]

Started off well anyway ... within 5 minutes of hanging them i'd sold the first one

 

[Rob MacKillop]

Your mum? Seriously, well done!

 

[Davie Hudson]

Your mum? Seriously, well done!

lol she claims family discount and gets them for nothing

 

[Rob MacKillop]

I got about ten different frames, pre mounted, at Ikea today - went early to avoid the crowds. The ones by RIBA look OK, if a bit deep, and the prices are incredibly low - from £2 to £15 for very large.

 

[Davie Hudson]

I got about ten different frames, pre mounted, at Ikea today - went early to avoid the crowds. The ones by RIBA look OK, if a bit deep, and the prices are incredibly low - from £2 to £15 for very large.

they're great and an easy way to present your pictures.... the reason i never kept the mounts is I never crop to standard sizes

 

[Rob MacKillop]

That's something I'm thinking about. It would make life a lot easier if I did crop to size, plus four millimetres all round to stop it falling through the window! But I'm reluctant to crop the RB67 images, which, of course, are 6x7 - not standard - and shots from my Mamiya C330 and Zeiss Nettar are square format. I didn't see any Ribba frames and mounts for square format, unfortunately.

 

[Paul Lange]

I bought a mount cutter set on ebay that included a plastic cutter, a cutting matt and the guide ruler. The cutter was terrible but I then managed to get a used Dexter mat cutter on ebay for about 9 quid. They are excellent. Cutting the mounts well is quite easy but marking the right size cutting lines is abit hit and miss for me. If I am tired or get interupted while marking it tends to go very wrong. It is still a bit hit and miss for me though, you really need to plan the image and border size (made by the matt) properly or it doesnt look good no matter how good the image and the cratsmanship of the matt cutting.