Frame Destination, Inc. has recently begun sponsoring a Free Classified Ads webpage for people for buying and selling items such as art, cameras or anything else. The Classifieds are powered by NetOffer which also has a free directory service we will sponsor in the near future. You can use this directory service to easily get a free link to your website.
Cheers,
Mark
If you are using acrylic in your picture frames you may have run into issues with scratching and cleaning. Although acrylic has many advantages over glass, it is not as scratch resistant. Paper towels are basically ground up wood pulp and not good for cleaning acrylic any more than they are for cleaning your camera lens. Microfiber cleaning cloths are much better and I found an excellent one frame Craftics that is smooth like a chamois, the Craftics Microfiber Smooth Towel. Most cleaners of ok for cleaning acrylic but you do not want to use any ammonia based cleaners on picture frames since the ammonia can be harmful to the artwork. I tested a number of different acrylic cleaners and found Brillianize to be my favorite. It helps get rid of the static charge, is a very safe for the artwork and the acrylic, and includes a minor polish that will help prevent static and dust build up on the frame over time.
Cheers,
Mark
A common question people have when buying picture frames is whether or not to use glass or acrylic for the glazing. Most custom frame shops will use glass unless the frame is over 32×40 inches. For large frames they will strongly consider using acrylic because it is much lighter. Most of the mail order picture frame companies will only ship acrylic. Picture Frame Destination, Inc. will ship glass up to 20×24 inches. Many ready-made frames shipped via mail order are glass and you have to be prepared for breakage. In general it is better to buy glass locally since the shipping cost is high. We have information here on our website that lists many of the pros and cons of glass vs acrylic.
Cheers,
Mark
You have purchased a wonderful photo printer that can create beautiful images – now you must decide what size image you’d like to print and what size paper to print it on. The sizing depends on what you intend to do with the finished print. Let’s look at some options – and the trade-offs – for printing images on various paper sizes. Keep in mind that if you plan to sell your images, many customers prefer that the external mat size is a standard picture frame size such as 11×14, 16×20, or 18×24 so they are not forced into a custom frame shop.
13×19 Printer Paper – Framing Options
Aside from roll or special panoramic sheet paper, the largest common paper size is 13×19 inches. The simplest option is to use the entire sheet and print a 13×19 image. If you have an SLR, which normally has an image aspect ratio of 3:2, this is a convenient size because it requires almost no cropping. An un-cropped 3:2 image printed on 13×19 paper will only lose one-half inch of the image. (In other words, the un-cropped image would measure 13×19.5 inches.)
Another excellent image size for 13×19 paper is 12×18. This size creates its own border, which is advantageous because some printers are not able to print full borderless on all papers. The borders on the paper can be used for the artist’s signature, or as a mounting aid utilizing photo corners . (The corners can be concealed with a mat.)
The 13×19 and 12×18 are not standard picture frame sizes. However, some specialty companies such as Frame Destination Inc. do offer inexpensive, ready-made frames in these sizes. These frames are inexpensive for two reasons: They do not contain a mat and they use less expensive non-archival components. Another advantage to these frames is that they typically require no mounting. You simply slip the paper into the frame and you’re done. In the case of the 13×19 picture frame , you don’t even need to trim the paper.
Some photographers prefer using a mat board with their prints. Although mat boards with 12×18 and 13×19 openings are is not readily available, specialty companies like Frame Destination Inc. offer mats with openings in these sizes . An 18×24 standard frame size with mat is ideal for these image sizes. With the 18×24 the 12×18 will have an even three-inch mat border surrounding the image, and the 13×19 will have an even 2.5 inch mat border.
Compact cameras such as Canon PowerShot and the Nikon Coolpix, and SLRs such as the Olympus E-400 use the 4:3 aspect ratio size, which is perfect for 12×16 prints. Although this picture frame size is not nearly as common as 11×14 or 16×20, it is still a standard frame size.
Although a 10×15 print would normally be done on smaller paper, think BIG and print a 10×15 centered image onto 13×19 paper. You get free a white border, and if placed in a 13×19 frame, the result will be a 1.5-inch top and bottom border, and two-inch side border. A 9×15 image can also be printed onto 13×19 paper, and with a little cropping you can achieve an even two-inch border surrounding the image.
Summary of Options for 13×19 Paper
Paper Size: 13×19
Standard Frame Sizes: 12×16
Non-standard frame Sizes: 12×18 , 13×19
Standard Matted Frame Size: 18×24
Recommended Image Sizes: 10×15, 12×16, 12×18, 13×19
17×22 Printer Paper – Framing Options
17×22 is a new common paper size for 17-inch printers such as Epson Stylus Pro 3800 and Canon iPF5000. This is ideal for 16×20 images, which have an infinite selection of matted and un-matted frames. Unfortunately, 16×20 is neither a 3:2 nor 4:3 ratio; 16×24 is the 3:2 ratio but can only be printed on 17-inch roll paper.
Summary of Options for 17×22
Paper Size: 17×22
Standard Frame Sizes: 16×20
Non-standard frame Sizes: 17×22
Standard Matted Frame Size: 20×24, 22×28
Recommended Image Sizes: 16×20, 17×22
11×17 and 11×16.5 Printer Paper – Framing Options
These paper sizes are good choices for 3:2 and 4:3 aspect ratio images. The 11×17 is close to the 3:2 image ratio. It can be matted to the standard 18×24 frame size, which creates an even 3.5-inch border around the image. Another interesting option with these two paper sizes is to print an image as 6×9 and then crop the paper to fit in an 11×14 picture frame. The result will be an even 2.5-inch white paper border surrounding the image.
Summary of Options for 11×17 and 11×16.5 Paper
Paper Size: 11×17, 11×16.5
Standard Frame Sizes: 11×14, 9×12
Non-standard frame Sizes: 11×17
Standard Matted Frame Size: 16×20, 20×24
Recommended Image Sizes: 6×9, 8×12, 9×12, 10×13, 10×15, 11×14, 11×17
8.5×11 Printer Paper – Framing Options
Although 8×10 paper is available, 8.5×11 is a common paper size. Most 8.5×11 frames are designed for certificates rather that photos, although some specialty frame shops do offer 8.5×11 picture frames.
Summary of Options for 8.5×11 Paper
Paper Size: 8.5×11
Standard Frame Sizes: 8×10, 8.5×11
Non-standard frame Sizes: 8.5×11 (non-certificate frames less common)
Standard Matted Frame Size: 9×12, 11×14, 16×20
Recommended Image Sizes: 6×9, 8×10, 8.5×11
We recently added a couple of new products. Lineco Photo Tabs are an acid free archival double sided adhesive used to permanently mount photos and other items into an album or scrapbook. They are safe for inkjet prints and photographs and passed the Photo Activity Test.
We have always had Lineco 4 inch clear mounting strips but we just added longer12 inch clear mounting strips. They are also acid and lignin free and use a Ph Neutral pressure sensitive adhesive. They are even safer for mounting artwork than the photo tabs because when using the stips, no adhesive comes into contact with the photograph or artwork. They are similar to photo corners but support the straight edges of the photograph instead of the corners. They can also be used to provide extra support along with photo corners .
Lastly we added 1 pound print weights. These are great for holding a print in place after you have it centered. For instance, once you have hinged your mat to the backing board you center you image under the mat. Place the weight bag on the photo and lift the mat up. Now you can easily attach photo corners to the photograph, t-hinge it, or use photo tabs to secure the photo to foamcore backing. We also have lighter 1/2 pound weight bags.
Cheers,
Mark
Photo corners are a great archival photo mount for picture framing since they allow you to do your photo mounting without any chemicals coming into contact with your picture. Not all photo corners are created equal. Make sure you do not use photo corners that contain PVC plasticizers or acidic compounds. The two most common types of archival quality picture corners are made from polyester film, more commonly know as Mylar (Dupont Mylar Type D) and polypropylene.
Mylar Photo Corners are the first choice of museums and provide the clearest plastic. Polypropylene Photo Corners are not as clear as Mylar but are also inert, acid-free, safe and also widely used for mounting. Polypropylene corners also cost about half as much as Mylar photo corners.
Plastic clarity and archival ability are more of a consideration for photo albums and sleeves since photo corners are generally not visible in photo frames and have little contact with the print. I have read that Mylar is good for centuries and Polypropylene is good for decades (I have not verified this). When storing prints under plastic care should be taken to keep the relative humidity below 80% other wise the print can stick to the plastic. This is more of an issue with the albums since photo corners to not have much contact with the print and typically and may only cover the white border if available.
Mylar, Polypropylene, and Polyethylene are all safe plastic materials and they are all odorless. This is a good indication they are not out gassing harmful chemicals. If you have your prints stored in plastic albums or sleeves that you are not certain about, a quick test is to simply smell them. An example of a harmful plastic smell is that of a shower curtain.
An alternative to photo corners is Mylar See-Thru Mounting Strips. They are used to mount the edges of the artwork instead of the corners.
Cheers,
Mark
I love photography and since I own a picture frame company that caters to photographers I get questions just about every day about how to mount photographs. I have created a picture frame info webpage that provides an overview of just about all of the various picture frame mounting techniques and has some in-depth descriptions and pictures of some archival methods that are inexpensive and very easy to do at home. I included info on everything from dry mounting to archival t-hinging. Most importantly I included pictures. When trying to explain a t-hinge mounting technique, a picture is definitely worth a thousand words. The page also has some info about different types of acrylic for frames and some info about gallery style picture framing. It is a work in progress so I would love to hear feedback about what else I should add or mistakes.
http://www.framedestination.com/picture_frame_mounting.html
Cheers,
Mark
