Banners for Your ArtShow Booth


I recently helped Larry Berman of BermanGraphics to come up with an inexpensive way to protect and hang banner photographs on Art Show booth walls. Larry works with Art Show vendors to help get photos of their booth through the jury process. It is inexpensive to get 20×30 prints made now at places like Costco but you still need to get the image protected and hung on the booth wall. Frame Destination created a new product that we call the photo display kit that includes a crystal clear protect bag from Clearbags, 3/16 foamcore backing board, adhesive hangers for hanging on wire or nail, and finally Velcro tabs for mounting to Pro Panels or other types of fabric covered walls. Check out Larry’s article on jury image preparation for booth banners here.

Cheers,
Mark
Frame Destination, Inc.

Want to know how long inkjet prints will last?

Aardenburg Imaging & Archives is a great resource doing independent image permanence testing. They are supported by the people making the prints as opposed to the manufactures of inkjet printing products. I strongly believe in the work that AaI&A performs and Frame Destination, Inc. has recently become a sponsor. I want to help increase their membership which gives you full access to their large growing database of print longevity for a variety of inkjet printers, inks and papers. They are testing combinations that no one else in the world is testing.

Aardenburg Imaging and Archives is a company directed by Mark H. McCormick-Goodhart and dedicated to collecting, studying and sharing digitally mastered photographs and fine art prints with an emphasis on materials and processes. The Aardenburg Digital Print Research Program is building a comprehensive lightfastness database of modern digital and photographic printing processes by testing the samples submitted by the membership. Thus AaI&A members will have a direct say in what materials are tested, and the results remain completely independent from other commercial interests. With a growing library of test reports, articles, and tutorials on printmaking and print permanence, the AaI&A website is quickly becoming the premier website to learn about digital printmaking and print permanence.

Cheers,
Mark
Frame Destination, Inc.

New Stretcher Bar Frames

Profile S320 Stretcher Frame

Profile S320 Stretcher Frame

I am happy to announce the addition of some new stretcher frames. Some of our customers have expressed an interest in stretcher bars that have more riser. The riser is the part of the stretcher bar that lifts the canvas off the face of the bar. We also had requests for a deeper stretcher frame and so we added profile S310 which is a full 3 inches deep. We also added our S320 canvas frame which is a brand new type of stretcher frame. It has a 1/8 inch rabbet on the back to allow gluing or nailing a foamcore to professionally close off the back of your gallery wrap. Once the foamcore is attached to the back of the frame you can attach a certificate of authenticity or artist statement.

All of our stretcher frames are composed of solid wood strainer stock. We professionally cut the wood to size and then hand glue and nail the stretcher bars into a complete frame for your canvas. Our frames come with perfect 90 degree corners that will not collapse when you stretch your canvas on them. In addition to saving you time, you may be saving money since our complete frames are less than some stretcher bars.

You can check out our complete line here: Stretcher Bar Frames

Cheers,
Mark
Frame Destination, Inc.

Our New Bubble Bags featured in PDN

The February issue of Photo District News featured our new GallerPouch™ Bubble Bags in their New Technologies “Objects of Desire” on Page 80. You can also check out the online version of the article here: PDN GallerPouch™ Article.

GalleryPouch™ is a product idea that Andrew Darlow partnered with Frame Destination on to help solve the problem of how to get framed artwork and gallery wraps transported between galleries and art shows without damage. The solution is a special 3rd web bubble bag technology where the bubbles are sandwiched between two layers of heavy duty plastic making them very difficult to pop. This durability allows the bags to be reused over and over again. You can get more information, press coverage and pricing and ordering info here: GalleryPouch™ Gold Bubble Bags.

Cheers,
Mark
Frame Destination, Inc.

Proper mat size for matting an image

Determining the proper mat size opening for a print can be a little confusing. One simple rule is that the mat opening should not be the same size as the print or photo. They will not be exactly the same size and it is nearly impossible to get them lined up perfectly. Off the shelf picture frames usually have mat board openings 1/2 inch smaller. For example if you purchase a 16×20 inch frame for 11×14 prints the actual opening in the matboard will usually be 10 1/2 x 13 ½ inches. This results in the mat overlapping each side of the print by 1/4. Personally I consider that too much so Frame Destination mats are cut ¼” smaller which allows for just 1/8” overlap of each side except for prints larger than 18×24. When the mat overlaps the print you do not have to worry about the color of any paper border around the image or the color of the substrate the image is mounted to. The mat board will also help keep the image flat.

Although allowing the mat to overlap the image is the most common matting technique, another option is to use a mat opening that is larger than the image. This matting technique will prevent the image being masked and allows for a signature to be visible below the image. Usually the side and top borders are between 1/4 to 1/2 inch and the bottom is between 1/4 and 1 inch. The bottom will usually be equal to the top and sides unless there is a signature. For example if the signature is under 1/2 inch then you can use 1/4 or 3/8 inch top and side borders and 1/2 inch bottom border. If the signature requires 3/4 inch then you can use 1/2 top and side borders. In this case the mat opening will be 1 inch larger than the image width, and 1 1/4 inches larger than the image height. A common mistake is to forget to double the border size when calculating the opening.

Cheers,
Mark
Frame Destination, Inc.

Exciting Addition – New Wood Frame Mouldings!

Wood Frame Profile 200

Wood Frame Profile 200

Frame Destination has recently added several new wood picture frame mouldings. We’ve added a 3″ wide black profile to our gallery frame line and now we are happy to offer a more décor line of wood frame profiles. Our new profiles feature shades of metallic leaf, detailed etching, beveling and subtle nuances in texture and tone allowing new artistic options to traditional gallery framing! Wedding and Portrait Photographers will especially appreciate the ability of these frames to support a variety of creative and upscale designs. You can check them all out at: Wood Picture Frame Moulding

http://blog.framedestination.com/wp-login.php
Mark
President
Frame Destination, Inc.
Facebook
Twitter

Picture Frame Moulding Corner Samples

picture frame corner sample

picture frame corner sample

It can really be difficult to tell form internet web pictures if a particular picture frame moulding is right for your application. Even with color calibration, it is difficult to know how black a black frame is, or how a Cherry wood will look under your lightening conditions. If you house is like mine, it is not exactly the same light temperature as a typical studio strobe. To make it easier to get sample’s of the metal and wood moulding offered by Frame Destination, we have created a series of straight and corner sample pieces. The straight pieces are 6 inches long and an inexpensive way to hold and observe the actual moulding’s color and texture and shape. We also offer corner samples which are little more expensive since they involve considerably more labor on our part to create but can be invaluable when helping you or a prospective customer that may be purchasing frame photographs from you. You can see all of the samples here: Frame Corners Samples

Cheers,
Mark
http://www.framedestination.com/

Social Media and Picture Framing

I am happy to announce that Frame Destination, Inc. has finally gone social with Facebook and Twitter. I always greatly enjoy interacting with our customers via phone, email, and art events, but this allows us to take that to another level. Facebook appears to be an ideal venue to allow our customers to give us public feedback and learn more about what goes on inside Frame Destination and how me make picture frames. Our customers often tell us they love to refer their friends and this should make that easier. Feel free to become a friend, fan or follower…



Follow FramerMark on Twitter

Cheers,
Mark
Frame Destination, Inc.

GalleryPouch Bubble Bags in the News



Tom Hubbard recently posted a review article for The Portland Metro Photographic News about our new bubble bag product. You can check it out here: A Simply Elegant Solution — The GalleryPouch™. We have distributed a press release on our new art transport bags here: Frame Destination, Inc. Adds GalleryPouch™ Premium…

We have also updated the GalleryPouch™ product ordering page. Andrew Darlow who gave me the original idea for our new frame carrier bag created an introduction video. We have also started getting some great testimonial feedback. You can check out both on the updated page here: GalleryPouch™ Bubble Bag Product Overview.

Cheers,
Mark
Frame Destination, Inc.

Metal and Wood Picture Frame Assembly Videos

Frame Destination has recently started using YouTube to add videos to our website. We get a lot of questions from our new customers about the assembly of our metal and wood picture frames. Although a picture is worth 1000 words, a video can be worth even more! We have created two videos that show the complete process from receiving one of our metal or wood picture frames to mounting your image, to final assembly, and installation of the hanging kit. The picture frames used in the videos are complete picture frame kits with metal or wood moulding, foamcore backing board, 4-ply mat board and acrylic glazing. The frame assembly videos have been added to our website in the section for frame assembly instructions. You can check them out here: Wood Picture Frame Assembly Instructions and Metal Picture Frame Assembly Instructions.

Cheers,
Mark
Frame Destination, Inc.