Frame Destination Picture Framing

Frame Destination has recently added a couple of new standard frame sizes to our selection of FDI ready-made picture frames. The FDI picture frames were originally created to offer an inexpensive framing option for inkjet prints in non-standard sizes such as 8×12, 11×17, 12×18, 13×19, 17×22, and 17×25. Many people are using them for framing all kinds of other artwork so now we have rounded out the line with standard sizes 8×10, 8.5×11, 11×14, and 16×20.
These are black metal frames (our profile 2) with a smooth white 1/8 foamcore backing, and glass.

Of course if you need a different size you can just go to the frame kit section of our website. Just select “Frames” – “Complete Kit” from the top menu bar. Select “no mat”. That will bring you to our metal frame kit page for complete frames without a mat which include free hanging kits. You can select one of over 60 different sizes or select custom and create your own size. Then just select
Moulding Style: “Profile 2”
Mount Board type: “Foamboard Regular 1/8 inch”
Glass or Acrylic: “Glass”

Of course you can select other options if you want acid free or a mat. Profile 2 is not very tall so if you do want a mat then you will want to select “Profile 117” which looks the same from the front but has a deeper rabbet.

Cheers,
Mark

Frame Destination recently announced the addition of bulk or raw sheet mat board to our website. We now sell raw uncut matboard directly from the manufacturer for increased savings. These sheets are roughly 32×40 inches. Since we are not cutting them, we can pass on the labor savings to you. If you wish to cut the inside mat opening yourself, but would like to save time by having us cut the outside you can order blank mat board sheets that are cut down to one of our 60+ sizes. We can also cut the mating to a custom size.

Cheers,
Mark

Frame Destination, Inc. recently released a new press release about our selection of archival photo storage products. Digital photos take many forms from CDs and DVDs to final framing products. We offer several different types of products to help make file and print stoage easier.

For the digital photo files we offer archival CD/DVD storage products including sleeves and binders. They use a very advanced Archivalware Corrosion Intercept technology to protect the data from fading. We also offer adhesive print sleeves that are ideal for storing CD’s in the back of photo albums. Finally, we also have an album with slip case to conveniently and safely hold the CD/DVD storage sleeves.

For photographs and inkjet prints we offer clear bags from (clearbags) and print sleeves. Our clearbags have the adhesive strip on the bag instead of the flap to help protect the artwork when sliding it in and out. We also offer 10-packs of clear bags in addition to the more traditional and cost effective 100-pack.

Larger groups of photo’s and prints can be conveniently stored in our acid-free photo storage boxes from Lineco. They are solid black with reinforced corners and the front folds down for easy access. In addition to standard sizes such as 11×14 we offer these boxes in 13×19 and 11×17 for inkjet paper.

Cheers,
Mark
President
Frame Destination, Inc.
http://www.framedestination.com

Frame Destination, Inc. is happy to announce that we have added support for uncut mat board to our website under top menu “Components -> Uncut Mat Board”. Uncut mat board has no window cut in the center to display photographs or other artwork. This matboard is cut to specific size (except for 32×40 raw sheets). It is for people that like to cut their own custom size window openings, or for people that are float mounting and need a color matched backing board to mount the image to. It is also for people that just prefer to mount to matboard instead of foamcore mount board. The least expensive (per square inch) mat board size is our 32×40 raw sheet. It is uncut direct form the manufacturer. Since we have no cutting labor we can sell it for less, but please note, it will not be exactly 32×40 in size or square.

Of course we will offer this new product in standard frame sizes such as 16×20 and 18×24, but it is also available in many non standard sizes such as 12×18, 13×19 or 16×16. We have over 60 different sizes and you can also just select custom in the size pull-down and specify any size you need including large panoramic sizes.

We have three different types of uncut mat board:
4-ply Archival (acid and lignin free) Bainbridge Alphamat
8-ply Archival (acid and lignin free) Bainbridge Cotton Rag
4-ply Buffered Paper Mat Board

Cheers,
Mark
Frame Destination, Inc.

This is a mounting technique for when you just want to temporarily mount and image for transport and casual display, but not frame. Assuming you are printing the image yourself, leave about a 1 inch white paper border around the image. Use photo corners to mount it to foamcore that is little larger than the image and then shrinkwrap the entire package. The photo corners will keep the image centered on the foamcore and the shinkwrap will keep it from bowing out of the photo corners and protect it from finger prints. If the foamcore is larger than the paper, minor dings should only hurt the foamcore and not the image.

Cheers,
Mark

It is critical that you have an established account with some time and 100%
positive feedback. If you don’t your bids are limited to scammers, and people
that are ignorant about how eBay works. For products like used camera gear, the
law of supply and demand is as reliable as the law of gravity so I don’t use any
reserve and I set the starting bid at 1 cent. If it is a common item you can watch
it sell a few times and see the price window of where it sells. In general, the
poor quality ads will fetch less money. I always sell at the top of the window.
For my ads, I take lots of high quality pictures. If there is a defect, then I
will take a good picture of the defect, and I will point it out so people can
see what they are getting and feel more comfortable that I am not hiding things.
In addition to the specs I will provide some personal commentary on how I used
the equipment and what I liked about it. This helps people see that I am an
individual selling my own gear, as opposed to a thief selling stolen gear,
someone running a junk sale out of their garage, or a scammer that actually
isn’t selling anything at all. Thief’s and scammers are lazy and do not take
time to create personal ads. I have no need for hidden reserve prices and think
many just use them to try to sell to fools. I also have no need for a high
starting bid, it just cost more money. Since I have no reserve, and a 1 cent
starting bid I will usually have several bids in the first couple days which
helps it stand out in the listings. I have used this method on a dSLR that
ultimately sold for over $1,000. I have also used it for iPods, other
electronics, and tools with no problem. Do not try it with art or framing
products, it won’t work for those types of items.

Cheers,
Mark

Frame Destination is happy to announce that April 2009 is our 5 year anniversary. 5 years ago I was an electrical engineer starting to go pro with my photography. I started doing some work for hire and purchased an Epson 2200 printer. I was thrilled to be able to do my own archival printing and not have to crop my photo’s to standard photo lab and frame sizes. I really like 13×19 and 12×18 picture sizes but discovered a serious problem with a lack of picture frames in those sizes. I decided to form Frame Destination to help solve this issue. Since then we added all kinds of other framing products such as clearbags, photo and dvd storage products, and most recently our new stretcher bar frames.

Less than a year after forming Frame Destination I quite my job, started hiring employees and moved it into its own warehouse production space. Since then we have expanded into additional space, and later moved again. This year we are expanding again and will have over 11,000 sq ft.

I really appreciate the great support from all of our customers over the years. All of our customer service employees have always commented on how they enjoy working with our customers.

Cheers,
Mark
Frame Destination, Inc.

Picture Frame Destination has added a new line of stretcher bar frames. Traditional tongue and groove stretcher bars are difficult to square and might collapse when you try to stretch the canvas. Our stretcher frames are ready made, pre squared and have permanent 90 degree corners. We use high quality solid wood strainer stock that we hand glue and nail together before shipping to you. Spend less time playing with stretcher bars and more time creating or marketing your art. We have five different stretcher strip profiles from our inexpensive small S110 frame that allows your stretched canvas to be framed in a traditional wood frame all the way to our two inch tall S150 stretcher frame ideal for gallery wraps. We offer our stretchers in over 60 different sizes in addition to full custom frame sizes. Note: if you are concerned that your canvas may sag over time you will still want to use traditional stretcher bars with adjustable corners.

Cheers,
Mark

Picture Frame Dimensions can be very confusing since there are lots of different types of dimensions used in picture framing. Artwork size is the size of the print that you want to frame. It may or may not be the size of the image. You can print a 12×18 image on 13×19 paper. The artwork size is 12×18 but the paper size is 13×19. Frame size typically refers to the size of the glass the frame will hold. An 11×14 frame should have an inside dimension a little larger (normally 1/8 inch) so that 11×14 glass and backing will fit inside the frame without binding. If you use a mat to add borders around the artwork it will increase the size of the frame. A common mat for 11×14 artwork has 2-1/2 and 3 inch borders creating a frame size of 16×20. Although the mat is for 11×14 artwork, it will not have an opening that size. Most off the shelf mat boards will be cut 1/2 inch smaller so that the mat will overlap the artwork by about 1/4 inch all 4 sides. Custom frame companies and most Frame Destination picture mat boards are cut 1/4 inch smaller so they will not cover up as much of the photo. The mat opening should never be the same size as the artwork. If you do not want any of the artwork covered up you can do what is called float mount and use a matboard that is larger. Such mat openings will often be cut 1/2 to 1 inch larger so there will be a gap between the artwork and the image of at least 1/4 inch. In that case either paper (if the paper is larger than the image) or the mounting board will be exposed. Care must be taken to ensure the exposed border is an appropriate color for the overall picture frame presentation.

Cheers,
Mark

A common question from those new to framing is glass vs acrylic for the picture frame glazing. Glass is used almost exclusively for inexpensive off the shelf ready-made frames because it is cheap and acrylic is used almost exclusively by mail order or internet framing companies because it won’t break during shipping. At Frame Destination we sell both glass and acrylic but we limit the size of glass we ship to 20×24 inches to help reduce the chance of shipping damage. Acrylic is also lighter than glass which reduces the shipping cost. Custom frame shops will mostly use glass unless the frame is larger than 32×40. For large work they will tend towards acrylic because the glass gets very heavy at those sizes and you have to give extra attention to making sure the frame can handle it. The wall hanging hardware also has to be able to handle the extra weight. Museums prefer acrylic over glass because if the glass breaks it can slice and destroy rare artwork. Some galleries prefer acrylic due to reduced liability. Glass has a green tint due to the iron content unless you purchase a higher end water white or museum glass which costs more than acrylic. The drawbacks to the acrylic are increase cost over standard glass, lack of scratch resistance, and static charge. For a more comprehensive break down of the pros and cons of both, see glass vs acrylic on the frame information section of our website.

Cheers,
Mark