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

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

In general there are three types of acrylic for picture framing: Standard Acrylic, UV-Filter Acrylic, and Non-Glare Acrylic. Standard acrylic is the most optically pure. It is more optically pure than glass also since glass has green tint. UV-filter acrylic or glass has a yellow filter which causes a minor warming effect. This effect is not as bad as the green tint effect in regular glass. Non-glare acrylic has an etched surface on one side. Cheap versions of this can create a hazing effect but higher quality versions just cause a minor loss in sharpness that is hard to notice as standard viewing distances but will be detectable by the creator of the photograph upon closer inspection. This loss of sharpness gets worse with distance making non-glare acrylic unusable for shadow box framing. I have tested a number of different types of non-glare acrylic and found Cyro to be the best at reducing glare with minimum loss of sharpness and of course that is what we sell. The best option is proper lighting because then you can use less expensive acrylic, and not have any reflections or loss of sharpness. You can find more info here: Acrylic choices for Picture Framing.

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

I know we have been talking about this for too long but we finally got our new website for Picture Frame Destination live! We added some new mounting boards, less expensive paper mats, new
metal picture frame moulding, and new wood picture frame moulding. The new site allows you to buy all of the framing components such as acrylic, glass or frame moulding by them selves. We also added
the capability to enter custom orders directly into the website. The custom mats section even supports bottom-weighted mats. To order a product in a custom size just select custom in the size pull down menu for the product you are interested in. We also added some new Gallery Style ready-made picture framesfrom Nielsen.

The easiest way to get an overview of our products is to look under “components” in the product menu bar across the top. Once you have a good idea of what kind of picture frame package you would like it is easiest to order it by going to the product menu along the top and selecting “complete kit” under “frames”. Then you only need to enter the size of your picture frame one time and you can select all of the picture frame components in one screen. The complete kit does not support custom picture frames yet but we will add that capability in the coming months.

Cheers,
Mark