Photo Frames

[CatherineA]

I would guess that if a photographer decides to frame a photo and have it on display then that is for the pleasure of seeing the photo and counting that as of greater value than preserving the photo in some archival method. Still, I wondered what features photographers on this site look for in a frame in addition to its aesthetics. Also, are there some favourite manufacturers? thank you

[pschlute]

I frame quite a lot of photos. I rotate the prints regularly, so what is important to me is that the frame can be easily dis-assembled and the print swapped for a new one. For this reason I find a craft-store self assembly frame to be ideal.

[LenR]

Hi Catherine, if "archival" framing is not of importance then these frames available from Vistek here in Canada work quite well and come in a variety of sizes. The matting materials in these frames are generally not acid free.

https://www.vistek.ca/store/231820/f...-15-single-mat

[davidedric]

I make my own frames and mattes - it doesn't save money but it's nice to know I've done the whole thing!

To build on Peter's point, while my matting is not exactly to museum standard, I use similar techniques so it's easy to replace a print. Obviously, if the new print is a different size there's a bit more work to do, but if they are both A4, A3 etc it's pretty straightforward.

A new hobby in lockdown?

[Manfred M]

Catherine - it depends on your personal taste and budget.

Nielsen are regarded as a very good frame manufacturer, but no one in Ottawa stocks them any more. I find DeSerres has a good supply of decent frames and that's where I tend to shop. The St Laurent store has a far larger selection than the Bells Corners one. Wallacks on Bank St had a good selection at one point as well, but I have not been there for years. There is always Ikea and Michaels if you want to go low end. If you have an odd sized print, custom frames are the only option.

If you want a high quality framing shop to take care of the matting and framing, the folks at SPAO use Patrick Gordon Framing on Elm St. I have no personal experience with them.

When it comes to frame sizes, the frame should be at least 1 to 2 standard sizes larger than the print. If you want to frame an 8x10 print, the frame should be at least 11x14 if not 16x20. I tend to use black frames as they go with anything.

The print itself should be made on an archival paper, ideally done with pigment ink. Most commercial printers use a chromogenic process, which is not archival and a typical life is 20 - 40 years, if the display area is out of direct sunlight. Fading is caused by exposure to UV light and chemical contaminants in the air. Using something like Hahnemuhle Protective Spray doubles the print life (available at Vistek), but spray it outdoors as the solvents are not good for your health. UV protective glass is an option, but it has a slight yellow tint to it and I don't use it for my own work. Stay away from anti-glare glass, as the print has to be pushed right up against the glass. That can't be done with with a matted print.

Any mat boards and backing boards should be of archival quality, as should the mounting tape. I get mine from DeSerres, but I do cut my own. They tend to be white or off-white only; the coloured mat boards are NOT archival. Ideally the mat should be the same colour as the paper used for the print. If you want to cut your own mats, the RAPC has several mat cutters that you can borrow. Pre-cut mats are generally not archival quality.

There should be a boarder on the print; I tend to like larger borders that some; on a small print I will generally have about 1/4" showing under the mat and on a large print I will go with at least 1/2" and up to 1".

P.S. I agree with Dan on 8-ply vs 4-ply mat boards. 8-ply is generally best left to the pros with the appropriate cutting equipment. I have heard from a number of people who have tried to cut their own who told me that they scrapped so many pieces it ended up costing them more than using a commercial 8-ply mat.

[DanK]

Catherine,

It depends on your use. My frames vary from large frames (mostly Neilsen, but some wood) with all archival materials to cheap tabletop frames from Amazon.

If you are going to display in a local show with no intent to sell the print, there's no need for archival materials. I tend to use them anyway, but I know many photographers who display prints in much cheaper frames that aren't archival. Under those conditions, I've displayed prints that were made with dye inks rather than archival pigment inks, and that's been fine. They look essentially the same, and if no one is going to buy one, it doesn't matter than they'll fade in 12 years rather than 60.

Similarly, whether I leave a border of paper showing depends on use. When I display for sale or in a high-end setting, I do that in order to be able to sign the print. When I hang things at home or give them to friends, I generally don't. Instead, I use the framer's standard 1/8" overlap, covering a bit of the print with the mat board.

I buy my frames pre-cut from a place in Texas called Frame destination. I give them all the specs--which frame, how large the art is, what positive or negative overlap I want, what size borders I want, what materials I want--and they cut everything and ship it to me. I then use archival linen tape to mount the print. If I want to re-use the frame, I cut the new mat myself, but doing that requires investing in a mat cutter.

One of the major determinants of cost is the thickness of the mat board. I prefer 8-ply, but I now usually use 4-ply because 8 ply is very expensive, particularly if the size of the mat limits how many other mats the company can cut from a standard sheet.

Dan

[CatherineA]

Thank you very much everyone, I appreciate all that I’ve learned here!

[wide2tele]

Catherine,
I think most things have been covered. I have a high end frame displayed in my home. It's acrylic, 30x40 inches. There is no frame around the acrylic so it just looks like a print with a sheet of glass over it. The print runs edge to edge.
The frame sits off the wall to give it a 3D appearance. All archival processes are used in the printing and mounting process. The print is mounted on aluminum with an aluminum frame on top of that used to give the acrylic separation from the wall. I think they claimed something like 100 years of longevity. It was incredibly expensive.

A photo below of the bottom corner of the frame. You can see the acrylic, the backing and the frame which separates it from the wall.



On archival points:
I purchased one of the first generation of Epson photo printers around 2 decades ago. People quickly complained their prints were fading in under 12 months from the inks these printers used. When the second generation of photo printers came out, Epson and other manufacturers reworked their inks to give them more archival properties.

I have a bunch of prints I stored from that first Epson printer. For 2 decades the prints have sat in a spare room. The prints were placed in archival sleeves and put in a case which would be close to light tight. The room they are stored in suffers temperature extremes. The room is cool in the morning and then the afternoon sun hits it so temperature variations on a given day would be high. Typical temps in this room throughout the year would be 10C/50F to 40C/104F with even greater variation either side of these temps on the extreme weather days of the year.

Two decades on, those Epson prints today look like they came off the printer 30 seconds ago. Zero deterioration.

Some simple measures need to be taken when hanging and you should get a massive lifespan from any print. Temperature has no affect on longevity but keeping air away and hanging in an area which will not receive direct sun is incredibly important.

[CatherineA]

Hi Mark,That frame must be wonderful and display photos to stunning effect, especially given its dimensions. I haven't actually framed anything yet so excuse the cluelessness of this question: do you use tape to attach your photo to the backing and, is there space between it and the acrylic?

[wide2tele]

Hi Mark,That frame must be wonderful and display photos to stunning effect, especially given its dimensions. I haven't actually framed anything yet so excuse the cluelessness of this question: do you use tape to attach your photo to the backing and, is there space between it and the acrylic?

Catherine,
Everything from the printing to the mounting was done at one place. Prints can't be changed with this type of mount. There is no space between backing and acrylic. It's also heavy and requires 2 hooks to place it on the wall. It does look great. It hangs opposite the front door so you see it as soon as you come in to the house.

[pschlute]

Hi Mark,That frame must be wonderful and display photos to stunning effect, especially given its dimensions. I haven't actually framed anything yet so excuse the cluelessness of this question: do you use tape to attach your photo to the backing and, is there space between it and the acrylic?

If I may answer Catherine. The frames I use have a glass front; a mount; a backing board; and a coarse back-board which holds everything in place using little metal pins to secure it to the wooden frame. I use an acid-free hinging tape to attach the rear of the print to the mount. I guess I could also tape it to the backing board.

[CatherineA]

If I may answer Catherine. The frames I use have a glass front; a mount; a backing board; and a coarse back-board which holds everything in place using little metal pins to secure it to the wooden frame. I use an acid-free hinging tape to attach the rear of the print to the mount. I guess I could also tape it to the backing board.

Thanks Peter! A beautiful photo of a gorgeous dog in a most handsome frame .

[Chataignier]

Nothing to add to the suggestions for conventional frames, but you might like to consider what we call "Caisses Américaines" over here. The photo is glued to a rigid substrate which is then mounted inside a surrounding frame but spaced away from it. Difficult to describe, so here's an image that gives the idea :



The advantage is that the space creates a shadow line around the photo which I find attractive, the print is of course not protected in any way, however, I tend to regard prints for display as disposable - I like to change the decor every now and again !

Most photo labs provide something similar.

[CatherineA]

Nothing to add to the suggestions for conventional frames, but you might like to consider what we call "Caisses Américaines" over here. The photo is glued to a rigid substrate which is then mounted inside a surrounding frame but spaced away from it. Difficult to describe, so here's an image that gives the idea :



The advantage is that the space creates a shadow line around the photo which I find attractive, the print is of course not protected in any way, however, I tend to regard prints for display as disposable - I like to change the decor every now and again !

Most photo labs provide something similar.

Thanks David. I haven't seen those frames before and they do look good. I'm just surprised that dust doesn't quickly adhere to the surface of the prints - or maybe I have a particular problem with that in my home.... I read that a print should be left out of a sleeve or frame for 24 hours after printing because of off-gassing. When I did that last week there were a couple of noticeable dust specks on the photo that I couldn't remove. But then again, I had left my photo flat and not vertical as it would be in this frame.

[Chataignier]

Dust ? Yes, a wee bit, but no self respecting painter puts his work behind glass, horrible reflections !
The prints are very robust, just dust them ! I use a soft brush attachment on the vacuum cleaner. In the final analysis, if after 10yrs there are too many marks, make another print.

[Elle Harper]

Do not forget about photo editing!

[Manfred M]

Do not forget about photo editing!

And this has what to do with framing a print?

[Tronhard]

On an expanded view of the term, does anyone have any experience with e-photo frames? I am considering using something of this type - because I like the pop one gets from an emitted image rather than a reflected one, and I like the idea that I can change the image for no additional cost, once I have purchased the unit. I'm thinking of something in the size of a 24-36" equivalent monitor.