Framing, matting, printing....

[katynoelle]

I'm getting closer and closer to, actually, ordering my first real print.... (for those of you who know the saga - it's kind of pitiful, isn't it? I have a post office phobia, apparently, too. : But, I really am soooooooooo close, now! I have questions, though.

The printers (WHCC) say that they enlarge my image slightly so that there will be no 'white edges' showing when/if the paper shifts in the printer while printing. They say that it will cut off an eighth to a quarter of an inch from my crop. Then, when I matte it, that will also crop my image in. How much, I wonder - I'm sure that someone here knows?

Then, how do I pull the crop on my image out - how do I know how far to pull it out? I just totally don't get this!

Then, my sister and I spent a fun time wandering around an art supply store asking questions about framing, matting and glass. Does anyone have a resource for these things that they can recommend? This could be expensive if I'm not careful! My sister says that if I can get the parts separately, she can show me how to assemble them.

Any opinions about what kind of glass for when I finally do get them framed? I see three options - regular, glare reduced and museum quality. What about acrylic shtuff?

What about the mounting onto a board for competition prints? What's up with that? Why do they do that? Well, I wouldn't be doing that, now.

So many words, here - sorry! So many questions! I just.... PLEASE.... I just really need help - still!

[katynoelle]

Nick, I think that you shared some thoughts about all of this a couple of months, ago, but I can't think of where/what thread.... I've looked.

[Barry]

Hi Katy,

I always have my images printed onto a larger paper size, that way I know that I will get all of my image seen. For competitions I resize my image to 10in x 15in and have it printed on a 12in x 18in sheet. Then I will mount it into a window mount with about 1/4in of the white paper still visible giving the image a border within the mount, plus you see all of my original image.

If I'm putting any of my images behind glass, then I always use a lustre finish and not gloss, as this helps with reflections.

[katynoelle]

Thanks, so much, Barry! Another insight gained! I just, actually, came back, right now, to ask about white edges. Some of my images, I cannot crop out - they were taken last year and there just isn't reasonable space. The rep from WHCC said that I should add, at least, a half inch white border - any less and it will look like a mistake. That's what he said. Opinions, anyone?

Again, recommendations to find affordable good quality framing supplies? (Don't ask for much, do I! )

[Barry]

Jul 13, 2012 21:04:27 GMT @katynoelle said:

Thanks, so much, Barry! Another insight gained! I just, actually, came back, right now, to ask about white edges. Some of my images, I cannot crop out - they were taken last year and there just isn't reasonable space. The rep from WHCC said that I should add, at least, a half inch white border - any less and it will look like a mistake. That's what he said. Opinions, anyone?

Again, recommendations to find affordable good quality framing supplies? (Don't ask for much, do I! )

I normally have about a inch border, then I will trim it to suit my needs. As for frames, I pop down to our local market place and just pick up standard size frames A3 etc, then I will cut my own mountboard to suit image and frame.

To answer your next question , I buy my mountboard in bulk sized 32in x 48in and cut it down to my needs.

[katynoelle]

I am completely surprised by the mounting board... I've never even heard of it until this month. I thought that images were just on.... paper.... plain ol' paper. I really am so confused!

and, then.... you always have a white edge when you get an image printed? Or only when you use what sounds like a shadow box?

So sorry....

[nickjohnson]

Hello Katy, I've only just seen this.
I only ever mount prints for competition. Anything I put on the wall is a canvas wrap from an on line supplier – so I know next to nothing about framing.

Because we have a maximum overall size for mounted competition work – 40cm x 50cm – I start from there and work backwards all the way to composing my images with a crop proportion in mind. The difference between the outside dimensions of my mount window and inside dimension is typically about 6cm. So the inside of a “normal” proportion window is 28cm x 38cm. So if you add a 6cm wide mount all the way around that you end up with 40cm x 50cm. (e.g. 6 + 38 + 6 = 50)

My choice of a 6cm (ish) mount window width is arbitrary. It is driven by the 40cm x 50cm max size on the one hand and on the other by A3 paper being a convenient and usefully “big” size to print on.

I don't show any white unprinted boarder between the edge of the print and the inside of the mount window. I actually print a little larger than the window aperture to ensure that never happens. So for example I print 29cm x 39cm on A3 paper and mount it with a window of 28cm x 38cm and an overall size of 40cm x 50cm. Doing it that way means I have some wiggle room and that I don't have to line things up so that a white boarder is perfectly even all the way round.

I hope the above is of some use. FWIW prints for sale in the UK generally have a mount width much bigger that I use for competition – usually at least twice as big – as a proportion. One ends up buying shed loads of matt (mount) + frame and not much actual print. To each there own.

[katynoelle]

Thanks, Nick! You haven't seen this because it's only recently been posted.

I've heard you guys mention A3 paper before but I've never heard the term used, here, in the States. (Which doesn't mean it isn't used here.... just that I've never heard of it before. )

SO!:

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paper_size

Wikipedia says that it's an internationally standard size - 13x19 inches.... which is not a standard size, here, in the US.... that I know of or that the printers are listing....

[katynoelle]

I just posted the last comment up without finishing it because I had to go.... which I still do.... I figured a bunch out between this and a conversation that I just had with my sister on the phone. I'll look at this, again, later....

Thanks Guys!!!

[Stevewebb]

Hi Katy
If you don't mind me saying, you seem to be over thinking this a bit ;D

I would be saying to myself, what am I getting it printed for? Myself, someone else(a gift), for sale, for competition, for display (exhibition). Each one may have its own requirements.

Barry and Nick have spoken about competition prints already so I will add comments on the other uses.

Myself- I choose the style of mounting/framing that I want and order it as a complete finished product. When it arrives I hang it on the wall. No room for pontificating.

Someone else- what style do they like modern, traditional, wood or metal edges. Then I order it as a complete finished product.

For Sale- this is a tricky one because even if many people like your image, their taste in display options will vary hugely. I would suggest displaying it as simply as possible and offering alternative options when a print is ordered. But I would offer only items that I can get as a complete finished product from WHCC or similar.

For Display- I would follow the same guidelines as for competition. Have the mount the same size for every image and just change the aperture size depending on the image.

My main aim is always to get the final product as a finished item from the professional printer company. I always figure that they have expensive gear that they are using all the time so it should be far better than any frame or mount or anything else that I could put together.

I would add that I have never been disappointed with anything that comes back from the printers. So ppppppplllllllleeeeeeeaaaaaasssssssseeeeeee, just get it ordered and don't think about it too much ;D ;D ;D ;D

[katynoelle]

Oh, my! That's one friend I've driven round the bend, already! ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D

I want to sell prints - although, a couple of them, I want to keep and a couple, give away. (excited about that!

I've been trying to figure out what quality to sell at and what I can afford. I've been in retail, before, so I understand the push and pull of selling something appealing that's affordable. Part of the problem about even knowing what the options are is that I'm here in the boondocks and there really isn't any place that I could just go and 'shop around' to see what my options are. Finally, what's making me very, very careful to think before I spend is because Tom and I have chosen location and vocation for the lifestyle and not the money it brings. Otherwise, I would spend my money much, much more quickly. You see, I'm the kind of girl who goes into a fine restaurant and unwittingly orders the most expensive dish on the menu - used to drive my parents craaaaazy!

My sister has really been helping me out but she can't make the decisions - just help me understand the options and to wrap my mind around starting out as an artist... Happily, also, she has two images that she bought framed from two very successful photographers from the region. We could look and see how they sell their work.... they don't use the most expensive stuff, at all and they offer it either framed or simply matted (with title of work and signature on the matt). They leave it so that, if someone wants to really go whole hog - they can do it themselves...

For Display- I would follow the same guidelines as for competition. Have the mount the same size for every image and just change the aperture size depending on the image.

Oh, Steve! That just turned a light of understanding on, thank you!

You guys are just so straight forward.... what's that like, anyway? ;D Remember, I'm into interior decorating and.... I just don't like the WHCC frames.... ;D ;D ;D and they just use plexiglass - not real glass but, then, when I went down to the big city to their 'function', on Tues, I saw that it's a lovely product and, like you said, all done and finished when it arrives. It's a bit expensive, though, and I wouldn't be able to keystone it and be competitive with those other photographers that do wonderful work and are established around here.

So, long and short of it is, I'm much more settled, now!

Thanks, too, Nick! I did the math and came up with pretty much the same thing as you did - which is comforting.

You guys have helped a ton - you seriously, really have! (I'm not going to explain it ALL, though - I'm just going to stop, now! ;D) Thanks!