Glass, Plexi or nothing?

[d2creative]

I had a large print made and flush mounted on a thin styrene board so it's stiff. Now i just need a frame for it. Anyone order frames online?
I know some places won't ship glass but I could get that locally. Should I use glass, plexi or do i not even need anything? The print is semi glossy, no mat, and I don't really want to add more glare to it.

Also, my house is pretty modern and I thought about mounting pics flush and slightly raised off the wall with no frame. What kind of solutions/options are available for that kind of thing?

[johnastovall]

Look into have a local frame shop do it and use Museum Glass.

Here's a good introduction into what's required for quality conservation framing, matting and mounting.

If it's worth hanging on the wall it's worth standing the ravages of time.

Over the years of print collecting, I found a good conservation framer worth their weight it diamonds.

[d2creative]

This is true but I can't afford the hundreds of dollars it would cost to professionally frame a 30x40 print. It's already been professionally mounted to 2mm styrene. Now i just need the frame. And I don't expect to keep it up for long. It's in a spot where I'll want to change out the print for a new one every so often to keep things fresh. So the frame also has to be easy for me to get prints in and out. I'm looking at this more like a nice pair of jeans. Where them for a season or two and then replace them for the newest style.

[johnastovall]

A local framer can even help you with that kind of mounting also. A good framer who's been at it a while can ofter offer very interesting options.

You might want to think about a Plexibox frame also.

[jeffkohn]

I frame my pictures for personal use without glass or plexi, because it just destracts from the look of the print, especially for rag paper prints. Museum glass is supposed to be really nice, but it costs a fortune and you'd have to buy it locally since nobody ships the stuff. I shudder to think what it would cost to have a 30x40" print professionally framed with museum glass; depending on matte and frame selection you could be talking about four figures.

I mount and frame prints myself, usually getting the frames from one of three places:

Frame Destination
American Frames
Frames By Mail

One of these will usually be the best deal depending on what exactly I need and how soon I need it (Frame Destination is in Dallas so stuff arrives quickly, but they don't have as much selection as the other two). American Frame has the best web site, it even allows you to upload of JPEG of your image to see what it will look like with your mat/frame selection.

As for the "floating" frameless mount I think that's typically used with canvas prints and what they call a "gallery wrap". Since your print is already mounted to styrene I'm not sure how well that would work. But with modern decor a simple black museum-style frame would probably fit in just fine (and some of them "stand out" from the wall a couple of inches to kind of give you that floating look).

[taygull]

I'll share what I do for framing...it works fine for my needs and the clients that I have framed for.

Hobby Lobby rotates a special every other week. One week they will do 50% off open back frames and the next week they have a coupon on their website for 40% off any single item. I always go on the 50% off open back frame week. I go early so there is a good selection of frames. If you go this route you could get your print framed and matted with glass, backing and the entire thing done for less than $50.

I framed one of my recent cover shots with a single mat (pick from the instock selection), a nice frame, glass, backing, and a hanger for $35.00 and they did it while I waited.

The 20x30 frame should be around $50-$60 then take half of that then add your glass for about $12, the mat (if needed) for $5 - $10 the backing for a buck or two and you are about done.

The key is learning what frames they have in stock and then base your print size around that. You may need to add a small mat to make it fit into in stock frame.

[d2creative]

FYI, I ordered two unbuilt frames (to save on shipping costs) from American Frames last monday. Just now (one week later) i got a shipment notice and UPS has the billing info. It took an entire week before they shipped with no notice of back order or anything.

Weak.

[Dokk]

There is "museum glass" and there is also a museum plexiglass available. My idea would be a UV blocking protective layer in front of your photo to prevernt fade, bronzing and other nasty things that happen to paper based images. I've used a kind of matte glass before with great results. You don't get near the glare and many times it's darn near invisible.

[JohnT]

Here's a 10x20 that I ordered framed from Mpix. Modern black frame, no glass, print on their True B&W paper. Nothing fancy, but it works.

[akimartymar]

The only bad thing about Hobby Lobby's in stock mats is that they do not carry acid-free mats. They have to order those and therefore cannot just walk in and have them frame your work.

[picasso]

Originally Posted by JohnT

Here's a 10x20 that I ordered framed from Mpix. Modern black frame, no glass, print on their True B&W paper. Nothing fancy, but it works.

Very nice pic. Mind if I ask what the $ was? I am assuming that is a custom frame for it.


Paul

[thelegend1472]

Aaron Brothers right now has buy any frame get the second for a penny. Goes on till the 21st and they have a large selection of some really nice stuff.

[JohnT]

Originally Posted by picasso

Very nice pic. Mind if I ask what the $ was? I am assuming that is a custom frame for it.

Paul

Thanks, Paul. Print, frame, and shipping cost $51.54. I'm not sure that you could find a 10x20 frame in a store (e.g., Target). I wouldn't mind "upgrading" to a frame that includes matting.

[picasso]

Originally Posted by JohnT

Thanks, Paul. Print, frame, and shipping cost $51.54. I'm not sure that you could find a 10x20 frame in a store (e.g., Target). I wouldn't mind "upgrading" to a frame that includes matting.

I think thats a pretty good deal. Aaron Bros. charges $18 dollars to mount a 24x30 the frame (which would have to be custom would run over $100 easy and then the cost of the picture.

If you were to mat that picture you would have to have a pretty small border to keep from covering up the picture. The outside edges are what really make it look good.

I have been to some photography galleries where they hang the picture w/no frame and glass over the top. I am not sure how they do it. Kind of a gallery wrap but, the picture was almost a glossy type picture.

Paul

[thelegend1472]

Hey John, where did you take that picture? It's beautiful.