Do you do your own printing & framing?

jim_j

jim_j

Suspended / Banned
Messages
321
Name
Jim
Edit My Images
Yes
Quite like to print & frame some of my pictures, but I have absolutely no idea how to go about it. Do you have to mount them first before framing, are there standard sized mounts available, etc.

Any good tutorials to get started. Cheers
 
hi
i have my own gallery that my wife runs
i do my own printing and framing

i dont make the frames, i have a trade company that does that and also supplies me with mounts .....frame and mounts in anysize i need.

i also do canvas's

the amount of machinery u need to make ** own frames is silly so its best to buy em in like i do

re mounting.........i have a hot press and bond pictures to a piece of mountboard with drymount tissue to keep them flat forever, last thing u need is wrinkled pictures..........spray mount dosnt hold that good ........photo mount is better...........but best of all is a press like i have

hope something is helpfull in the rambling!!

Gary
 
Hi Gary, thanks for the rambling. Just trying to get an idea of what's involved, and how to do it properly- thanks.
 
are u wanting to make ** own frames? cut mounts? cut glass cos thats gonna cost a fortune to set up

to print big also costs money

i have epson a3 and a 18 inch and 24 inch hp designet and they are not cheap

Gaz
 
Not looking to make my own frames or mounts. Biggest print would be A4, just wondering if there are standard sized mounts & frames available & from whom. I know it's not just a case of placing your mount on top of your print and then get it in the frame, I have no clue as to what specific processes are involved. I see foamboard, dryboard, presses, glue, and all the rest but I still haven't managed to get anyone tell me from start to finish how to do it and what materials fit what scenarios.
 
I get my photos printed professionally locally.

I window mount the images myself cutting the mount to fit an off the shelf frame.
 
Don't, my Dad does them for me.

Me gets the mouldings for the frames as pre cut lenths and glass cut to fit, we do all our own mounts (also with a logan mount cutter) and printing too, you have so much more control over the whole process, but need a room full of kit to do it!
 
I used to use Photobox for prints, but have been trying out DS Colour Labs. Just received delivery of some new prints from them and very impressed so will probably use them as my printers of choice from now on.

I often just buy frames from Ikea and if the mounts aren't the right size then I'll use FrameExpress to get custom ones.

Mark
 
I use the following,

DS Colour Labs for prints.

Frames from The Range.

Cotswold mounts for mounts, backing boards etc. contact them for there sample pack.

I sometimes use THESE for various other bits and pieces such as sticky foam boards, backing tapes etc.They also do workshops around the country.

Total costs work out around £16.00 for a 16" x 12".

If you are looking to make your own from start to finish, you will need to spend some £££s for equiptment, and best to take a course, you can find some instruction tutorials on youtube, but iam yet to find a good one......

Hope this helps....
 
Last edited:
Hi guys thanks for the replies. Thanks Rocket for the links, Cotswold Mounts looks very good, but I still haven't grasped the basics. Does everyone stick their prints to some kind of backing material or can you do without & I've seen mention of hinges, but no idea what they are either. Am I right in the order from the front, frame, glass, mount, print, ????, backing board.
 
I use DSC in Manchester for the majority of my prints. 16x12 at £1.10 is excellent and quality wise I can't knock them at all.

My mate has a framing business which I often help out in so I can make frames of any size reasonably cheaply :) Sometimes buy from The Range but when you compare the quality of their far east imports against a framers - there is a world of difference.
 
The quickest and easiest way to frame a print is to buy a ready made frame from sources mentioned before - The Range, Wilkinsons etc. Sometimes these include a mount. If not then you need one with the outer to fit the frame and the inner to fit your print.
Remove the backboard and mount, place a length of tape across the top of your print and then secure this to the mount. Place the mount with attached print into the frame and replace the backboard.
You then have a mounted and framed print that 'should' stay flat as it is taped on the top edge only.
If you need more help then give us a shout.
 
jim_j said:
Hi guys thanks for the replies. Thanks Rocket for the links, Cotswold Mounts looks very good, but I still haven't grasped the basics. Does everyone stick their prints to some kind of backing material or can you do without & I've seen mention of hinges, but no idea what they are either. Am I right in the order from the front, frame, glass, mount, print, ????, backing board.
Click to expand...

I have to say, i had to learn the hard way, I did use the backing board from Cotswold Mount with a mount, it worked ok but found some images were rippling, so decided to use double sided acid free tape to stick image to backing board, this was ok, but now use the sticky foam board from DIY framing as my backing board..
When starting out its all trial and error and you will find which works best for you.
I found my way if i made a mistake it i was not lossing a fortune. I would love to make mine from start to finish but materials get to be quite exspensive.

Having said all that i have just had 4 of my best pro done at a local shop for £33 per frame and they do look so much better, but they are for an exibition so wanted to get them 100% right....

With addition to my first post, The Range also do various mounts as well as frames...

Remove the backboard and mount, place a length of tape across the top of your print and then secure this to the mount. Place the mount with attached print into the frame and replace the backboard.
You then have a mounted and framed print that 'should' stay flat as it is taped on the top edge only.
If you need more help then give us a shout.
Click to expand...

I have found this way after a time to result in rippling...
 
Last edited:
The easiest way is...... let us do it at Togsprint *grin*

Best wishes,
Michelle
 
Thanks for the replies guys, much appreciated. Haven't had any time to do any more about it, stuck trying to get my printer to print the correct colours, and Windows 7 isn't helping either.
 
northernstar074 said:
The quickest and easiest way to frame a print is to buy a ready made frame from sources mentioned before - The Range, Wilkinsons etc. Sometimes these include a mount. If not then you need one with the outer to fit the frame and the inner to fit your print.
Remove the backboard and mount, place a length of tape across the top of your print and then secure this to the mount. Place the mount with attached print into the frame and replace the backboard.
You then have a mounted and framed print that 'should' stay flat as it is taped on the top edge only.
If you need more help then give us a shout.
Click to expand...

i piece of tap will not keep a print flat for long !
to keep them flat for good they need dry mounting........using a heat press
spray mount does not work well either......photomount does work quite well

if you are selling them its hyper important they dont wrinkle or curl....!!
also there is nothing worse than selling at a marked up price a cheap frame that the buyer will see in wilkinsons

Gary
 
I totally agree about marking up cheap frames being bad, but if you use tape and do a proper T mount your image will not crinkle and there won't be chemicals etc in contact with the print so it should last ages...
 
jim_j said:
Thanks for the replies guys, much appreciated. Haven't had any time to do any more about it, stuck trying to get my printer to print the correct colours, and Windows 7 isn't helping either.
Click to expand...

What issues are you having with Windows 7?

I use an Epson R2880 with Windows 7 and there is an issue with Windows 7 not loading your monitor profile on startup, not sure if you are aware of this

Ian
 
ianbarber said:
What issues are you having with Windows 7?

I use an Epson R2880 with Windows 7 and there is an issue with Windows 7 not loading your monitor profile on startup, not sure if you are aware of this

Ian
Click to expand...
Colour saturation is wrong in IE & Chrome, Firefox displays colours much closer to display in Photoshop. Using HueyPro to calibrate the monitor as well. Any sources of info much appreciated. Brother printer produces an almost sepia cast when printing b&w, but haven't the inclination at the moment to get into that one.
 
Thanks for the link Ian, will look into it over the weekend - much appreciated.
 
Craikeybaby said:
I totally agree about marking up cheap frames being bad, but if you use tape and do a proper T mount your image will not crinkle and there won't be chemicals etc in contact with the print so it should last ages...
Click to expand...

What do you mean by "T mount" ?
 
Have a look at this video, it seems to be the same as the "hinging" method from the other post.
 
Last edited:
i'm just setting up some frames at the moment, and this is what i'm doing:

- A3 prints
- shop bought 20x16 frames
- bulk purchase of pre-cut 20x16 mounts with A3 aperture

fix the prints to the mounting with masking tape all the way around, making sure there's no ripples. then just place the mount into the frame.

they look perfectly flat!

i know the frames aren't very expensive, but they look respectable and I figure that I can keep my costs down and sell a complete framed/mounted print for a relatively low price.

most customers that browse an exhibition/display like buying something which they can put straight on their wall at home. And if they just want the mounted print/don't like the frame, then the cost is at such a price, that they can buy the complete set and re-frame with their own choice at home.
 
Just wondering what size border is best for a mounted and framed A3 print.
 
jim_j said:
Just wondering what size border is best for a mounted and framed A3 print.
Click to expand...

do you mean the depth of the mount?
i bought ones to fit in a 20x16 frame (as that's a standard size), just depends if you want to go for a weighted mount or not, depending on taste, etc.
 
Thanks for the reply. No, how much do you leave around the edge of the image when having it printed or do you print all the way to the edge.
 
jim_j said:
Thanks for the reply. No, how much do you leave around the edge of the image when having it printed or do you print all the way to the edge.
Click to expand...

ah right, well with the pre-cut mounts and a3 prints, the 'bleed' is about 3mm all the way round
 
Cheers Benners, just one last thing & please excuse my ignorance, but does that mean that the A3 mounts are 3mm smaller than A3 or is there no overlap. I thought I had a handle on this but the more info I get the more confused I become.
 
jim_j said:
Cheers Benners, just one last thing & please excuse my ignorance, but does that mean that the A3 mounts are 3mm smaller than A3 or is there no overlap. I thought I had a handle on this but the more info I get the more confused I become.
Click to expand...

that's ok, it's all still pretty new to me too (I'm sure there are people sucking in air through their teeth that i fix the prints to the mounting with masking tape!)

so the prints i have are A3 and the mounts I have are 20x16" with an A3 size aperture/hole cut in the middle.

but you're right, the aperture/hole as slightly smaller than A3, probably by about 5mm, so the measurements would look like:

A3 print = 420mm x 297mm
aperture in mount = 415mm x 292mm

that 5mm overlap then allows you to fix the print to the mount.

though I guess some people will fix the print to the backing board rather than the mount? meaning the mount just 'floats' in the frame?
 
That's great, much clearer now, appreciated:thumbs:
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top