How Can You Bring Down Custom Framing Costs?

So, you have finally decided to frame that stunning photo you happen to buy at the flea market for a cheap price. However, there is no way that you will spend a few hundred bucks so that you can frame the piece. You don’t have to worry because when it comes to picture frames, you can now bring down the costs. Yes, you can still get innovative picture frames that will not break the bank and achieve the results you want for your special piece. 

Probably one of the biggest mistakes of most artists is that they often go for framing as a mere afterthought. Many of them even assume that going to a picture framing store in NYC will only make them shell out more money than what they could afford. What they don’t realize is that their choice of frame can either make or break a photo or work of art. The right frame can make even the cheapest piece look expensive or a wrong frame can make a pricey piece look dull and drab.

Custom framing is exactly what its name suggests. It is custom and it must be equivalent to buying fine furniture pieces. The hardwood and quality moulding used for frames of fine art & Giclee printing in SoHo, NYC is usually imported and in general, only the higher end framers carry a selection of hand carved and real gold leaf frames.

Frames could be made of soft woods, hard woods, polystyrene or MDF or medium density fiberboard. Colors and profiles may look the same when you go for ready made or store bought frames but expect that you will only be getting what you pay for.

If you want to save money, you can go for a smaller or narrower profile but try to avoid MDF or plastic. You can also use a single mat instead of a triple mat complete with spacers. However, you should not skimp on the preservation mounting or choose mat boards which are not of conservation quality. A regular glass is more affordable compared to museum glass but try not to forgo UV or ultraviolet protection.

Avid collectors will expect that the suitable frame styles are used according to the specific art period of the particular framed piece. For instance, the western oil paintings in style of Taos Society of Artists must have a frame appropriate to the period which is a gold leaf and closed corner one. On the other hand, for a modern cowboy painting, you can go for rustic barn wood frame for a lesser price.

If you will frame a series of paintings that will be put up in an exhibition, everything must be consistent. As they assume that the frame is not important at all, many artists tend to bargain shop at this aspect. However, as they do so, little do they know that they may actually be unintentionally reducing their work’s sales potential. As mentioned earlier, a cheap frame might make even the most expensive arts look cheap. The proper and suitable frame can further increase your work’s value.

As far as framing is concerned, you must not just think of your pocket alone. If you plan to display your work for sale or you want it to be the center of attention in your home, always consider your audience and invest in quality workmanship and materials.

Ways To Get Rid of Reflections On Picture Frames

Many people are a bit annoyed or frustrated every time they see reflections when taking photos of picture frames. Although others can easily resolve this issue through the use of some editing tools, it is still a great idea to know the ways to get rid of reflections on picture frames.

The different options for you to get rid of picture frame’s reflections are:

• An affordable option to eliminate the annoying reflections is not using a glazing in your picture frame. The main benefit of this is reduced cost as you don’t have to think about glazing. However, this has some serious disadvantages as that artwork will not have protection from the atmospheric pollutants and curious fingers. This could also result to less protection from the UV radiation. If the artwork is glossy, you’ll still have reflections with bad lighting.
• If you can’t control the lighting, the best option is considering non-glare acrylic or glass. This kind of glazing has an etched surface on the side, which helps lessen the reflection. The disadvantage of this option is losing a bit of sharpness and increased cost. The loss of the sharpness is proportional to the distance between the glazing and artwork. This just means that this option won’t work for the shadow box framing.

          

• If you wish to use glazing, you might want to combine the typical glazing. It means glazing without built-in reflection control with correct lighting. The gallery lighting is accomplished through placing the lighting above the artwork directly and fairly close to this. It results in the light hitting your artwork at a particular angle so that you will only see reflections if you’re below the artwork.
• The most expensive option to consider is using anti-reflection glazing. There are numerous brands of anti-reflection glazing nowadays. These kinds of glazing have an exceptional coating, which helps lessen the reflection without causing loss of sharpness. This option provides your artwork full protection with the look that has a typical glazing.

Getting rid of the reflections on the picture frames may be a simple thing to do, yet it can also be expensive and has some disadvantages. Nevertheless, if you have really decided to eliminate the annoying reflections, considering those options above can be of great help.

If you don’t know anything about the process of framing and want to ensure that the reflections will be eliminated without causing any damage to your artwork, then it might be a good idea to ask for help from professional framers. With the help of professional framers, you will be able to eliminate the reflections on your innovative picture frames effectively. They are trained and will surely make your artwork or masterpiece much beautiful without causing any possible damage on its surface.

At present, there are several picture framers offering picture framing services. But, not all of them are reliable. So, settle with the one that is known for its reputation.