Frame Sizes are Vital for Your Pictures – Learn More

If you take pictures, then understanding frame sizes are important. Picture frames help encapsulate your treasured memories and keep them alive for a long time. Using beautiful wooden or metal frames gives your photos an exquisite look and makes them wonderful pieces of art for your home. Pictures require perfect framing to get the best beauty out of them. With countless companies manufacturing hundreds of different picture frames regularly, the variety of picture frames are stupendous.

Frame sizes come in a huge selection of sizes, but they are generally categorized into standard and non-standard sizes. Standard means the sizes are more common and are typical photo sizes. Frame sizes are measured in inches in US and in centimeters in most other parts of the world. The frame size is intended to represent the size of the picture not the exterior size of the frame. The frame will always be a little smaller than your actual image.

Before you buy a frame always pay attention to whether the frame can be used vertically or horizontally. Often times you will find that the frame can only be used in one direction. One of the reasons is due to its frame size. For example a heart shaped frame can't be turned it on its side, otherwise it would be a sideways heart.

You may think that picture frame sizes are not vital for research, however photography enthusiasts are excessively careful to buy the right picture frame with the perfect size. A frame with correct dimensions and proportions help highlight the beauty of a picture to great effect.

Here are a couple of things to keep in mind while choosing the perfect sized picture frame:

1. Overall Size:

The overall size of the picture frame is directly related to the picture involved. The pictures that are meant to be hung on the wall look splendid in enormous picture frames. Smaller frames are best for pictures that are to be placed on a shelf or table.

2. Picture Dimensions:

Picture frames are available in different dimensions. You need to choose the picture frame according to the dimension of the picture. Frames with dimensions of 6 x 4 or 7 x 5 allow pictures to be placed horizontally as well as vertically. An 18 x 24 frame is a popular frame size choice among photography fanatics. These are used for posters, large family portraits or exclusive pictures.

3. Outside Frame Size:

This is the dimension of the outermost part of the frame. It is important when you need to  place the frame in a limited space.

What to do if your frame is of wrong size?

• If your frame is the wrong size for your art, don't toss it just yet. There could be a way to solve your problem without wasting the whole frame!
• If the frame is too large, add a mat. If you already have a mat and that is also too large, you can either add a mat reveal underneath or buy a new mat that is wider. Replacing the mat is more affordable than replacing the frame.
• You can also choose to float mount your artwork. This involves mounting the art on a backing board which will be visible between the edges of the art and the frame.
• If the frame is too small, your options get limited. If it's possible, you can crop the image but, this isn't recommended.

Photo framing is an art all of its own. Framing a photo or a poster requires an eye for aesthetics. Understanding the standard photo frame sizes, is a good start because these frames are most  common and affordable. Custom framing is usually expensive, so customers are well-advised to stick to standard frame sizes. Matting is a solution when irregularly sized photos or artwork need to be framed. It also makes photo look professional. There are special techniques for mounting and framing posters and other valuable collector items. Those framing posters often use special materials like plexiglass and handcrafted materials. There are a lot of custom framing shop that provide you with the best frames with all sizes. Some of them are Framebridge, Chemould Frames,  Framehouse, Paintbox Art and Framing, Paintbox Soho.

Whether you're looking for a cheap picture frame to display your child's drawing, or a fine museum quality frame, you can make your pictures look beautiful using perfect frame sizes.

Why are Picture Frames Costly

Custom Frames can be a costly affair and especially intimidating for those who are getting it done for the first time. The frame, matting, glazing, etc. all adds up to an amount which is more than what the customer has in mind. It is not uncommon for customers to feel cheated or go for a much cheaper ready-made option after knowing the cost involved. Hence, it is important to understand the frame value chain, in order to fully appreciate the cost involved in framing.

Value Chain

To understand the framing value chain, it is important to understand how a wooden boards are turned into a molding and quality that is desired for custom picture framing.

Wooden board needs to be cut into shape on turning bit at a high speed. This way we get the desired shape and size of the frame. The benefit of this process is customized, intricate design which is as per customer exact specification. The uniqueness of this process and workmanship, therefore make it expensive to produce. There would be a visual difference between a hand cut frame and a mass produced frame. This is the primary reason hand cut frames are costlier than other kind of frames.

Post this process, the molding is providers a high quality finish by coating it with quality paint such as lacquer, gesso etc. The extra material and labor adds up to the cost, and the end product is an sophisticated looking frame with great aesthetics.

Journey from Manufacturer to Wholesaler

Once the molding is ready to be shipped, next in value chain lays the wholesaler. The packaging required for the molding depends on the size of the mold and brings an extra cost of packaging, transport with it. A framing wholesaler’s mark-up will be anywhere between 10% and 50% and often they sell their inventory in a very small area, thus charging premium for this facility.

Journey from Wholesaler to Retailer

This is where most significant mark-up happens in the whole value chain. i.e. between shopkeeper and consumer . On an average a store can mark-up the price to as high as 400% . So the question arises is Why?

We need to understand the economics of running a shop. In case of a molding manufacturer, they have the option to sell to the whole country from one place, but for a frame shop next door, who has a target consumer base of a neighborhood it is quite difficult to generate high volumes. Generating volume is a problem for these retailers, hence to earn profit and pay of their bills the prices are marked-up. This is especially applicable on a Mom and Pop shops who sell considerably less frames when compared to a huge retail chain, hence a Mom and Pop store sells frame for more money than a popular chain store.

In today’s day and age, there are other avenues to buy frame. Buying frames online can be a cheaper option but customization offered online is minimal. There is also very less assistance and guidance available online. These online stores may provide video or tutorials, but nothing beats a face to face interaction with an experienced framer. But then as we discussed this comes with a price tag.

Eventually a decision to buy frame should be made based on your requirement and budget. If customer does not have an idea about the custom picture frame, then buying online can be a bad idea. In that case, face to face sale is best form of option. Online option is only best when you want a reasonable frame, with no customization at a cheaper budget.

What is wood molding

Frame was supposedly invented in 2nd Century B.C, when archaeologists found borders drawn on cave paintings in Etrusan. During the middle ages, frames were hand crafted and made out of wood and then were covered with Gesso and Gold Leaf. These frames were stunning looking, and increased the interest of on lookers in the display picture. In the modern era, 80s were the time when Framing industry took great leaps, and it was during this time that Wood Moulding started to take prominence. During 80s the Wooden Frame has started to move to rough oak, maple moulding to moulding that had beautiful finishes. These wooden frames are great for providing sophistication to the frames and had a grandiose feel to it.

Wood Moulding for picture frame is more commonly used in Custom Framing. These are the most expensive, but sophisticated option of framing and are generally used in wood base. Wood made frames are best used to preserve family heirloom or irreplaceable artwork. There are varied types of wood frame available in as many types of wood present in the market and vary from costly oak moulding to bamboo moulding. Wood Mouldings are the material of choice for many art lovers.  Although the make of frame is seldom mentioned or demanded by the buyers, but special attention is given to the design and finish of the frame. Wooden frame can be designed and cut in various designs and they have the option of built to buyers’ specification easily. Wooden frames can bring old age feeling and sophistication to your photograph.

There are many wood mould designs and shapes available, so it is important to have a good knowledge upfront. There is nothing quite like the style and warmth of wood for framing, everything from contemporary photo art to traditional oil painting. Wood moulding frame are best to preserve family heirloom and irreplaceable artwork. However care needs to be taken to choose acid free materials that can preserve the artwork for decades.

Storage of Wooden Frame
Wooden frame are susceptible to humidity and temperature changes. Best way to store wood frame is to place it horizontally with supports, at least every 24 inches or so.  It is essential to ensure that the wood is stored properly in a proper air flow and does not bend on its own weight. If in a scenario where wood needs to be stored vertically, it must be done with proper even support and kept few inches above ground.

It is best to use the services of a professional when you plan to display your photo in a costly wood frame. Wooden framing can be an awkward job, especially for pictures that are large or of dissimilar size. So always use a professional to help craft your framing as per your requirement and turn your picture into a wonderful memory that you can share with the world

PaintboxArtandFraming provide museum quality framing services at a quite reasonable price, free neighborhood pick-up & delivery, custom framing within a day,  stunning amusements of art prints by our popular artists and many more.