Framer Friendly Tips for Photographers
When I returned home from my cross country bike trip last September, I needed a temporary job to pay off some of my bills and to give me something to do since I was no longer spending every day on my bike, covering 70 miles each day in pursuit of the Pacific coast. I ended up getting hired to work at a custom frame shop in October, and spent the entire holiday season framing photos, katubahs, diplomas, oils on canvas, watercolors, cross stitches, sports jerseys, and more. As it turns out, retail isn’t really my thing (surprise surprise), so I’ll be handing in my framing apron next week.
I did learn a thing or two while in the frame shop though. For one, it’s changed the way I view printing my own photographs. I quickly learned that photographs printed with a plain border made handling the prints, as well as mounting them, much easier. Signed artwork and prints required special considerations when framing, sometimes making mounting difficult if the signature was too close to the border of the print. Large prints printed on thin photographic paper were all too easy to bend and quite difficult to handle without damaging the print in some way. Prints and posters rolled up and shipped in tubes were just annoying to deal with.
As a photographer, I want those purchasing my photographic prints to be able to enjoy them as much as possible. Since most people will display my prints by framing them, I want to make that process as foolproof as possible. Anything I can do as a photographer to make a framer’s job easier and lessen the likelihood that they will damage or otherwise compromise the artistic vision of my photograph is going to make for a happier customer, a less annoyed framer, and subsequently a better liked photographer.
Here are my tips for easier to frame photographic prints:
1) Print images with a white border on two or more sides. Borderless photographic prints may look cool, but they are difficult to handle without damaging the image in some way. The edges of the print will always be subject to fingerprints, bends, frays, dents, and scuffs, so by giving your prints a plain border, you can prevent this damage from extending onto image itself. A plain border also makes mounting much easier. Framers who use tape of any kind (even acid-free archival tape) to mount prints can apply the tape to the white border, further reducing the risk of damage to the print from chemical contaminants, finger prints, or handling. Framers who use mounting strips or mounting corners, which are preferred for archival mounting since no adhesives of any kind come in contact with the print, can then come in less on the edges of a print when sizing mats, allowing more of the image to show. Mounting strips and corners need to cover some of the print itself in order to hold it in place. Using the smallest mounting corners readily available, most framers will need to come in 1/4″ from each side of the image in order for the corners not to show, meaning 1/2″ of the image gets lost from top to bottom and side to side. If a print has a white border, framers using archival mounting corners (my preferred way of holding a print) can size the mat to almost the exact size of a image, coming in only 1/16-1/8″ on each side. Those who want to put a frame directly around the print can trim the white border off if needed, but a border can’t be added on if it is not there to begin with. I’ve found that most people choose to mat photographic prints before adding a frame. (*Note: Wood frames also overlap the edges of a print by 1/4″ all around in order to hold the glass, mat, image, and backing in place. Metal frames may overlap images even more than wood frames, generally up to 1/2″ inch on each side.)
2) Different framers and shops have different policies regarding signed and numbered work, but in general once you put a number on a piece (or any mark that implies the piece would be difficult or impossible to replace), the framer will treat it differently. Differently doesn’t necessarily mean better. In the shop I work in, it means we won’t trim or dry mount the print. This may or may not matter to you as the photographer, but it is something to keep in mind. Signed prints don’t necessarily carry the same restrictions that a signed and numbered piece does, but the signature is often considered in the framing process. If you do sign your prints, carefully consider whether you sign on the image itself or the border, and if you sign the image itself, be sure to come in at least 1/4″ inch from the edges of the print (a little more if you want your signature to have a pleasing space cushion between it and the edge of the mat or frame). Also, sign your images with an acid free pen that won’t bleed, or a soft pencil if it won’t damage the photographic emulsion (pencils are best used on cotton rag papers and papers without a glossy or satin finish).
3) Use a quality, heavyweight photographic paper for large prints. Thin flimsy papers are less durable and get damaged more easily, and large prints are very difficult to handle without them folding on themselves resulting in bends and kinks in the paper surface. Consider mounting large prints on mat board, foam core, or another substrate, or having them printed on canvas, which is a bit more durable than photographic paper. I have found that photos sized 16×20 or larger (or similar sized photos such as 12×18) tend to be temperamental and benefit from a sturdier backing. The thickness of foam core adds another component to the framing process, but it is easy to work around and provides for a much sturdier print than one just on paper. Mat board is thinner and can be easier to mount with photo mounting strips or corners, but a bit heavier. Avoid using very heavy products, like Masonite, which can complicate the framing process due to the weight of the image. Mounting on a substrate also helps the prints lie flat.
4) Ship and store prints flat whenever possible. Obviously very big prints are easiest to ship and store in tubes, but prints are like inflatable camp sleeping pads and then tend to stay however they are stored. Advise your customers to remove shipped prints from their tubes and store them sandwiched between two sturdy pieces of acid-free cardboard (or stored in an acid free clear bag to protect the image) before framing. Photographic prints that refuse to lie flat are more likely to accidentally get bent during the framing process.
5) Provide contact information on or with your prints. Any good framer will replace art damaged in their possession, and having your contact info makes doing so that much easier for the framer should something happen to your print once it is in their hands. I wouldn’t recommend writing your website or phone number on a print, but shipping and selling prints with your business card in the box or bag, is a good idea. If you get your prints outsourced and your printer prints the file name or other code on the back of the print, see if they can include your website. Even if the framer doesn’t damage your work, he or she may like it so much that they’ll buy a print for themselves!
Framers don’t want to damage your artwork any more than you do. By keeping in mind what they have to do during the framing process, you can take a few steps to make their job easier for them and allow your finished and displayed prints to look their best.
on March 9, 2010 at 11:09 pm
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Excellent, Kari. I’ve wondered about this but never gotten around to asking a framer for the answers.
on March 10, 2010 at 3:24 pm
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Great post Kari! I just mounted a 16 x 24 print to a 24 x 32 frame. I used a 1/4″ foam core as a backing @ 24 x 32. Should I have used a thinner mat board @ 16 x 24 to strengthen it? Make sense?
on March 10, 2010 at 6:29 pm
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Thanks Jim and Mike!
Mike, if you are doing your own mounting and framing, you can really do whatever you would like and feel comfortable with. A 16×24 print, while large, is not impossible to handle, and once the print is secured and framed, it is safe. The handling process is where the extra durability of having the print mounted on mat board or foam core is helpful. I always use acid free foam core as a backing for framed prints (whether the print is dry mounted to it or just mounted using tape, mounting strips, or corners) as it is sturdier than mat board or corrugated cardboard (which some use).
These tips are geared more towards photographers who are selling prints or having their work framed elsewhere. If you frame your own pieces, you can put as much time and care into the process as you want. Custom framers, on the other hand, are usually trying to frame a greater quantity of pieces within a certain time frame. Providing them with more durable, easier to handle prints allows them to work faster and more efficiently, and also acts as extra insurance for your prints when framers are at the end of a long day of framing or under a time crunch and maybe not being as careful as they could be with your work.
on March 10, 2010 at 10:15 pm
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Kari, thanks for sharing these tips! For a few years now I’ve had everything larger than 8×12 dry mounted by the photo lab…it is just so much easier that way. Rolled prints have never made sense to me, but I know many photographers who sell prints that way. Thanks again.
on March 10, 2010 at 11:47 pm
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I see, that makes sense. I use a lab for my printing and always print full-bleed. I may re-think that and include a 1/2 white border. If for nothing else than for signing. Thanks again Kari!