bsprague Loc: Lacey, WA, USA

That's what I wrote 12 posts back! And, when you shop there for frames you can get a very cheap lunch of swedish meatballs and gravy!!

canon Lee

Make sure you use a MAT to separate the photo from the glass, or in time the photo will adhere to the glass.

TriX Loc: Raleigh, NC

The voice of experience.

TriX Loc: Raleigh, NC

Woodworker specialty suppliers like Woodcraft sell prefinished framing stock, but it is surprisingly expensive. As far as milling your own from old wood, the minimum tools are a table saw, a planer (and preferably a jointer as well) and a router/table, the total cost of which, if you don't already own them, will make your camera and lenses look cheap. Also don't forget a handheld "wand" metal detector to check for nails and staples in old wood. Hitting one will cost you a set of planer knives (and the time to install and align them), which alone will make a professional framing job look inexpensive. Not trying to be discouraging you understand 🙀

bsprague Loc: Lacey, WA, USA

I have a good book that I recommend (if you don't want to buy frames at Ikea!). It is clear and well illustrated.

"How to Make Picture Frames: 12 Simple to Stylish Projects from the Experts at American Woodworker (Best of American Woodworker Magazine)" About $16 at Amazon.

https://smile.amazon.com/How-Make-Picture-Frames-Best/dp/1565234596/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1490655224&sr=8-1&keywords=How+to+Make+Picture+Frames

amfoto1 Loc: San Jose, Calif. USA

I used to do custom framing professionally.... it's time consuming and expensive. To do it properly, you need a proper frame-making gear and a large mat cutter. Those will set you back a few thousand $ and need a large, dedicated workspace. Yeah, I know, there are cheaper mat cutters and frame saws... I've used them. But, trust me, you cannot do anywhere near as good a job with them. The pro gear makes a world of difference.

I don't need the hassle or expense, so for my own work I buy ready made frames and mats. To be able to do that, I try to keep to some standard print sizes. Some of the most common are:

5x7 print mats to 8x10 frame.
8x10 print mats to 11x14 frame.
11x14 print mats to 16x20 frame.

Mats normally overlap a print 1/4" per side, so when cropping your image before printing, try to take that into account.

One style of matting doesn't overlap the print at all. Instead approx. 1/4" space is left all the way around, between the edge of the print and the mat. But the print needs to be borderless (or have any borders trimmed off) and mounted on a backing board with some sort of archival adhesive. The backing board needs to be similar quality as the mat, since a sliver of it will be visible.

If you have an Aaron Brothers near you, they have affordable frames in a wide variety of standard sizes and put them on sale fairly often. Aaron Bros. has a much better selection than Michaels, though they may be worth looking, too. Most of the ready-made, standard size frames come with standard single strength (thickness) glass, which works fine. I don't use non-glare (reduces the sharpness and color saturation of prints). If you need a museum quality UV filtering glass, which may be a good idea if displaying the framed print in a high UV environment, it's available but costs a lot extra.

Aaron Bros. also sell mats, but I prefer to buy better quality, 100% rag, precut double mats in bulk from Matcutter.com. I use the same white or black mats on all my prints. I'm just not a fan of colored mats. To me, a colored mat just detracts from most photos.

If you don't have an Aaron Bros., Michaels or other source of frames nearby, there are online sellers. There also are modular frames available in a wide variety of sizes. You buy those in pairs.... whatever length you need, then assemble them. You can find both metal and wood modular frames in a variety of styles. Modular frames can be a solution with odd size prints. But you'll need to get a custom mat cut, and those typically cost 3X as much or more than if you can buy precuts in bulk.

Most types of photographic prints should be framed under glass to protect them.

And, whenever it's framed under glass, a mat or some other form of spacer is necessary to prevent the print from coming into direct contact with the glass. If that's not done, the print will eventually stick to the glass and be damaged by it.

There are some types of prints that can be displayed without glass... on metal, on canvas, mounted and coated with varnish, etc. Check with your printer, if you want to consider those. Some of these types of prints don't even require frames.