Jamers Loc: Michigan

I have seen many fine photos ruined by poor/cheep frames and matting. I agree, let a pro do it.

dpullum Loc: Tampa Florida

Thank you Bob will give the 8x10 a try ... 6 or more at $2.57 each ... Not just because they are "cheap" but because they are attractive and low cost.

https://www.pfile.com/product/par-j-ff/Format-and-Other-Multipurpose-Value-Frames#reviews

Photographer Jim Loc: Rio Vista, CA

I am assuming that since you are selling your work, you have a state reseller’s permit, which should allow you to have an account to buy directly from a frame wholesaler. This allows for good quality frames at a reasonable price, allowing you to offer quality “ready to hang” pieces.

Anything you sell framed should be “ready to take home and hang on the wall” quality. Cheap frames that both you and most buyers recognize as needing to be replaced are working against you as a seller. Cheap looks cheap, period. Which distracts from and degrades the actual photo. If protecting the image on its journey home is your aim, you would be much better off selling matted prints in clear bags. Use a neutral mat that will allow the buyer to simply slip it into a frame of their choosing and be finished. Your production costs for nicely matted and bagged images should be decidedly less than even the cheapest budget frames, and simplify things for those buyers who wish to have your piece framed to match their home or office style.

Your framed pieces should be of a quality which allows those who don’t want the trouble of going to a framer and having the piece framed to simply hang the piece when they get home. If you are buying wholesale, and doing the framing yourself, you can then offer a quality product at a price that gives you a reasonable profit, but is still less than it would cost the buyer to go have framed in a frame shop.

Just an aside. Photographers who do a lot of selling at art festivals generally have a pretty negative view of other artists that show up selling obviously cheap, or poorly presented work. Cheap work lowers the quality of the show overall. That in turn, can effect show attendance over time. But the biggest problem comes from the fact that those using “cheap” materials also have cheap, prices. Nothing is more annoying to an artist who sells quality work at a reasonable price than having to constantly explain to prospective buyers that their prices are not actually overpriced, but rather the other guys stuff is actually so inexpensive because it is basically crap quality framing. Honestly, being that guy who sells cheap works against you in your relationships with other artists.

Summary: Ditch cheap quality frames; they work against you. Look into finding a wholesale supplier. Offer quality in framed pieces. Use nicely matted, clear bagged pieces as what you sell to those who wish to do the framing themselves.

dpullum Loc: Tampa Florida

My view of these "simplistic unobtrusive frames is that they can look good. Simple 1/16 inch border, B or W, is thin enough to look OK but not compete. B or W to match vignetting, even better. The side view is about 1/2 inch and that will look solid.

The trouble trick of these photos in that frame is getting the paper edge correctly sized and not ragged.

Why do we use glass?? Ozone, UV protection? So! do people have arch lamps in their homes? NO [window glass filtrs out 70+$ of the harmful UV ... Ozone generators... generally NO... So glass must be traditional. What do you think Jim?

PSD: I placed my order fror 6=Black and 6 White. Shipping was $10 on 12 8x10s

balticvid Loc: Queens now NJ

100% Correct...,.Have a pro do it...........Walt

TonyBot

Jim is absolutely correct. If you're going to sell framed art *do not* use cheap goods as they will lessen the value of your product. If you want to sell framed work, it should be immediately hangable as soon as the buyer gets home/wherever - which is why the good-ole thin, black, Neilsens are used so often. Another consideration for framing, is that if you're going to do it, you immediately limit the potential of the art to someone who only likes *that* particular frame. (Again, plain black Neilsens go with almost everything) There are of course exceptions to this rule - usually the quality but less expensive work, and work produced by an established and well known artist.

Jim makes another valuable point: do not undervalue your work, or undercut someone elses. You make no friends, except those who are looking to go cheap, and when you start charging more realistic prices, the buyer of *cheap* will not come back nor will the potential buyer who saw your cheaper prices/quality previously and will probably walk right by. *You will lose more sales by being too cheap - but at least you will make less of a profit*!

You might want to invest in Alain Briot's two good books: "Marketing Fine Art Photography", and "How Photographs are Sold", both by Rocky Nook. Many, many good tips and advice in either one, together while not the last word, they are well worth reading.

dpullum Loc: Tampa Florida

I have yet to see a degree or certification in "Picture framing. ! ! " Nor one who had dedicated there life to picking out the best frame for someone else's art work. The frame is part of the art and thus very personal and .... $ spent does not + correctness. At times a simple wrap is preferred to a confining frame. With me, that would be most of the time.

rbhallock Loc: Western Massachusetts

My two cents: If you have quality images, use quality frames. I suggest the following. At shows with others who sell I suggest that you quality-frame some work, hang that, and have matted work in plastic available. Most folks will opt for unframed, but you can offer frames as an option. And, at higher prices, buyers will likely want the work already framed. You might even have some supplies on hand and frame on the spot if someone wants a frame for one of your plastic-protected images. Any framed work should be ready to hang. I agree with whoever said that cheap frames cheapen your work. And, use glass - it is flat, does not scratch, and is readily cleaned. I also think that you should price your work consistent with its quality - so long as you reasonably know what the market can handle.

dpullum Loc: Tampa Florida

Glass equals glare unless it is a non-glare type... and that tends to subtly blur. Dust/dirt, use a better filter in your AC/Heating. I have a method of coating which is water proof and wipes gently to dust.

"Pros: Does not reflect light, can make your piece look better, can be used on oil paintings
Cons: More expensive, some basic low-grade types can dull colors, make the art unclear"

https://www.framedestination.com/blog/glazing/choosing-the-right-framing-glass-for-clarity-and-protection

aellman Loc: Boston MA

A high quality and economical frame option is metal section frames and pre-cut mats. See dickblick.com.

Photographer Jim Loc: Rio Vista, CA

[quote=dpullum]My view of these "simplistic unobtrusive frames is that they can look good. Simple 1/16 inch border, B or W, is thin enough to look OK but not compete. B or W to match vignetting, even better. The side view is about 1/2 inch and that will look solid.

The trouble trick of these photos in that frame is getting the paper edge correctly sized and not ragged.

Why do we use glass?? Ozone, UV protection? So! do people have arch lamps in their homes? NO [window glass filtrs out 70+$ of the harmful UV ... Ozone generators... generally NO... So glass must be traditional. What do you think Jim?[/quote]



Very simple, inexpensive framing can be acceptable in some cases for some people. Example: this year’s 8x10 of little Jimmy in his Little League uniform. But, for photos being sold as decorative art, cheap generally equates to cheap(er) look, degrading the aesthetic effect and value of the piece. If one is selling framed art, it is best to sell a piece framed to a higher standard and commensurate to the value of the art. This can be done easily using simple but quality frames purchased wholesale (which can be inexpensive compared to what the same frame might cost purchased at retail prices).

I also find that inexpensive frames cause problems for me in the framing process itself. Generally, cheap frames have a shallow rabbet, making the use of double mats, risers, thicker backing boards difficult.

As to glass, it’s use is far more than traditional. Unlike canvas or metal prints, a paper print cannot be easily cleaned. Over time (and not much time at that) just standard dust and gases in the everyday household can severely damage a print. And, attempts to clean it can do even more damage if done improperly. Glass is protective and will keep a print in good form for years, which I would suspect most buyers would expect after paying for a piece they plan to have on display, possibly for decades. Glass can also prevent buckling of the print in places with humidity fluctuations.

As for UV protection, I can just go by personal experience. I have a print framed with half under washed glass and half under UV glass. After only a few years there is a very noticeable difference in the colors and intensity of the print. The non-UV protected size shows obvious fading. It is enough firsthand experience to convince me that if I am going to expect people to pay substantial prices for my work, I owe it to them to provide them with the most assurance against future damage that I can. Not all artist/photographers agree, and granted, non-UV glass does not automatically equate to rapid fading if the image is hung in a proper location. But, I personally feel better knowing that the chance of damage is lessened for anything I sell. I consider it an obligation I have to anyone buying my work.

JohnDaly24 Loc: Nevada City, CA

Personally, I like to see photos at least 11x14. And to me, Frame does matter. There are lots of places to get good, inexpensive
frames. If you want to sell professionally you need to look professional.
For large print now I almost alway do metal prints and then have no frame issues.

canon Lee

My suggestion ; if you are selling your framed photos at a craft show, is to have expensive framed, or professionally framed, samples, and sell the prints only... My opinion, since I have done lots of art shows, is that cheap frames cheapen your work... Show your work at its best.

Photographer Jim Loc: Rio Vista, CA

I use the non-reflective, UV protective glass (TruVue calls theirs Museum Glass). The comment in the article you linked stating that such glass can be nearly invisible, is not an exaggeration. I’ll attest to the accuracy of that. I have literally had people in my booth, walk over and poke it with their finger to see it there was actually glass in the frame. Quite a bit more expensive, but on my large, more expensive pieces it has often made the difference in my making the sale

amfoto1 Loc: San Jose, Calif. USA

First, photographs should ALWAYS be matted... never in direct contact with glass or plastic. If left in contact, they will eventually be ruined.

When I was selling a lot of prints, I either fully matted and framed them or offered unframed, in a mat and a plastic sleeve for protection. I bought archival mats online in bulk from matcutter.com and got sleeves in various sizes in bulk from a couple sources, too.

Maybe it was the locations I was selling, but I sold FAR MORE fully matted and framed, than I did matted in sleeves. Same images... folks just preferred to buy something that was completely ready to hang on the wall. I had some custom orders, too... where they chose different frames and/or mats.

Frames I bought mostly from Aaron Brothers. I haven't bought lately, so am not sure if they still do, but they used to have a 1 cent sale twice a year or so. Buy one frame at regular price and get a second that's regularly priced the same or less for 1 cent! Basically it was a two for one deal. Frames came complete with glass in a wide variety of standard sizes. Some even included mats. This often worked out to cost $10 to $15 to frame an 8x10 print to an 11x14 frameor a little more to frame an 11x14 print to a 16x20 frame, for example. (Plus the cost of the print itself and other framing supplies such as glass cleaner, kraft paper to seal the back, picture hanging wire, yada yada.)

For the large part I avoided odd size prints that would have required custom matting and framing. Those get quite expensive (I did custom framing in a shop for a number of years when I was in college). There's a large selection of of standard size mats and frames available anyway, so this was never a problem. The largest prints I made were 16x20 (I had to outsource those, the largest I can print at home are 12x18). Most of my color prints were done on 100% rag, smooth matte papers. Black & white I prefer to print on luster or semi-gloss paper of similar archival quality. Unless a customer specifically requested otherwise I only used standard glass... UV "museum glass" adds a lot of cost. I don't like and usually don't use "non-reflective" glass. It significantly reduces image contrast, color saturation and sharpness.... plus it's expensive!

Profit margins weren't great though... and the shop I did most of my sales through closed it's doors several years ago after a big rent increase from the landlord. So I haven't been selling a lot of prints and am not sure if Aaron Bros is still doing those sales and prices might have increased a bit.