Custom Picture Framing: How to Frame a Print Properly

Framing is protection first, decoration second

A good frame does two jobs: it keeps the artwork flat and supported, and it separates the image from the room so your eye can rest on it. Everything else — colour, profile, width — is the second job. Start with the first and the second becomes easier.

What sits between the print and the wall

• The mat keeps the print from touching the glazing and gives the image breathing room. A window cut should never squeeze the artwork; a little space reads as care.
• The glazing protects against dust and handling. Standard glass is fine in a quiet room; a hallway, a kitchen or a child's room asks for something more forgiving.
• The backing holds the print flat and keeps moisture out. Cheap backing yellows and pushes acid into paper over the years.
• The mount decides how the piece hangs: flat against the wall, or off it with a shadow line.

Choose the moulding from the room, not the print

A frame that matches the artwork exactly tends to disappear; a frame that answers the room holds the wall. Look at the wood tones, metal finishes and the shape of other pieces nearby. Our frame collection is a working inventory of 133 mouldings, floaters and frames, so you can compare a slim black profile against a warm timber one with the actual print in front of you.

Float mounts, shadow boxes and canvas

Not everything wants glass. A canvas can be gallery-wrapped or set in a floater frame that leaves a narrow gap around the edge. A photograph with dimension, or an object, wants a shadow box with depth behind the glazing. A fine art paper print wants a mat and flat glass. Bringing the piece in — rather than describing it — is the fastest way to reach the right answer. See how finished work looks in our portfolio.

How to prepare a print for framing

Leave a little margin you are willing to lose, and tell us what matters in the image so we never crop a face or a signature. If the print is valuable, say so at the counter: archival mounts and backing are a small change in price and a large change in how the piece ages.

Come and compare in person

Frames are almost impossible to judge from a photograph. Bring your print to 4860 N. Dixie Hwy in Oakland Park and we will lay mouldings against it until the wall looks right. Not local? Send us a photo of the piece and the wall and we will shortlist options with you.

Photography by Mike Gedj.