Poster printing and framing

DigSunPap

CliveOfIndia said:

Do you have a branch of The Range nearby?  If you just want a cheap 'n' cheerful no-frills frame, they've usually got loads in stock.

This is a great shout

JamesN

ChasingtheWelshdream said:

I am a framer, and a common misconception is the price of framing for ‘simple’ items like posters. They are hard to frame cheaply, even with a “simple black frame”. When a piece of artwork is inexpensive it can be quite a shock when a framing quote comes in. There is actually a lot of hidden engineering to frame something properly- to a level designed to last 20 years anyway - which is what many framers work to.

An example is an OS map. Cheap to buy, easily £100+ for a budget framing job!

Having said that, if you are looking purely for short-term decoration, then an off-the-peg frame will be your best bet.  That John Lewis one for instance is a decent price for the size. I would charge more to make that bespoke.

In terms of making yourself, it is entirely possible if you have the equipment and skills. You could get a decent job with a mitre saw and pins/glue, but professionals do use guillotines, underpinners, large cutters for a reason. 

If you want to go down that route, you will need to find a moulding supplier. Many like Lionpic have £130ish minimum orders and require an account, so you may be better off finding a local framer to sell you some and maybe even chop and join for you. You will also need backing, glass, fixings….

Buy ready made 🙂

Thank you. That’s a really useful insight. Sounds like it’s going to be more costly to do it myself so I’ll buy a pre-made frame.

ChasingtheWelshdream said:

To add following your comment about the mount. The mount serves a purpose to space the print away from the glass, and artwork should be properly hinged to allow movement or sometimes dry mounted to a substrate. 

A professional would never lay glass directly onto artwork as it will eventually damage it. Trust me….

But, MSE hat…

If you are not fussed about longevity, don’t worry about it. Buy ready made, pop it in and enjoy looking at it. It may eventually fade, cockle, move but you may only want it for a couple of years so it’s a moot point?

When you say hinged, what does that mean in framing? Is it how the mount holds the picture in place?

DigSunPap said:

Unsure about where you can get them printed but surely there must be a place local to you that you could find with a bit of research. In terms of the frames - you can find them easily online.

If I’m being honest I just assumed a local place would be more expensive. Imagine online have got it down to finer margins. I’ll do some searching though. 

CliveOfIndia said:

Do you have a branch of The Range nearby?  If you just want a cheap 'n' cheerful no-frills frame, they've usually got loads in stock.

I’ve got one relatively close by so worth a look. I did look online there but couldn’t find any. Though I was looking for frames specifically. Maybe it’s worth looking for artwork and then changing the contents of the frame. 

goldfinches

The other thing you could do is go around your local charity shops to see if you can find some large frames you like cheaply and then you can remove whatever is currently in them and replace it with your own prints. I've seen very large size pictures for sale for around £10 - £15 in my area. If you visit the Shop Charity in '23 thread and ask for suggestions of where to look in your local area, someone on there can probably help too.

JamesN

goldfinches said:

The other thing you could do is go around your local charity shops to see if you can find some large frames you like cheaply and then you can remove whatever is currently in them and replace it with your own prints. I've seen very large size pictures for sale for around £10 - £15 in my area. If you visit the Shop Charity in '23 thread and ask for suggestions of where to look in your local area, someone on there can probably help too.

That’s a good shout. Thank you!

JamesN

End result.

Total cost about £75. I had mounts from eBay, print was online though the mount cut out is too big or the print slightly less than A2. So I’m going to get that sorted.

Thanks everyone for your help.