Printing pics?

[Illah]

So I don't have the time or skill to custom-mat my images, nor do I have the money to pay someone else to do it for me Do any of you guys have any suggestions? I was thinking of maybe just glue-sticking pics to foamcore or mat board but I'm worried that will look ghetto (my attempts in art school were so-so at best). Then again cheap $3.99 frames might look ghetto too...

If anyone has any good ideas for framing/mounting on a budget let me know...and post pics if possible so I can get an idea if it'll work in my place!

I'm not looking for something that will last years by the way - down the road any of my pics I really like will probably end up being professionally printed and framed, but for the time being I'm growing tired of my blank walls.

--Illah

 

[EBphotography]

I've never tried this, but what about using that 3M spray adhesive on Mat Board?

They do make some nice solid black frames that are cheap, not ghetto, too.

 

[DeepSpring]

They have some decent solid black frames I buy for my room at Michaels and I assume any other art supply store for around $5 - $10 depending the size

 

[df3photo]

the only cheap tip i have hear besides building frames yourself is, when i was graduating school and getting myportfolio ready, I matted the pictures behind water color paper. It was cheap, came in a tablet, and was lighter and more flexable for my portfolio... and it looks pretty good also.
you can sometimes find unfinished frames at art stores also... but if you find cheap frames why not paint them the color you want...?

 

[Illah]

I've never tried this, but what about using that 3M spray adhesive on Mat Board?

That's what one of the art directors at work recommended as well. I was thinking the same but on foamcore (basically the same thing).

As for unfinished frames and cheap frames, my problem is they only come in standard sizes like 5x7 or 8x10. Since i went to film school I notice I have a penchant for 'widescreen' shots, like around 6x10, so the standard frame size may look odd without a mat inside. Maybe filling the empty area with black and a faux-bevel mat edge in Photoshop could work, but that would murder my ink over a series of shots.

I should probably test the faux-bevel edge thing...definitely less work dealing with pre-made frames rather than custom cutting and mounting.

--Illah

 

[Torus34]

What is so difficult about cutting a rectangular hole in poster board with a straightedge and box cutter?

You gain the additional advantage of cropping.

 

[Illah]

Hmm, never considered poster board. I guess that could be an approximation of a beveled mat, though would it end up looking cheap? In any case this sounds like the best way the get decent framing on a budget with the least amount of time/effort on my part. And it's thin enough to fit in the bargain-basement $4 frames I was looking at

--Illah

 

[Johnboy2978]

I personally think they are going to look directly proportional to the amount of time you have spent on them. I was given a Fletcher mat cutter by my father - in - law but I was going to buy one on ebay for $150. That's a steep investment at first, but you can really do a good job yourself for framing them on the cheap. Also if you have only a couple professionally matted and framed, you could've bought your own mat cutter.

What's cheap to me? 8x10 frame (5x7) pics for about $15.
Mat - 32x40" for about $5 - Hobby Lobby - so I can get 4 8x10 for $1.25 each
Foam board - 32x40 for about $5 as well from Hobby Lobby
Glass 16x20 for about $5 so I can get 2 8x10 pieces of glass for 2.50 each (also Hobby Lobby)
Nielsen Metal frame from AmericanFrame.com about $10 each.

So for $15 and about 15" I have a custom framed 5x7 with 8x10 mat. Not bad in my opinion. Just my .02

 

[D-50]

Sounds like you want custom dimensions. Unless your into woodworking thats tough because frames dont come in all sizes when your buying stock. Best bet is buy a small table saw, on craigslist or ebay you can get one for about 50 dollars, as well as a corner clamp 15 bucks at home depot. Buy your own wood and build your own frames, use plexiglass of glass for your frames it will run about 4-5 dollars a frame. Youll also need a matte cutter these cost around 80 for a 36" model. its a bit of an initial investment but youll be able to make frames for about 7-8 dollars each at any size you want. I have a wood shop already and having a planer allows me to make exoctic woods frames but planers cost 200 at a minimum. If you want to invest about 350 dollars youll be able to make frames to any size and dimension from any wood it will pay itself off quickly. I must have made 100 frames so I have more or less paid off all my euqiptment. Just a thought and I know its a bit of a hassle but its great being able to walk into your garage and build a frame specifically for a uniquly sized picture.

 

[Johnboy2978]

"Sounds like you want custom dimensions. Unless your into woodworking thats tough because frames dont come in all sizes when your buying stock"

Actually with AmericanFrame, you can customize it to a 1/16 of an inch and there's no extra charge.

 

[Illah]

Thanks for all the input, but time and money are big concerns for me. I have a day job in advertising, run a pretty comprehensive website on the side, take pics, and try to unwind and have fun from time to time. As much as I'd love to custom build and frame my stuff I just don't have the time.

Regarding money, I'm getting married in April 2007, so while I'm not literally broke, as far as spending money goes I just blew it on an f2.8 zoom a couple weeks ago...I partially justified it as allowing for nicer pics during the honeymoon and whatnot While each frame at like $20 isn't a big hit, when you get to 10 or 20 frames it adds up quick.

With those two factors in mind, that's why I'm looking at things like foamcore where $40 worth of material and a few hours of effort can take care of dozens of pics.

I'm thinking that considering the costs, I'll just get the smallest foamcore they sell, cut with a scissors, and mount a pic just to get a look & feel and see if I like it. At the same time I'll get a single $4 8x10 cheapo frame and posterboard-mat a pic. Whichever looks better and is easier to deal with I'll end up going with (and if it's the foamcore I'll get a proper cutter and use a T-square so it's a decent quality cut for the 'real' thing). I'll never know until I see it!

--Illah