Many people don’t think this step is important and do not adequately prepare their item for framing, but good preparation can save a lot of hassles later. Lack of concentration can cause errors, if you are disturbed by the phone ringing for instance you easily forget where you are when you return. So ensure that the environment you are working in is not distracting and switch off the phone while getting your item prepared.
Listed here are items that you will need:
country side (acrylic painting)
- A surface that is flat in a well lit area
- A Ruler or tape measure that is accurate, it should cover the while length of the item
- Paper, pencil and eraser
Determination of Size of the Original Artwork
The measurement of the artwork’s original size, you will need to measure the portion that is to be ‘viewable’ from the frame that is finished. Should the artwork go right to the edges of the paper then it will be easier, however, if here is a white space round object, then a decision needs to be made how much needs to be shown in the final framed piece. This is of course personal taste when making the decision.
Frames that are matted
A large mount of art work is framed with matting. When framing is done make sure that the artwork is completely covered by the mat window opening, if not then the artwork will pop out. The framer does not need the edge of the artwork to be exposed due to the mat-work window being cut too large. This will look very unattractive and defeat the aesthetic object of the mat. Framers are able to cut up to 1/16” precision, therefore the more accurate the measurements are the better it will be.
The next thing to decide is how much of the mat is to overlap the edges of the artwork, this is called offset. Most cases 1/16” or 1/8” will be subtracted from both sides of the artwork to be able to accommodate the offset.
Note: Depending on the object its not always necessary to subtract the mat offset.Some works of art have been intentionally printed with a white border, in such a case then the framer only needs to measure the art work with no subtraction.
Completing the calculations
The next step you need to take is to subtract he total of the mat offset from the height and width dimensions.
Writing everything down gives you a good framework to work to decide on the size of the frame needed. If you are at all unsure of your measurement, mistakes can easily be made with fractions, get someone to double check your measurements to give peace of mind.
When ordering online these are the results you need to enter in the ‘Artwork Size’ box.
When ordering online the preparations make it much easier o place our order and receive an accurate frame for your art piece.
If you need more help, our friendly, knowledgeable staff are willing to assist you with any aspect of your framing.