Easy, inexpensive gifts

I recently had some photos matted and framed for a show, and it ain't cheap.
When I wanted to make a gift for someone, without the high price, I simply
found a nice frame, printed the photo smaller than the frame, so the excess
photo paper around the edges looked like a matt, signed it, and put it into
the frame. In other words, you get an 8x10 frame, print the photo about 5x7
in the center of an 8.5x11 sheet, and then trim the sheet to 8x10. Or, get
an 8.5 x 11 frame and you won't have to trim anything.

Very inexpensive, but very nice, personal housewarming gift for anyone. The
trick is to use a nice premade frame, not a cheap piece of junk. And using
a matt finish paper will help, so the white around the edges of the photo
looks more like mattboard and isn't shiny.

Sheldon

Sheldon wrote:


Very inexpensive, but very nice, personal housewarming gift for anyone.
The
trick is to use a nice premade frame, not a cheap piece of junk. And
using a matt finish paper will help, so the white around the edges of the
photo looks more like mattboard and isn't shiny.



A great place to pick up cheap frame is the local goodwill type store. most
have a huge stock of used frame, many of which are of good quality. I
picked up a dozen or so yesterday and spent about $25.

--

Stacey

I have generally found the cost of frames to be the highest cost
component, for quality wood frames. The cost of a matte, commerically
precut and found in packages is not all the high, at only $2 each in a
very rapid search on the web! I personally think the digital printed
'matte' as a silly cheap looking substitute for a real matte which
truly dresses things up!!!

On Sun, 21 Aug 2005 13:37:05 -0600, "Sheldon"
wrote:

I recently had some photos matted and framed for a show, and it ain't cheap.
When I wanted to make a gift for someone, without the high price, I simply
found a nice frame, printed the photo smaller than the frame, so the excess
photo paper around the edges looked like a matt, signed it, and put it into
the frame. In other words, you get an 8x10 frame, print the photo about 5x7
in the center of an 8.5x11 sheet, and then trim the sheet to 8x10. Or, get
an 8.5 x 11 frame and you won't have to trim anything.

Very inexpensive, but very nice, personal housewarming gift for anyone. The
trick is to use a nice premade frame, not a cheap piece of junk. And using
a matt finish paper will help, so the white around the edges of the photo
looks more like mattboard and isn't shiny.

Sheldon


Yes, but the idea of a mat is not just for presentation, it's also for
preservation. I don't know where you live, but where I live if I put
a photo or any other type of print up against glass it would probably
last about one humid season. One wet spring or humid summer would
pretty much be the end of it. The purpose of the top mat is to keep
the print at least 1/16" away from the glass.

"McLeod" wrote in message
...
On Sun, 21 Aug 2005 13:37:05 -0600, "Sheldon"
wrote:

I recently had some photos matted and framed for a show, and it ain't
cheap.
When I wanted to make a gift for someone, without the high price, I simply
found a nice frame, printed the photo smaller than the frame, so the
excess
photo paper around the edges looked like a matt, signed it, and put it
into
the frame. In other words, you get an 8x10 frame, print the photo about
5x7
in the center of an 8.5x11 sheet, and then trim the sheet to 8x10. Or,
get
an 8.5 x 11 frame and you won't have to trim anything.

Very inexpensive, but very nice, personal housewarming gift for anyone.
The
trick is to use a nice premade frame, not a cheap piece of junk. And
using
a matt finish paper will help, so the white around the edges of the photo
looks more like mattboard and isn't shiny.

Sheldon


Yes, but the idea of a mat is not just for presentation, it's also for
preservation. I don't know where you live, but where I live if I put
a photo or any other type of print up against glass it would probably
last about one humid season. One wet spring or humid summer would
pretty much be the end of it. The purpose of the top mat is to keep
the print at least 1/16" away from the glass.

Fortunately it's very dry here, but I did think about that.

"wilt" wrote in message
oups.com...
I have generally found the cost of frames to be the highest cost
component, for quality wood frames. The cost of a matte, commerically
precut and found in packages is not all the high, at only $2 each in a
very rapid search on the web! I personally think the digital printed
'matte' as a silly cheap looking substitute for a real matte which
truly dresses things up!!!

I agree, but if the shot is a good one you will be drawn to the pic and not
to the matte.

"Sheldon" writes:

I recently had some photos matted and framed for a show, and it ain't cheap.
When I wanted to make a gift for someone, without the high price, I simply
found a nice frame, printed the photo smaller than the frame, so the excess
photo paper around the edges looked like a matt, signed it, and put it into
the frame. In other words, you get an 8x10 frame, print the photo about 5x7
in the center of an 8.5x11 sheet, and then trim the sheet to 8x10. Or, get
an 8.5 x 11 frame and you won't have to trim anything.

Very inexpensive, but very nice, personal housewarming gift for anyone. The
trick is to use a nice premade frame, not a cheap piece of junk. And using
a matt finish paper will help, so the white around the edges of the photo
looks more like mattboard and isn't shiny.

Letting the photo surface touch the glass isn't ideal for long-term
survival of the print -- but that's not terribly important for the use
you describe, to many people.
--
David Dyer-Bennet, , http://www.dd-b.net/dd-b/
RKBA: http://noguns-nomoney.com/ http://www.dd-b.net/carry/
Pics: http://dd-b.lighthunters.net/ http://www.dd-b.net/dd-b/SnapshotAlbum/
Dragaera/Steven Brust: http://dragaera.info/ Much of which is still down

Another issue with letting photos touch the glass...if the photo is on
glossy paper, the rainbows of moires can appear where the print touches
the glass. I frankly don't know if ink prints on the surface of photo
paper as less prone to this effect than photographic emulsions with the
image in the emulsion.

Stacey wrote:
Sheldon wrote:


Very inexpensive, but very nice, personal housewarming gift for anyone.
The
trick is to use a nice premade frame, not a cheap piece of junk. And
using a matt finish paper will help, so the white around the edges of the
photo looks more like mattboard and isn't shiny.



A great place to pick up cheap frame is the local goodwill type store. most
have a huge stock of used frame, many of which are of good quality. I
picked up a dozen or so yesterday and spent about $25.

--

Stacey

A place I recenlty found to mount and frame photos is the local craft
store.
They have supplies to mount and frame your photos, make your own matte,
etc.

I only found out about this because I was looking for foam board to
mount photos on. The craft store has all the framing supplies for the
do-it-yourselfer to matte, mount and frame a photo.

This may help if you are attempting to frame odd size prints like 11x17
or 13x19 (Ink Jet Prints).

roland

Sheldon wrote:

I recently had some photos matted and framed for a show, and it ain't cheap.
When I wanted to make a gift for someone, without the high price, I simply
found a nice frame, printed the photo smaller than the frame, so the excess
photo paper around the edges looked like a matt, signed it, and put it into
the frame. In other words, you get an 8x10 frame, print the photo about 5x7
in the center of an 8.5x11 sheet, and then trim the sheet to 8x10. Or, get
an 8.5 x 11 frame and you won't have to trim anything.

Very inexpensive, but very nice, personal housewarming gift for anyone. The
trick is to use a nice premade frame, not a cheap piece of junk. And using
a matt finish paper will help, so the white around the edges of the photo
looks more like mattboard and isn't shiny.

Sheldon


It's not just a nice housewarming gift. One of my suppliers I deal at
work is an avid photographer. He mounted one of his own pictures and
custom painted a nice wood frame and gave it to me as a Christmas
present. After 8 Christmases, this is still my favorite gift.


Hopefully, one day, I'll be proficient enough to do the same.
--
Slack