I am thinking of buying a vintage tourism poster, one that is a very large non-standard size (about 130 x 90 cm or 50" by 35"). I got an estimate from a custom framing place, and it was shockingly expensive.
I can shop around for cheaper framing places, but I doubt I will find anything that even borders on a reasonable price. The poster itself is worth about $250.
I am willing to try to frame it myself, but have limited DIY skills. The main thing is that I need to mount the poster on some sort of firm backing that I can then attach to the wall. I think the cover would be a problem unless I can source and cut a very large piece of glass or plexiglass. I am willing to mount it without a cover (the poster isn’t that expensive), but the mount needs to be done without damaging or permanently attaching the poster to the backing. And of course, tacking it directly to the wall is out of the question.
Anyone have any smart DIY suggestions for me?
(mods, the question seems sort of factual, but I could imagine it also in IMHO or CS, so feel free to move as appropriate!)
The top and bottom consist of two thin magnetic strips. It’s a little tricky getting them on straight, but it does exactly what I want - hold the item flat so I can hang it on the wall. I also bought two smaller ones to hang some silk scarves, but I only use the top strips because I didn’t want the bottom to stretch the fabric.
Try calling a few more places.
Here’s something I wrote in another thread a while back…
“A year or so ago I bought a canvas and need it stretched. I called the normal places, Micheal’s and another big framing place in the area and it was expensive enough that I considered not buying it. I tried one more place. A small outfit. They quoted me at something like $130. I said ‘do you know what the other places quoted me?’, she said ‘I used to work at one of them, let me guess, $400’. Nope, one was 450, the other was $500. Her response was ‘we’re not in the business of ripping people off, we just do good work’. She gave me some tips on buying the piece, I brought it in, they stretched it and it looks great.”
First, borrow the poster’s phone, and send some angry texts to the victim. Right after the act, hide the weapon somewhere on or near the poster, and if the police question you, say you saw the poster on the way to the victim’s house.
I think it depends on whether you care about the future of the poster. If it’s not under plexi, it’ll inevitable get dusty and get sun damage (even if the sun is not shining directly on it). I’ve been happy with American Frame Company. With a piece that large, it’s never going to be cheap, but, again, do you care if it remains in good condition?
I got a large frame at a craft store that had framing supplies. They sell individual frame pieces by length. Much cheaper then having them build one. If you don’t need archival glazing try Home Depot’s window department. They cut to size.
I’ve been framing my own posters for years. To do a reasonably good job, you need a mat cutter with enough capacity for your poster, like this, for about $500, which probably won’t be worth it for a single job. For me it was worth it because I have a LOT of posters that I’ve acquired through various channels over many years. You also need a point driver and maybe a couple of other tools depending on exactly how you want to do the framing, say another $200 in tools. For each job you will of course need a frame, a mat, and foam board backing, points, hinging tape and maybe double-stick tape. The frame is the most expensive part of the per-job items. For a poster that size it will probably be a custom frame. A quick look at my favorite frame shop says it would cost about $250 for a low-end wood frame. The oversize mat, tape and stuff might be another $50 or so.
So bottom line is doing a good professional-looking job yourself would cost a bundle in tools and supplies. There’s a reason framing shops charge so much. If you knew someone who had the tools (like me), and were willing to do the work for just the cost of materials, I guess you’d be looking at maybe $300. I don’t know how that compares to the quote you got. On the other hand, you could look at cheaper ways to frame rather than the traditional frame+mat+glass. For example you could just glue it to a piece of plywood. I’m not sure that can be done without making it a permanent attachment. There are water-soluble glues that can supposedly be removed at a later date, but it might require a professional to do it without damaging the poster.
That’s what I meant. They have UV resistant archival glazing in glass and plastic but it is more expensive. And for a poster you don’t need a mat. They look better in a close fitting frame.
I’ve had several large posters framed, and I use an online company. They send you the frame, the matting, the optional acrylic “glass” (they don’t sell real glass) and the backing, you just put it together. They have an online tool you can use to size the frame and matting, if you have a picture of the poster you can try different frames.
They have a wide selection of frame styles and are reasonably priced. There is one company in particular I’ve used, but it wouldn’t surprise me to find that there are multiple companies that do this.
I’m not going to post a link because I’m not sure what board policy is on such endorsements, but feel free to PM me.
Yeah, I never mat posters, especially large ones. I live in earthquake country, so I always use acrylic. Glass is heavy when you get to large sizes, so hanging can be an issue. Of course, if it’s big enough, you can do the “lean against the wall” display technique.
I mentioned the company I use upthread and haven’t heard a complaint yet. The one I use is similar to the one you describe. I’ve also bought my point driver and archival tape from them. They also let you upload the image you’re framing, if you have one. It can be helpful.
I’m not sure I follow what you’re describing, but one of the main purposes of a mat is to prevent the glass/acrylic from touching the artwork. If they are pressed together, the poster ink can bond to the glass and ruin the poster if you ever try to remove it. (I know this both from reading and from painful experience.)
