I need help with a picture frame measurement... (1 Viewer)

[John Kilduff]

Last year, I won an eBay auction from Ginger Lynn. One of the items in the package was an autographed headshot. I measured it...It's 8 inches tall and 6 inches wide. I don't know whether it's measured by 8X6 or 6X8...I had purchased some 8X10 frames, thinking that the picture was 8X10. I looked on eBay and came across an 8X6 frame, but I'm not sure of the size.

Sincerely,

John Kilduff...

Addition, subtraction, multiplication, division and fractions...I'm good with those. Other math concepts? Not so much.

 

[Mike Frezon]

A "head" shot of Ginger Lynn, huh?

Hmmmmmm.

 

[Bobofbone]

Depends on whether you put the long side or short side down. It the picture is 8"x6", an 8x10 inch frame will probably leave 1" of matting on all sides. Most frames that you put pictures in come with simple matting. You can trim it to size with something like a exacto knife or a razor blade. Most of the time, things like posters or certificates (diplomas and similar things) are framed without matting. It's also a matter of taste.

If you are going to have it done professionally, bring the picture and look at with the type of matting and frame you plan to use, and decide on the size while looking at it. That can be pricey, though. There are do it yourself framing places in most large cities I've lived in where you can do it yourself. I got lazy, and picked up some right angle framing clamps, and with the use of a mitre saw and router that I already have, made the last couple of frames I needed for simple jobs. I just buy glass. You need some tools and basic skills (a drill press helps too, I've found) to go that route.

If I'm not too ambitious, I can find a reasonable frame at Walmart. That's the way I put up kitten pictures over a litter pan (lots of people have baby pictures in their john, so, why not?)

 

[John Kilduff]

I wanted to bump this up because I have a new measurement question...Do they make 8X20 frames? I have 2 autographed pictures of Nina Blackwood, and I also have 2 items autographed by Siedah Garrett that I got for backing her Kickstarter (an autographed picture and an autographed copy of lyrics for "Man In The Mirror"). All 4 items are 8X10, and if my math is correct, 8X20 would be the proper framing if they were side-by-side. Is my math right?

Sincerely,

John Kilduff...

Autographs are cool.

 

[nolesrule]

I would do custom framing with custom mattes. It's more expensive than just buying a frame off the shelf, but it looks so much better.

I like using framesbymail.com but you might be able to find someone local who does that type of work.

If you are looking to put 2 items side by side in a single frame, you'd want a matte with 2 cutouts, rather than place them adjacent to each other with no separation. framesbymail has a matte designer tool on the site that allows you to create more elaborate mattes with multiple cutouts.

 

[Mike Frezon]

It might also work, John, to just frame the pictures separately (in matching frames) and hang them side by side...or offset a bit.

Here's an example of a custom matte (what Joe was talking about in the last post). We had this made up as a memorial to a recent dog of ours who passed. We had this done at a Michael's Crafts Store. We just brought in the photos and other mementos and they helped us design the different color mattes and frame and layout.

The separate frames would be a lot cheaper...that's for sure.

 

[nolesrule]

The separate frames would be a lot cheaper...that's for sure.

That's usually the case, but if you want to make it special, it can be worth it. Matting, and even double matting like in Mike's sample above just really make the presentation just that much more impressive.

Some of the things I've gotten custom matted and framed are my marriage ketubah (Jewish marriage certificate, the thing was huge and a work of art), a street poster for Movin' Out on Broadway signed by the entire cast, as well as a 16x20 special photo of my wife from a pariticular shoot she did a couple years ago with a professional photographer.

 

[Mike Frezon]

Matting, and even double matting like in Mike's sample above just really make the presentation just that much more impressive.

Couldn't agree more, Joe. The dog in the image above was so special to us that we didn't really think twice about spending money (we wouldn't normally spend) on such a nice piece. It is guaranteed to have a place of honor in our home for the rest of our lives. We wanted it to be special...and it is.

 

[John Kilduff]

Thanks for all the tips. I think I'll go the custom matte route. It'll be a while before I can do it, but it's something I'll keep my eye on. As for where the autographs will go, I'm thinking of putting them in the guest room. There are 2 walls that have a lot of space on them. Of course, that'll require assistance with hanging them up, but luckily I have some older friends who can help me with that.

Sincerely,

John Kilduff...

I doubt I could do it myself, considering how my hands tremor at times.

 

[corasmith]

Hi john,


I have given below an image for how to measure the size of a picture frame. You can easily get an idea through this image.

Moderator's Note: Link removed. MF