So I have a few matting and framing questions I hope you all can help me with. I need to matte and frame images for a store in town. I wanna keep it simple and as cheap as possible as money is tight right now. In the past I got matte board from Micheal's and cut it myself. I just don't have the time to do that now that I have an 11 month old running around the house.

I looked for some pre cut mattes at redimat and found a 25 pack of pre cut 12x16 matte's with an 8x12 window for $57, they come with backing board and bags. Seems like a pretty good deal, but I was wondering if they're are any better deals out there, or any other sites I may wanna check out?

My next dilemma is Framing. Can anyone recommend a good site where I may be able to get a 10 pack of 12x16 frames or something along those lines?

I'm also curious to mounting options some of you may use. In the past I have used positionable mounting adhesive and am pretty happy with the results, but is there an easier way to go about this process? I hear a lot of people opting to have their print labs mount the prints for them, but I think that may be out of my price range.

Also, mounting on backing board or foamcore? I hear some folks complain about warping over time with backing boards but I've never had any problems with my prints, though I really don't do large prints very often. Foamcore seems like a great option, but again, I really need to keep my costs down right now.

Any advice or suggestions would be greatly appreciated!

I've used http://www.goldenstateart.com/ for frames and been happy with the results for the price but the frames I purchased were made in china frames. However, for Made in USA, http://economyframes.com/ and http://frameusa.com/woodfram.htm seem to be good tho I've never personally used them for Made in USA frames that I've purchased. Made in USA purchases can't compete in price against the imported stuff so if cheaper is the greatest factor, Golden State Art has been great on price. All my mounting is window matte with backing boards and I've never had a problem with warping -- always used two backing boards for extra support on larger sizes.

don't know if you have one close by but I find basic black frames at IKEA are very inexpensive and good looking

Originally Posted by AlliOOP I've used http://www.goldenstateart.com/ for frames and been happy with the results for the price but the frames I purchased were made in china frames. However, for Made in USA, http://economyframes.com/ and http://frameusa.com/woodfram.htm seem to be good tho I've never personally used them for Made in USA frames that I've purchased. Made in USA purchases can't compete in price against the imported stuff so if cheaper is the greatest factor, Golden State Art has been great on price. All my mounting is window matte with backing boards and I've never had a problem with warping -- always used two backing boards for extra support on larger sizes.

Thanks AlliOOP! Goldenstateart looks like a pretty good option, I think I may give them a shot for the pre cut mattes. The frame prices are pretty nice too but limited options in the size I'm looking for and I can still find frames cheaper at my local Michael's.

Originally Posted by Angelo don't know if you have one close by but I find basic black frames at IKEA are very inexpensive and good looking

Thanks Angelo, but our closet IKEA is 3 hours north!

Originally Posted by MikeAldrich Thanks Angelo, but our closet IKEA is 3 hours north!

well in Los Angeles that's considered "around the corner"



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Good luck finding reasonably priced frames on the FL West coast ;). JoAnns might beat the price of Michaels, particularly if you can ask your neighbors for their 40% off coupons :-). Big Lots (usually good quality at great prices) may have some decent frames but as always, their selection is very limited -- if the sizes you want are there at all. If time isn't pressing and you are making a trip into the Orlando Metro area in the near future, there are several hobby (including Hobby Lobby) and custom framing shops (ex. Colonial) that provide great prices on their clearance items.

Picture Frames | Photography Frames | Metal Frames

Originally Posted by AlliOOP Good luck finding reasonably priced frames on the FL West coast ;). JoAnns might beat the price of Michaels, particularly if you can ask your neighbors for their 40% off coupons :-). Big Lots (usually good quality at great prices) may have some decent frames but as always, their selection is very limited -- if the sizes you want are there at all. If time isn't pressing and you are making a trip into the Orlando Metro area in the near future, there are several hobby (including Hobby Lobby) and custom framing shops (ex. Colonial) that provide great prices on their clearance items.

We actually just got a Hobby Lobby! My girlfriend raves about it, but I've never heard of the name before, I'll have to check it out. I did get a few 12x16 frames at Micheal's for a little under $8 each. All in all, I can print, matte and frame an 8x12 for about $14, which I'm not entirely sure is a good price or not, but I like to think it is.