Inexpensive Frames?

Llywellyn · July 19, 2007

I have my very first showing of my photography coming up soon and have everything except the 8 x 10 frames for the larger photos and mattes. I need 30 black frames, and I'd prefer not to spend $300 getting them. :huh Perhaps that's the best it'll get--I certainly don't know. I've never had to matte and frame on such a scale before. Any recommendations on where to get some inexpensive frames?

Note, this is not a gallery show (I am nowhere near that good at this point). I will be displaying several of my photos at a local business. (Which is still pretty durned cool to me! :ivar) Thus, the quality of the frame doesn't have to be super luxe. :wink

gus · July 19, 2007

It may not be what you need but last week i bought 25 great old wood frames with glass for $38 at my local salvation army shop. I am always in 2nd hand shops looking for stuff like this. I just resize my photos to fit the size of the frames. I try to keep each frame to $1 or $2 for a good one.

They are certainly not new condition frames but i like them to look a bit aged & all different sizes & styles. I try to buy hardwoods & always get ones that are in ok shape & have glass. Sometimes i have to cut a new bit of backing board out of strong cardboard.

Just a thought. Im pretty big on re-cycling.

sirsloop · July 19, 2007

I suggest going to ac moore for the matting. At least at the one I go to in Jersey, they cut any board you buy for free. So if you get one of the huge 24x36 boards (~$5), you can knock that down into quite a few 8x10s, cut. You can put whatever matting you want on there too.

As far as frames... idk what you're lookin for but $10 a frame sounds about right. ACMoore/Michaels commonly has frames on sale for 50-75% off...
scope it out. You can't expect $100 frames or anything, but matted up I think even cheap frames look pretty darn good! All the stuff in my apartment is from ac moore/michaels frames and matting done at ac moore.

Llywellyn · July 19, 2007

Thank you so much! These are both great ideas. Cheap frames are fine with me, as I figure the matting and my prints will add to the effect of a nice piece and a cheap frame won't be detrimental.

claudermilk · July 20, 2007

A couple of popular online places are americanframe.com and framedestination.com. They have lots of choices & good prices on stuff. I've used americanframe several times and have heard good things about framedestination.

entropysedge · July 20, 2007

I go to both Michaels/AC Moore and americanframe.com; just depends on where the pictures are going. All are great places to get fromes from.

Cuong · July 20, 2007

My suggestion is to try Costco. They have really nice 11x17 frames that include 8x10 mat. Southern California Costco warehouse sells them in 2-pack for less than $20 (that's 8.25% sales tax included). Hopefully, the Costco near you also carries something similar. Good luck.

Cuong Nguyen.

dangin · July 20, 2007

i usually stop in at marshalls and/or TJ max to find inexpensive frames. selection is hit and miss at times, but sometimes some real deals can be found.

Llywellyn · July 25, 2007

I just wanted to give everyone here a big THANK YOU!

I chose A.C. Moore because it had a store near me, and I was met with some fantastic customer service. I was about to buy a lower-quality frame because they had the quantity I needed (30) in stock. As I was waiting at the desk to ask about something else, I opened their little sales flyer and saw a nicer looking frame listed as being on sale.

I wandered back through the aisles, found where the frame should have been, and saw only one silver frame sitting there. The rest had already been cleaned out!

I asked with very little hope if they had any in the back, knowing my chances were nil that they'd happen to have 30 sitting back there.

As I spoke with one of the employees and revealed I needed 30 frames within the week, he didn't bat an eye. He started calling all the other A.C. Moore stores in the area and asking them to ship a few of their stock to his store.

In the end he got me 30 frames in three days. And I saved more than $150 because of the incredible prices.

They rock!

rdlugosz · July 25, 2007

Sounds like you've got it figured out, but thought I'd mention that I've had a good experience with frameusa.com

sirsloop · July 25, 2007

Awesome!! Did you get any matting done there? AC Moore ALWAYS has frames on sale... its the best!

Llywellyn · July 25, 2007

sirsloop wrote:

Awesome!! Did you get any matting done there? AC Moore ALWAYS has frames on sale... its the best!

I didn't. I'd found a bunch of precut mattes on sale at one of the better local camera shops, so I got all my mattes beforehand. After the great customer service and pricing, however, I will definitely go back to A.C. Moore to investigate custom framing options.

A woman receiving an order ahead of me had gotten one of those complicated family photo mattes--you know, the ones with several different sizes and shapes cut into one matte for a sort of structured photo collage look? I think they'd do fabulously with my simple rectangular mattes in the future.

Inexpensive Frames?

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