What all do I need to get started, where do I get it, etc?

I know how to operate a saw, and an exacto knife. I can also swap a clutch on a subaru in only a few hours. It can't be that hard.

Making the frame itself might be more effort than it's worth. It's just buying the parts will probably be more expensive than a cheap (but good looking) frame. But if you want to learn how to matte your own stuff to go in a frame I can help you there.

OK, lets go with that. I saw frames that looked reasonable at the store and I think you may be right about that being more of a pain than its worth.

OK, so to matte your own stuff you need a few "tools":
*T square ruler (a sheet rock ruler would honestly work here).
*A matte cutter for beveled cuts (45º cutter, cuts the opening)
*A matte cutter for 90º cuts (to cut the exterior size)
*the "rail". Not sure what the technical name is, but it's the bar/track the cutters slide on to keep everything straight.
If I remember correctly, everything I have was <$200 to get started, I'll look for links for you.

The for each shot you need:
*foam core (I buy a 32x40 sheet and get at least 2 mattes from it depending on the size)
*matte board (same thing, and pick your colors, I love white matte with black core in a black frame)
*some sort of adhesive to stick the photo down with (spray adhesive works OK if you have a good way to get the photo down w/o bubbles, tape works on images smaller than 10x15, a dry mount press is the best option buy they're . Also I've been having Mpix mount my prints for me so it's perfect, but it's not cheap at the sizes I'm printing)
*tape to stick the matte board to the foam core (I hinge it at the top/side [long edge])
*erasure to clean up any finger prints you leave on the matte.
For me, each matte on a 12" x 18" print (18" x 24" matte) costs me ~$5/2 for foam core and ~$7/2 for the matte. Then the frames I buy are ~$18 I think. So it's $24 per 18" x 24" framed which is not bad at all (plus the print).

Here's a shot of 3 of my images framed above my TV:
http://www.benjacobsen.com/wp-conten...r/IMG_3246.jpg

those are black "gallery" frame, then white matte board with black core so it leaves a tiny black line next to the image where you see the exposed core on the bevel cut. Looks really good IMHO. They also make black matte with bright white core or the standard off white (creamy) if you want to reverse the colors. See if you have any sort of art supply store near you as they should have EVERYTHING you need, matte board, foam core, frames, cutters, everything. I know Micheal's and A.C. Moore both do, but with limited frames and matte board. I go to Jerry's Art O Rama because it's local and has an excellent selection. The hard part for me is the 18" x 24" frame because that's not a standard size, but it's my preferred size (I'm a 2:3 whore).

OK, links!

Here's Jerry's matte cutting section (all options):
http://www.jerrysartarama.com/discou...art-supplies/3

here is the exact unit I have ($109 with both 90º and 45º cutters):
http://www.jerrysartarama.com/art-su.../0045843000000
my only issue with that is that it can only cut mattes or foam core up to 29 1/2" and I buy 32" x 40". So I have to do a very rough cut with my ruler and a normal razor knife to trim the board down to size. It works, but it's an extra step (if I did that cut with a true matte cutter I wouldn't have to trim it square after I cut it). But the compact is just that, compact and we have a small house.

If I ever have a dedicated space, I'll upgrade to one of these 2:
same thing with a 40" cutter ($149):
http://www.jerrysartarama.com/art-su.../0048550000000
60" cutter with a 90º rail at the bottom to help make sure your cuts are square ($299):
http://www.jerrysartarama.com/art-su.../0051632000000

not sure how those prices compare to other places, but it's local (it was before Jerry's bought it, I already had my cutter, but I've been looking at their bigger models since I want one).

Now for a ruler this is what I have:
http://www.archaeologica.org/TSquare.jpg
that's not exact and I can't find it on Jerry's but I know they have them. Mine is aluminum for the ruler with a blue plastic T on top. Make sure it has a good joint on top that will stay square. Also a centering ruler is a huge help if you want to spend some extra $ on one (center is 0", then it counts out on both sides if you've never seen one before, makes measuring your holes VERY easy/fast).

B&H carries logan cutters but I'm not finding my unit there. I would recommend this book if you're considering this:

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/produc...ting_Book.html

from there you need matte board and foam core and a frame. Some tape and an erasure will get you started. Expect to throw out the first few attempts. Buy a 32" x 40" sheet of both FC and MB and try some small prints (matte 4" x 6"s in a small matte for practice) until you get the hang of it. Measure twice cut once. Once you've got the hang of it you can have some fun... I did two 9 image 3x3 array with 4" x 6"s for my parents last winter... It took an hour or so to layout and cut each one but they look awesome.

these are the 18" x 24" frames I buy:
http://www.jerrysartarama.com/art-su.../0071538000000

Awesome thread, I've been looking into figuring all this stuff out. My Dad loves to frame things so he usually does most of my framed orders/presents/whatever but I seriously need to get setup/learn to do my own matting.

- Scott

If you can work with wood at all (basic understanding of measuring cutting and miters) it's super easy.

Thanks for the info!

And you guys typically order your prints mounted on some sort of art board so they go in the frames all nice?

I'm hoping to get a 'shop' type area set up after the wedding and have room for stuff like this.

Yeah, or room would be nice. We don't have the space, so I take over the living room (usually the floor).
I would love to have a bench that's pretty high (I'm tall).

As for mounting it's weird. I really wish I could find a printer that would print 1 size and mount to another... IE 12x18 print on 18x24 board. Also Mpix doesn't offer a 18x24 board anyway so I have to punt with something smaller and they charge a bit for it... I'm looking for other printers who offer better options and hopefully less expensive. A dry mount press would be the easy solution, but they're $$$ (thousand+) and take a lot of space. When I was at school I used one all the time.

So ben do you buy those 18x24 frames then cut them down to size?

I haven't been able to find many 8x12 frames around for cheap, but 8x10 frames are cheap and easy to find. I just don't want to crop out 2" of my pics, some of them need the extra space.

Well the 18x24 frame is meant for a 12x18 print. 6" extra all around to cut the matte/mat for the print. For a 8x12 I'd go with something in the 2" border size maybe 1.5"... So 3+8=11 and 3+12=15, so a 12x16 I guess? You can also get your prints done on a 8x12 but leave a bit of white edge (scale them down a bit) so they'll fit in a frame that works.

Personally everything I print for us is either a 4x6 for small frames since it's a readily available size or 12x18 for 18x24 frames.

Maybe I'll just get some biggies and see how they look.

The other thing to try is to sit in PS and make the frames/mats with the canvas tool. IE take your image make it 8x12, then play with the canvas tool and the correct color mat out to whatever size you're thinking, then add an inch of the frame color around that. It's better than nothing.

Originally Posted by jacobsen1

The other thing to try is to sit in PS and make the frames/mats with the canvas tool. IE take your image make it 8x12, then play with the canvas tool and the correct color mat out to whatever size you're thinking, then add an inch of the frame color around that. It's better than nothing.

I'm a bit lost. Do you mean to basically just create a border in PS to get me to the size of the frame thats bigger than my pic thats already 8x12? Like put it in a 11x14 frame but have the outsides of the printed pic printed with a border(mat) that Ive created in PS?

Originally Posted by thechickencow

Originally Posted by jacobsen1

The other thing to try is to sit in PS and make the frames/mats with the canvas tool. IE take your image make it 8x12, then play with the canvas tool and the correct color mat out to whatever size you're thinking, then add an inch of the frame color around that. It's better than nothing.

I'm a bit lost. Do you mean to basically just create a border in PS to get me to the size of the frame thats bigger than my pic thats already 8x12? Like put it in a 11x14 frame but have the outsides of the printed pic printed with a border(mat) that Ive created in PS?

Jay, I think he's meaning "mocking it up" in PS to see how it will look in real life. But I could be wrong, I haven't read the entire thread...

I get that, but I didn't follow the jump from what was last posted to that one.

Well I do a couple things in PS...

I usually try to print the print at the same size as the frame... The print will have the image in the size I want (12x18) with a small black border around it, then white out to the edge of the print. It costs a bit more, but it makes a simple print look outstanding... So that's one part of what I do...

The other part is if I have a set frame size to work within, then I play around in PS with different image sizes and the canvas tool to emulate what the matted print will look like. I do this because I have a few prints at home where I printed them as big as I could and put them in an existing frame... Well the proportions don't look right because it meant I had a 1" border on the sides (on a 12x18 print) and 2~3"s on the top/bottom... So it's not even close to even. Had I used my trick I would have been able to see how goofy it would look and I would have printed them smaller to start... The way it ended up I either had to crop with the mat or leave them in funny looking mats.