I have a print I want to have framed. @ 2' x 3'. Where is the cheapest place around Raleigh or Cary to get it done?

I took it to michaels, and for an inexpensive metal frame (no glass, which I don't want), no matting, a protective coating (don't recall what he called it) and to have it pressed on to a board would cost like $180. He said once a month they have 50% off so in that case it would be 90.

Anyone know how much the frame, backing, or coating costs out of this? I could certainly make a nice wood frame, so I was thinking about getting it put on a board, maybe coated, and framing it myself, or just using cardboard for backing.

Any ideas/suggestions?

1/22/2006 11:55:10 PM

what about just a pre-made regular frame?

1/23/2006 12:10:41 AM

yeah, you could buy the frame, and they sell matting, either in solid square sheets or in cut outs (open squares...less work, i think).

1/23/2006 12:16:24 AM

like from target or something?

initially i was going to have it matted so the frame would be bigger than 2x3 and i wasn't sure where to get a frame that big. And i could still probably make my own cheaper than I could buy one (but depending on the price i'd rather buy it than spend the time making one). But where could I buy premade frames that size? Michaels/ac moore i'm assuming, I didn't look while i was there.

generally speaking i don't get shit framed, i have general knowledge about making frames and matting but i have no clue about how much the stuff costs to have done, so i'm completely open to suggestion.

[Edited on January 23, 2006 at 12:24 AM. Reason : .]

1/23/2006 12:23:16 AM

I know this isn't really much help, but I'm from around Wilmiington and my mom is really into framed pics etc etc, but if i recall correctly, she never payed more than like 40 dollars to get something framed, and that was mostly just for the frame.

1/23/2006 12:25:14 AM

thanks, yeah i thought the price he gave me sounded crazy. I'm gonna call tomorrow and see how much each process costs on it's own and try some other places tomorrow. but keep the suggestions coming.

1/23/2006 12:31:47 AM

i don't know much about it being professionally done.... but poster frames are fairly inexpensive. I use them for most/all of my stuff. They run about $20 and do a fine job of protecting a print from my experience. They're usually around $20 at a craft store, but sometimes (as mentioned at the beginning of the post) they have all of their frames at ~50% off, so they end up being closer to $12.

If you find a decent, reasonably priced place to get things framed, please post it here. I've been trying to find somewhere to frame one of my little sister's canvases, but I have had no luck as of yet.

1/23/2006 1:07:35 PM

Not sure if Raleigh has one (they probably do somewhere) but down here in Fayetteville, the best place by far is hobby lobby. My wife and I just got an oil painting on canvas in a nice wood frame stretched and mounted with matting for ~$50. I would imagine a poster couldnt be more than that.

1/23/2006 2:01:53 PM

http://www.americanframe.com

I paint and illustrate and this is where I have all my stuff done. pretty much, you just pick your frame style (for you it would just be a black metal frame or whatever) and then enter the dimensions of your art and if you want a mat, backing board, hanging supplies, ect, and then they just mail you everything. the mat is already cut and it takes literally five minutes to put everything together. It even has the plexiglass cut for you and ready to go.

NEVER go to michaels. they tried to charge me $180 for a piece that I framed myself for $35.

I frame LOTS of stuff and I wouldn't use this site if I thought it was inferior quality. Ask anyone who attended my art show.

1/23/2006 2:25:58 PM

preciate it, i had actually looked at that site earlier today and was about to ask if anyone was familiar with it. I was also considering maybe just having the print mounted on wood, so i'm gonna see what that costs and go from there, thanks again

1/23/2006 2:50:19 PM

^I'd get it framed if I were you

1/23/2006 3:05:34 PM

the cheapest place that I found for framing that does an awesome job is at the State Fair Grounds. I can't remember the name, but the shop is located in the permanent buildings across from Dorton arena. Most of the time they can turn it around in an hour or so.

1/23/2006 3:21:52 PM

I don't know if they do or not, but the added cost at Michaels SHOULD be for using Glass instead of plexi.

You do NOT want to mount anything valuable under acrylic/plexiglass. It will ruin the shit over the years from offgassing.

1/23/2006 3:23:43 PM

^ with glass he said it would have been $300, which is rediculous but i didn't want glass anyway

^^^ any particular reason you wouldn't mount it on wood?

i put a pic of the print in my gallery so you have an idea of what i'm looking at, i figured either black metal or dark wood for the frame

[Edited on January 23, 2006 at 3:26 PM. Reason : ^]

[Edited on January 23, 2006 at 3:28 PM. Reason : pic]

1/23/2006 3:26:12 PM

michaels is such a fucking rip-off. I laughed at those assholes when they told me how much they wanted to charge.

1/23/2006 4:22:20 PM

I've only ever had things done in Durham, but I know that AC Moore has a 50% off framing order coupon every single week in the newspaper/valu-saver mailing.

fyi. They still might be a rip off with that though.

1/23/2006 6:03:45 PM

century framing on hillsborough

1/23/2006 6:47:24 PM