'Ooooh my fine art print is GORGEOUS! ...um... how do I frame it?'
That's a common reaction from my clients who laid eyes on their fine art prints for the first time.
Unlike regular lustre photographs, fine art prints are extremely high-quality giclee digital prints on museum-quality cotton rag paper. Every print is carefully checked and approved, then signed and dated (year) before it goes out to my clients.
The white border around edges allows the fine art print to be framed in a number of different ways to suit your taste and decor.
Option 1. Float Mount
One of my favourite framing method for artwork on paper is the 'Float Mount' method.
A float mount is when the print looks like it's hovering on top of your mat (and you can see the print edges) rather than peaking through a window.
It is SUPER important for the paper to not touch the glass, or your fine art print will be ruined by condensation.
Ask your framer to use a box frame and/or spacers to make sure there's enough separation between glass and art print.
Option 2. Matted with Bottom Weighted Reveal
If you don't want to see the edges of the paper, you can ask your framer to mat your print with a wider (weighted) bottom reveal to include the signature and date of the fine art print.
A 'reveal' is the amount of blank paper you can see through the mat window.
Your print is a hand-crafted original print. Showing off the signature gives it the 'status' of art-work, which it deserves.
Option 3. Matted with 2mm Reveal
If you don't want to see the signature, you can ask your framer to mat it with a 2mm reveal.
This means that the mat window will be large enough to show 2mm of the blank paper all the way around the image.
Having the reveal ensures that no part of the image is hidden behind the mat, it also looks more sophisticated and 'custom' than matting with no reveals.
Option 4. Matted with no Reveal
This last option is the most common. It is how most photographs are framed.
The mat window opening is usually smaller than the photograph so that it can keep the photograph flat behind the mat.
Photographs from consumer print labs are commonly printed right to the edge, which means 4-6mm all around the edge of the photograph is loss (hidden) behind the mat.
By providing you with a border around the print, it provides more edge for the mat to overlap, which means your framer can minimise the image loss area to 1-2mm instead of the normally required 4-6mm.
I hope this helps you decide on the framing style for your fine art print?
When you visit your framer, feel free to show him/her pictures from this post to explain exactly which option you prefer.
Happy framing!
(And I'd LOVE to see a picture on your finished frame! Feel free to txt / email me, or tag me on FB or Instagram when you show it off!)
xx
Jina