Framing
There are times when you want to frame collected works yourself — paintings, prints, photographs, and the like. You may want to frame something with the image you have in mind while keeping costs as low as possible.
I had a risograph work purchased at the recent exhibition “RISO IS IT,” so I tried framing it using a ready-made frame.
Purchasing a Ready-Made Frame
The reason I decided to buy ready-made was that I couldn’t quite warm up to the frame prepared by the exhibition. I also found the price of over 14,000 yen including shipping a bit off-putting.
Also, since it was a popular size at 30×30cm, there were plenty of ready-made options available, and they are widely distributed.
For the frame, I wanted a black wood frame with a sharply-colored mat, both in terms of the work and the balance with my collection at home.
So, after searching around, I purchased this frame via online mail order — bought on Amazon.
Mats
Once the frame is ready, the next step is choosing a mat for the frame.
Using a mat creates space between the frame’s acrylic surface and the work, protecting the piece. Also, by creating margins, the work gains a sense of expansiveness.
When sourcing your own mat, you can purchase from art supply shops that offer cutting services. You can also order online. Maruni Gakubuchi Gazai-ten is a dependable online shop that also offers a framing simulation function.
https://www.art-maruni.com/index.php
For reference, I ran a quote for this framing project — the estimated cost of purchasing a mat with specified dimensions is as follows (this varies depending on the mat material and size).
1,320 yen (mat) + 640 yen (shipping) = 1,960 yen (tax included)
Since I wanted to check color choices and balance with the work, I asked a nearby framing shop.
Custom Mats
After confirming in advance that they accept brought-in framing, I visited the framing shop. When bringing in a frame and arranging a mat, a bring-in fee generally applies. ※Handling differs by shop, so please confirm in advance.
At the shop, you try out various color samples of the ideal color image to make your selection.
After deliberation, I decided on a mat type called “HB-108ST Tetsu.”
Positioning the mat is also an important point. This time I decided to set it with a slight margin from the print surface. Consulting back and forth with the shop staff is one of the fun parts of the process.
Complete!
It was completed about one week after the order.
Cost
Here is a summary of the costs incurred this time.
Frame cost
Larson-Juhl Frame D771 Square 40cm: 5,035 yen (shipping and tax included)
Mat
1,680 yen (mat) + 420 yen (labor) = 2,100 yen (tax excluded): 2,310 yen (tax included)
Total cost
Including the frame cost, it comes to:
5,035 yen (frame) + 2,310 yen (mat) → 7,345 yen (tax included)
Summary
This has been a report on a case of purchasing a ready-made frame and then arranging the mat at a framing shop.
Of course, ordering everything at a framing shop with a ready-made frame in mind is also possible. I took this approach to keep the total cost low and to make framing shops feel a bit more approachable. There may also be cases where you can reuse old frames buried away at home.
How about framing to beautifully enrich a life with art?
