Image size, matting and framing

Hey all,

I'm printing out some images for gifts and auctions and have once again run into the tyranny of image size, matting and framing.

Obviously you are all aware that captured images don't fit neatly into:
8 x 10
11 x 14
16 x 20
sizes as a matter of course. I'm shooting with a 5DmkII so, I think, I'm generally forced to trim 2.5 - 3.5 inches from a side to make them fit into these categories.

The problem is I frame as close to composition in the viewfinder and so don’t want to lose 2.5 – 3.5 inches from a side. This means I’m printing 11 x 17 images and matting to 14 x 20 (not really a frame size you come across too easily).

What do most of you do? Are you cropping to conventional image sizes or are you just matting up an 11 x 17 image to 16 x 20?

Thanks for the help.
Cheers,
Alex

You said that you are giving for gifts and auctions so I would recommend making sure that all the matted images are a standard size that way people can go to any framing store and dont end up paying out the arm for a non-standard size frame, just my 2 cents.

I order my frames and mats from the likes of American Frame and inch for inch, framing costs are the same regardless of the dimensions. I actually like the aspect ratio that you get from a full frame sensor for many compositions and hate to think about cropping important elements from the sides. For personal use and gifts framing isn't an issue, but through the year I manage to eek out a few print sales without mat or frame. I've actually had a few complaints about finding a commonly sized frames for these. In my humble opinion, if it's worth hanging on the wall, it's worth spending a little money for the frame. Hobby Lobby does a decent job of custom framing at a decent price and there are probably other places that do custom framing without paying an arm and leg.

This would be a good one for the Digital Imaging or General Discussion forums. I'm curious as well, since I have several images I want to frame. Good luck!

Alex;

Send me a message. I have been dealing with this problem for years. As a studio owner I can maybe give you some advice.... Chris

Hey Chris, post it. We all want to know

Chris, share some advice with the rest of us. =)

Alex, I ran into this very recently. I asked my relatives if they planned on framing it or not before I made the mats. Most chose to just hang up the mats, but if they wanted it framed, I could get really cheap frames for custom sizes from Frames Destinations, so I just offered to get them a frame for the cost difference. Some pictures just can't be cropped without loosing something, IMHO.

I sell the standard 16x20, 11x14 and 8x10 mats so people can easily buy frames. I can get a 10"x15" print into a 16x20 without any problem and so I don't have to crop the image at all. For the 11x14, that is a challenge and so I choose images that can be cropped to 8"x10" to fit in the mat. For the 8x10 mats I use 5"x7" prints which requires some but not much cropping. I can get most images to work in that size.

What I wish we could do is see the establishment of a new 2x3 ratio framing standard. Maybe that is something we could all push for as few of our cameras are using the old 4x5 ratio.

It's amazing how few frames there are for 2x3 format pictures, considering about 99% of the world is now taking them.

I've decided to keep the aspect ratios intact, and I frame for "standard" 2x3 format frames. While they're less common, if someone's buying a print at >$50, I don't feel they're going to be concerned about framing it for a couple of bucks. That said, Target now sells frames in 2x3 format, as does Aaron Brothers (or, lacking Aaron Brothers, their sister store Michael's Crafts...).

So I print 8x12" and mat to 14x18", or print 12x18" and mat to 18x24". (3" borders are pretty bold, but I like them; some people are matting 8x12" in 12x16" mats, but I haven't seen many frames in that size...) I don't sell my larger prints outside of a mount or frame, so I don't have to worry about that part much.

Thanks for the input guys. I think I'll be investing in a mat cutter this Christmas so that I can do the custom windows in standard sized mats (for the majority of images this will work fine).

@ Les - thanks for the tip abou Aaron bros. There's one nearby and I'll need to check out their selection.

The other thing that amazes me is that places like Mpix want you to either crop to the 4 x 5 ratio or extend you background to 4 x 5 for 2 x 3 sized images. I mean these guys are dealing almost exclusively with digital imaging. Why force people to crop or print-mat?

Anyways, thanks a lot guys. I'm much more at ease now.

If you are interested, I do have a mat cutter that I'd be happy to sell. I'd need to go and have a look at what model it is but it is a decent one. I just do too many to do it myself and so have RCF do it for me. Erik

I find that 8x12 images work fine in 16x20 mats and so do the equivalent ratios in smaller / larger mats -- this obviously is a personal preference - the 10x15 works OK but you must weight accordingly for a landscape --- often too much weighting turns away a potential customer for some unusual reason... go figure right?

What I told Alex is that you should just experiment with it until you get something that works - furthermore, use as much of the camera's sensor as possible to maximize resolution capability.

And even beyond this, I have saved lots of money because I have a wholesale account (all you need is a tax ID in Colorado) with ABC Moulding in Aurora. I buy all of my cotton / rag mat and foamcore + archival tapes and supplies from them at cost - something everyone who is in the business should consider. I have been doing business with them for 7 years now and I have been very pleased.

If you start cutting your own mats, consider cropping to an 8x11 aspect ratio. Yes you have to crop a bit off the width, but it turns out to be quite close to 5x7, 8x11, 11x15, and 16x22 print sizes which then mat to standard sizes 8x10, 11x14, 16x20, and 22x28 with uniform width matting on all 4 sides. Much easier to cut,- especially with production stops on your mat cutter. Oh, and if you want to go big, try 29x40 on canvas!

And let me second the recommendation for ABC mouldling. Much more cost effective. It's where most of the local frame shops get their supplies! And they'll deliver to your house if you live in town.

I think Aleksei and I have the same problem. I take precious few images at a 4x5 ratio, or even a 4x5.5 ratio. Most of my images I find are framed to fit the viewfinder; cropping to another format often ruins the lines or proportions of the image. IMHO, should be given to the space in which they properly "fit"; mine are apparently not often meant to fit the dimensions of a magazine cover.

Les,

I hear you about the magazine issue. Another subject I photograph are endangered fishes; using the full width of my viewfinder means that mags either crop my images or use someone else's. Lots to think about when you photograph for someone else's use vs. your own personal vision.