Framing sizes?

[Mr_S]

Hi all,

Having just got my new Epson r2880 up and running, I have to say I'm very impressed with the first A3+ print that came out. 

I have a question regarding frame sizes.  I'm planning on selling (hopefully) some of my prints and after going around in circles I could do with some outside input regarding frame sizes...


Inside Photoshop, I have a tempate that I've set up for an A3+ (13x19 inch) print that sits ontop of an A2 sized document (the picture frame).  I've allowed a 5mm border on each side of the print for matt purposes, so this leaves me with an even mount border of 2.38 inches on each side.  (I lose a little more of the left and right side of the print to get an even aperture).  See picture (the greyed region is the print under the matt - I've added a 3 cm picture frame width too to help visualise)



Uploaded with ImageShack.us

My main question is, am I wise in basing all my designs to fit inside an A2 frame or should I use a more common picture frame ratio?  From all my searching online, A2 seems fairly common these days?

Thanks as always..

[louoates]

I'd vote for sticking with popular frame sizes people can find real cheap at Michael's or some such discounter. 8x10  11x14  16x20 for the usual art shows. Since I never sell prints with mats, a trick I've learned is to print the image to 8x10 or 11x14 on 13x19 paper and add a fake photoshop mat around it to simulate how a mat would look. It makes the print look better and I don't have to buy mats. I put the paper and backing board into a resealable plastic envelope. I also say on the back that the print size will fit in a standard 00"x00" frame. This "package" sells well for me at minor art shows for $20 (larger shows or galleries for $39-$49) with a direct cost of less than $2.

[AndrewKulin]

I live in Canada, and when you mentioned A2 sizing as fairly common, I had to Google that because when I see pre-made frames for sale at art-supply shops, camera stores, dimensions are in inches and are along lines of 8x10, 11x14, 20x24 etc.  I cannot recall seeing any A-sized frames here on the shelf so to speak.  The top Google hits all seemed to be for UK based stores so I take from that A2 type frames are going to be common in Europe.

I don't see any problem sizing your work to fit into common (standard) sized frames and if A-sized frames are common in your locale then go for it.  One advantage to this approach would be ability to sell photographs with mat only and let buyer get their own frame that matches their decor.  Added advantage is this approach can also keep your costs down (frames, particularly if custom sized are expensive) and therefore your selling price down which can be difference between sale and no-sale.

[BobFisher]

If you can live with the cropping that will have to occur then using stock sizes makes some sense.  In addition to the upsides mentioned already, you can look for stock sized frames on sale and save some money buying that way.  If you plan on doing art shows in the future, you could use the stock sizes to hang at shows and offer custom framing options as an alternative or on your website.

[Mr_S]

Thanks for the replies everyone - all very useful advice!   

The reason I want to be sure is that I spend a fair amount of time getting a good composistion in my designs and having to re-order everything for different ratio's isn't something I want to get into really as some of the Photoshop files can get fiddly.

If I went with a 16x20 frame, I would be totally in the clear I guess but I'd lose a fair bit off the top and bottom of the print.
If I went with a 18x24 frame, the ratio is totally perfect on all sides and I wouldn't lose any of the print aside from the matt borders, but is 18x24 more`standard` than A2? 

[BobFisher]

18x24 is a stock frame size in North America.  Not sure about the UK/Europe.

[Mr_S]

18x24 is a stock frame size in North America.  Not sure about the UK/Europe.

Thanks - I've decided on this framing choice now, and have set up a template for future work.  Going to see how it looks in the flesh with a cheap frame from Ebay...