Print size advice

matt_matt_matthew

Grumbler in Training
Joined
Dec 17, 2020
Posts
3
Location
UK
Business
Artist
I'm an artist that produces limited edition prints and sell them mounted but not framed, the prints are 'full bleed' up to the edges of the mount and my signature is behind the mount (10 x 10" with 1" wide mount). For a new run of editions i'm thinking of having the image a little smaller than the mount opening so that i can sign the print below the image and it will show, i also just like the look of how this is done. I'm trying to find out what the most popular way to do this is and what is most commonly seen by framers. Would i print at 9.5 x 9.5" and have a 1/4 border around so that the opening is still 10 x 10" and is this still classed as a 10 x 10" print? or would i print the artwork at 10 x 10" and then try and find mounts for 10.5 x 10.5"? thanks in advance for any advice.
 
I'm going to go with the idea that by "mount" you mean the mat board, right?.... You euros and your weird words!! :shutup:

Sounds like you are using some sort of mass produced mat ( mount) which limits you to doing whatever you want.

Usually there would be a border of the paper around the image with the top and sides the same size and the bottom larger to accommodate the signature.

So.. print whatever size YOU want the image to be and then make the opening in the mat large enough to sign and then decide on the final size of the mat to go into a frame.

What size frame are you trying to have your piece fit into?
 
I'm going to go with the idea that by "mount" you mean the mat board, right?.... You euros and your weird words!! :shutup:

Sounds like you are using some sort of mass produced mat ( mount) which limits you to doing whatever you want.

Usually there would be a border of the paper around the image with the top and sides the same size and the bottom larger to accommodate the signature.

So.. print whatever size YOU want the image to be and then make the opening in the mat large enough to sign and then decide on the final size of the mat to go into a frame.

What size frame are you trying to have your piece fit into?
Thanks for the reply, yes by mount i mean mat, sometimes i confuse myself. i've always produced 10 x 10" prints that go with an 'off the shelf' 1" mat so with that included its 12 x 12. I rarely sell them framed they're just presented in a cellophane bag and i let the buyer decide what they want to do frame wise. It's actually just occurred to me that they may not even use the mat i include if it doesn't fit the frame they choose, so even if i started to sell with my signature showing they may prefer to cover it up and have the print full bleed anyway.
 
I frame a ton of LE prints and posters. Many of my customers DO NOT like to see the white border around the image because the artist doesn't sign in the image that she/he produced. I even have some customers that will not purchase the LE print if it is signed in the border and not in the image. With that said, I have never had a customer complain about the artist signing the image instead of the border but have had many customers complain when the artist signed the border and not the image. I guess it is totally your choice.

Any art I purchase, if it is signed in the border, I will cover the signature with the mat when I frame it so I don't have to see that white square donut that doesn't complement most art when framed. Just my $0.02...
 
I frame a ton of LE prints and posters. Many of my customers DO NOT like to see the white border around the image because the artist doesn't sign in the image that she/he produced. I even have some customers that will not purchase the LE print if it is signed in the border and not in the image. With that said, I have never had a customer complain about the artist signing the image instead of the border but have had many customers complain when the artist signed the border and not the image. I guess it is totally your choice.

Any art I purchase, if it is signed in the border, I will cover the signature with the mat when I frame it so I don't have to see that white square donut that doesn't complement most art when framed. Just my $0.02...
Yeah i guess it just comes down to preference, come to think of it it may not even be the visible signature i like but the white border giving a double mat look, i may try out just using a double mat to see if i prefer that.
 
Yeah. alot of the time, that white border clashes with the art. When an image has some "white" areas that aren't actually white, the really white border makes the white in the art look dingy as well as pull the eye away from the art and to the border as the highest point of white.

So, with that i mind try mats that aren't white around your images and see if that doesn't make it pop more.
 
Historically the pencil signature on a print is in the margin outside the plate line, with the sig and date on the right and the edition numbers on the left.
As the inkjet reproductions gained in popularity, that has changed a bit and the signature and numbers are not as important as they once were.
Then there's the aforementioned contrast between the printed area and the margins.

What you are providing is what I would call a show mat and is really not intended to be in the final framing, though it could be. At least you are not signing the mat, are you?

You might want to do a little market research and offer both options (9.5" X9.5" image with margins and sig, and the 10" X 10" with none) and let the demand direct your decision. Carry a pigmented marking pen with you if someone wants the second option with a signature.
 
Most of my customers opt to not see the signature and edition print, but mat up to the image. No ugly white border showing.
In fact, when giving the choice of mat, with bevel showing the white, or not, most don’t want to see even that white line.
It depends on the art.
You could sign the print, but also include a separate certificate which states this is edition x of xx
That certificate can be attached to the dust cover once it is framed.

I rarely sell a 1” mat, it looks skimpy.
 
I wonder if it's a regional thing?
Most of my clients that bring LE artwork signed in the margin want to see that "x of xx" numbering.
So we usually increase the mat opening to allow for "white space" revealing the signature and numbering along with appropriate space on the other 3 sides.
This can be a problem when an artist has signed a significant distance below the artpiece (but not on the artwork area), and the customer still wants to see it.
This creates an unpleasant amount of "white space", in my opinion, but sometimes in unavoidable.

As stated by others, it doesn't always compliment the art to have that "bare paper" space around all sides but can be made pleasing with carefully considered mat colour and design choices.
I always show the customer how it would look with or without whitespace and do whatever they prefer.

Whatever your decision, I would like to give you kudos for being an artist who is trying to inform themselves about how best to present their work to sell with framing consideration in mind.
One of my biggest peeves as a framer is a poorly planned artprint.
It just makes things more difficult for the framer and therefore more costly for the artist's customer, to have a poorly planned print framed.

I'm trying to say you are doing a good thing! 👍
 
I agree with Ylva and Larry. A 1" white matt looks cheap and tacky and for a 10" print I would regard 2.5" as a minimum and preferably go to 3". Also, please do not stick the print to the backing then stick the matt to the margin. This type of sandwich is almost impossible to separate safely if the customer wants a different sized frame or a different matt.

If you have display space it may be worthwhile displaying a few of your images professionally framed to give the customers an idea of what they can do with them. You may also be able to do a deal with a local framer to arrange framing and get a kickback from him.
 
I have done a lot of LE prints in my time and many not only have sigs but a whole clutter
of captions and counter sigs. It can make things very challenging for the framer from a design
point of view. I heartily condone the US convention of signing/numbering the image and matting
around the image area. Depending on the nature of the print this isn't always desirable however.....
I have sometimes actually matted over sigs in the interests of visual appeal, after all the signature is
still there. You don't really gain much benefit from reading it.
One thing I hate: Signed mats. 🤨

If you sell your work in a skinny mat which is basically temporary, that's fine. It will serve the purpose of
protecting the print. But still hinge the mat/backer and hinge the print in the time-honored way.
Please don't slap double-stick tape all over so the framer has to use the skills of a Surgeon to extract the print intact. 😆
 
A 1" white matt looks cheap and tacky and for a 10" print I would regard 2.5" as a minimum and preferably go to 3".

If you have display space it may be worthwhile displaying a few of your images professionally framed to give the customers an idea of what they can do with them.
Take this on board - it's from a pro. Mat board is cheap enough. A wider mount will shift more of your prints.
Please try both - and tell us the feedback
And well done for asking on here. Nice to see an artist seeking advice from framers. Wish more would do the same.
Some framers I've seen on my travels actually go to Art Clubs and give a presentation entitled
" How to enhance the look of your artwork "
I particular like their closing sentence

"IF ITS WRONG, YOU WILL SEE THE FRAME FISRT. WHEN ITS RIGHT YOU WILL SEE THE ART FIRST, AND THE FRAME JUST COMPLETES IT!
 
Last edited:
Artists sometimes go for 'exhibition' frames and mats, that is minimal style purely for display purposes.
Putting 'proper' frames around say 50 paintings/prints is a major expense. So simple mats/frames are the thing
to do. Plus, dragging loads of frames around exhibitions - in and out of cars, banging them on doorposts, etc is
very soon going to cause expensive frames to look scruffy. Simple frames are essentially sacrificial but can be re-used.
Also people have different tastes so they buy the print in a simple frame and then get it re-framed to their own tastes.

So..... I would suggest that you carry on using skinny mats to keep the costs down. You can always have one properly framed
bells'n'whistles example to show people. 😉
 
So..... I would suggest that you carry on using skinny mats to keep the costs down.
We need a "DISLIKE " or rather "DISAGREE" icon. :D Encouraging the OP to persist with skinny mats is not what I would recommend, if you want to sell your art
What would other Grumblers suggest ?.:help:
 
Looking at the original post, they are in general not framed, it appears.
So there is no reason for the 1” mat border.

I agree on having one framed professionally, just to show what it can look like. Then mat the others, without frame, but the 3” border.
You can even have several different sizes, to try out what customers actually go for.
 
I think that Peter really hit the nail on the head. Take one of the pieces to a framer and have them design a knockout sample for you. Pay the money, it's worth it. Use that as a display with your work, and show people what can be done. You may even be able to cut a deal with the framer to fulfill orders for the same design and provide that service to your customers, and make a few quid on the side.

I also agree with Keith that a 1" mat has seen its day in the frame design world, and that was at some point in 1978. I know you get less yield from a single sheet of matting, but increasing your borders to a 16" square would give the pieces better presence in a display, and still configure to the clear display bags.
 
How offensive or not white margin around the printed image depends on the color and texture of the paper and the art itself. To just dismiss white margin out of habit if possible constrains design options that may really pop. At design I show no white up to 1/2 inch in increments. Often the client will pick 1/4, 3/8 or 1/2 because it looks better to them. I trend towards trying out darker mats and with a white border it adds a layer of depth in perception.
 
Wow, many of you live in a different world than I do. I have been associated with wildlife and sporting art ( from a publishing - taking original work and publishing LE's , collecting and framing perspective) for more than forty years. These days all I do is create shadow boxes centering upon fishing - particularly Atlantic salmon - motifs (including milling the frame material, tying the flies, mounting the flies, etc.) In my world, folks would be aghast at the mere mention of covering up a signature, edition number, etc. in the white margin of an LE. Even artists like Thomas Aquinas Daly have given me framed LE's of their work (he doesn't do many LE's, but that's another story) where they signed in the margin, and framed the piece so the signature shows. I just took a walk around our home; there are 36 wildlife and sporting art LE's on our walls; to a one, they are signed and numbered in the margin and framed so that the signature and numbering show. I have a number of A. Lassell Ripley etchings; I can't even imagine covering up his signature.
We fly tyers have a saying: Your hook, your rules. I guess the same can be said about how a limited edition print can be framed. Your print, your rules.
Gary
BTW, I did a little showcase of my past work on my blog. Might be helpful to those that get the occasional request to frame fishing flies:
Shadow Boxes https://theriverscourse.blogspot.com/2020/09/shadow-boxes.html
 
I just reframed a Bev Doolittle print.. (a "limited edition" of only 30,000.) :nuts: :shutup::shutup:
The customer did not want to see the border with the signature... and neither did I. It looks waaay better without all of that white around it!

She said that as soon as she saw it.

I think all that white border/ signature nonsense is so much puffery of their reputation from another era. I get alot more people in who just don't care to see the signature or the white space. They know who did it, they bought it for they love of the art not how swirly the artists can sign.

Addicted collectors will, of course, insist on seeing the signature, if only to impress their friends.
 
If it is a true collectible, I see the merit of showing edition and signature.
I always take a photo of it and print it out to go on the back. I make a note that says that this is covered by the mat, it is still there. I sign and date that

When given the choice, most people opt to not see the signature and edition. They feel sometimes that they have to, because that is what you do.
Until you give them “permission” that they should do what they like, there is no right or wrong and it can always be reversed.
 
Hi Gary, welcome to the G.
While I generally agree with you from a historical context, I think it applies primarily to fine art prints, like the etchings you mentioned, where the paper is an integral part of the art and not just a carrier for the inks.
The advent of the Giclée has changed a lot of norms in the print and framing market. I think your comment about it being an individual decision covers it quite well.
 
"Addicted collectors will, of course, insist on seeing the signature, if only to impress their friends."
That's the kind of generalized, elitist statement that I have fought against my entire adult life. I'll never understand that attitude. But you're a picture framing god, and I'm not, so you must be right.
I'll retire to my rather specialized little corner of the framing world. You guys don't need any more different perspectives.
Gary
 
"Addicted collectors will, of course, insist on seeing the signature, if only to impress their friends."
That's the kind of generalized, elitist statement that I have fought against my entire adult life. I'll never understand that attitude. But you're a picture framing god, and I'm not, so you must be right.
I'll retire to my rather specialized little corner of the framing world. You guys don't need any more different perspectives.
Gary

Gary, I do hope you will stay as I, and many others like to learn and see different perspectives. Maybe we can show you different perspectives as well. This forum is about conversation and learning from each other. The variety of members is what makes thing fun.

The picture framing god status means nothing, it is about the amount posts, not a credential. If only! Some of us have been on here for longer than I can remember.

I will always let my customers choose, but I wouldn’t be doing my job if I don’t at least show options.

The limited edition movement has been overdone, with sometimes editions in the 1000’s

However, a true limited edition is completely different.

Framers advise on framing. Collectors have a different take maybe, but in the end, it comes down to what the customer wants.
 
Gotta love these guys that come in for a New York minute and tell us all what we are full of. Thankfully most of them have a very short shelf life here. We are a community that benefits from our collective experiences. I'm glad to know that we are a bunch of elitist know-alls that you have been railing against your entire adult life. I would suggest finding your windmills elsewhere if your attitude like that continues here. This 'god' has spoken.
 
I just reframed a Bev Doolittle print.. (a "limited edition" of only 30,000.) :nuts: :shutup::shutup:
The customer did not want to see the border with the signature... and neither did I. It looks waaay better without all of that white around it!

She said that as soon as she saw it.

I think all that white border/ signature nonsense is so much puffery of their reputation from another era. I get alot more people in who just don't care to see the signature or the white space. They know who did it, they bought it for they love of the art not how swirly the artists can sign.

Addicted collectors will, of course, insist on seeing the signature, if only to impress their friends.
Ralph, dear, you need some sleep. Or a drink. Or January. That wasn’t very nice now was it!!!!!

Almost there, a few more days and we will have survived another Christmas season.

Now go get that drink
 
Gotta love these guys that come in for a New York minute and tell us all what we are full of. Thankfully most of them have a very short shelf life here. We are a community that benefits from our collective experiences. I'm glad to know that we are a bunch of elitist know-alls that you have been railing against your entire adult life. I would suggest finding your windmills elsewhere if your attitude like that continues here. This 'god' has spoken.

Larry, see it from someone’s point who is new to the forum and read the comments.
First rule: be nice
 
"Addicted collectors will, of course, insist on seeing the signature, if only to impress their friends."
That's the kind of generalized, elitist statement that I have fought against my entire adult life. I'll never understand that attitude. But you're a picture framing god, and I'm not, so you must be right.
I'll retire to my rather specialized little corner of the framing world. You guys don't need any more different perspectives.
Gary
Geeeze Gary, Lighten up. :shutup: It not directed at you personally.

Problem is that my statement does have truth in it. There ARE people out there who do things dependent on how they perceive other people will think of them
It isn't a generalized, elitist statement.
You are more than welcome to come on here and comment about whatever and whenever you'd like.

As a God, I command you to stay!!!:beer:
 
Ylva, was it my mocking Bev for printing enormous "limited" editions?

As for lack of sleep, a drink, and January Yes for all, please!!
 
I enjoy hearing how other Grumblers, veterans or newbies, frame in their part of the country. Gary's wildlife & sporting art at one time was very popular here too but now I have not framed a wildlife print in 6 months. I'm really glad that some wildlife art is still popular in parts of the country, personally I really like wildlife art and after looking at Gary's blog it really apparent he is really good at his job. Gary, stick around, you can give us another perspective that can be useful in our framing.

As far as the white image borders with signatures, it is really interesting how just a couple states away it is totally opposite of what we do here. Personally, I don't want the white border myself and the majority of my customers don't want the white borders but there are a few that definitely want to see that signature even if it is in the image or the border. Like Ylva says, it is the customer's choice and I will do exactly what the customer wants, they are the boss and are paying for the framing.
 
Larry, we have to be careful.. Ylva is a SUPREME FRAMING GOD!!!
We might end up being banished from Mount Olympus to live a lowly life as mere mortal framers.:faintthud:
 
I never cared for those framing titles, which change based on the number of posts you have made. I think maybe we should have some kind of discussion in the future to reconsider changing, or even eliminating them.

1608508921537.png


"Framers Helping Framers in a friendly, judgement free exchange"

This is what the grumble is all about, and it's important that it is welcoming to everyone. There are no stupid questions, and nothing good will come from aggressiveness. I'd hope that we can all strive to keep it friendly and welcoming...

I also hope that Gary will stick around as part of our community!

Mike
 
Yes Gary, please stick around.
Your frame designs are marvelous!
My favourite sample in your gallery is #61.
What a great photo. And the addition of the flies takes that from a simple framed photo to a very special artistic display with much more impact.
Thanks for sharing.
Your images give me inspiration to improve my own designs!
 
I want to thank you all for your kind replies, and apologize if I was, at the very least, rather brusque with one of my comments. All I do is make shadow boxes that relate to fly fishing, and most of the time, to fishing for Atlantic Salmon in the Maritime provinces. By way of introduction to myself, which I should have done much earlier, I'm one of those folks with an alphabet soup of degrees after their name (which I never do, except if writing a recommendation for someone). All of my degrees are in the area of wildlife ecology. For a number of years, I was the executive director of the American Museum of Fly Fishing, an institution accredited by the Amer. Assoc. of Museums. I'm 70. Mostly I fish or tie flies for Atlantic Salmon. I'm on the U.S. and Canadian boards of the Miramichi Salmon Association, and also on the board of the Atlantic Salmon Museum in Doaktown, NB. We have a place on the Miramichi.

As I mentioned, all I do is make shadow boxes (if I'm not tying flies or wood working. Most of them i donate to various salmon conservation groups to raise funds. I love to work with wood so it is easy for me to make my own frames. My favorite frames have come from black cherry trees I cut down in our own backyard. I think it is safe to say that my work is pretty blue collar, which is fine with me, especially frame-wise. Most folks seem to think it works pretty well with the art and flies of salmon fishing.

I have fairly deep experience in the museum world and can run a table saw and chop saw fairly well. I enjoy bending feathers around a hook, too. I like to think I inherited my mother's artistic eye.
Thanks,
Gary
 
It is nice to have you here Gary - we can use someone with your experience and I hope that we can also contribute to your needs. Don't hesitate asking a question if you have one and please don't hold back with comments about how you create your shadow boxes - I must say those shadow boxes are impressive. Thank you for coming back, there are a lot of good people here and it is nice to add another to that list.
 
YES!!!! Glad you came back!!! :beer: :beer: :thumbsup:
 
Gary, I was looking at your gallery again.
I see in the close-up photos that the flies are attached to what looks like an acrylic rod with a hole drilled through for the hook to enter.
Do you add a dab of adhesive to keep the hooks from falling out? If so what kind?
I've never done rod mounts.
What is your technique? How do the rods stay firmly attached in the back?
I do mostly very basic shadowboxes. I admire your work and would like to emulate it.
 
I do put a small touch of Gorilla super glue on the hook point before I insert it in the 1/16" hole in the 1/8" acrylic rod. I support the fly for awhile in the position I want it with a piece of folded paper until good and dry. I've tried other super glues, and this is the best I've found. In the past couple weeks I've sent frames with flies done this way to Fredricton, NB, Edmonton, Alberta, Denver, CO and San Francisco, CA; not a single problem. BTW, its the only superglue I've found that can handle dishwasher temperatures. Don't ask me how I know.

I drill the acrylic rods in my drill press. I have a jig that holds the 1/8" rod snugly, and I clamp the jig to the drill press table. It's wicked important to get it centered under the drill, and have a drill press that has no wobble (run-out, the pros call it) or you will waste a LOT of acrylic rod. I'll find the pics I have of the process somewhere around her. This method of fly mounting really only works well for larger flies, like the Atlantic salmon flies I tie. I have other methods for other types of flies, which I can delineate one of these days.

The rods are not permanently afixed in the shadowboxes I've. The top fixture has a circular hole; the rod is sent up through it and the butt rests on the lower fixture (which also has a recess that snugs up on the cork a bit. I've made them with either a hinged front door or a removable back.

The weirdest thing like this I've done (sadly, no pics) was a shadow box for a hand-made long bow with 3 hand-made arrows. That took some figuring.
 
A thought on mat widths.......

The convention is to have a wide mat and a narrow(er) frame. But this is pitched toward traditional watercolours
and not everything we frame is such. It's all about proportion. On run-of-the-mill photos, particularly stand-up ones,
I have often gone for a skinny mat and a wider frame. In this way the mat actually becomes part of the frame visually,
like a liner on an oil painting. I think it's important not to get too hidebound by "That's how it should be done" thinking.
If it looks right, it is right. 😎

One thing to definitely avoid is having the mat the same width as the frame. But having said that, it depends on the nature
of the frame/mat. A frame that is broken up visually by reeds and grooves and ornaments can have a equal width mat. I have
one on my personal wall. 🙂
 
To hop onto the debate:

Skinny mats: mats that small are usually only done by customers that are working with very limited space, or that try putting it on until they see how nice it looks with a wider mat width. There are exceptions of course, where they just really like the thinnest possible mat for some weird reason.

Limited edition: I get both types of customers. Most prefer seeing the signature, but most would have preferred it if the signature was on the image rather than forcing white to be shown around it. A good chunk of customers that have wildlife prints want the sig/number showing, and some even want the mat notched to show the title, which I personally think looks hideous, but I don't like showing the white at all in any case because it usually is a harsh white compared to any other whites in the actual image. In any case, the customer gets what they want without me griping at them about it.
 
For years I had a lady who donated to a charity that gave Limited ed. Robert Bateman prints as thank you gifts.
I probably framed over a dozen for her over the years.
EVERY one of them was done with Clark Gold metal poster frame, 3" double matt, 1/2" white space with a notch for the title.
Not my personal choice, but to her they were perfect. I'm sure her Bateman collection looked very nice with them all identically done.
She was a sweet lady. Passed away several years ago. I often wonder what her kids did with all those Bateman prints.
 
I participated in the art circuit for 8 years in northern California. Here is what worked for me:
1) Where possible, mat right up to the image, ie, no white border
2) If you have to use a white mat, consider using a second inner mat to draw a desire color from the image
3) Skinny mats dont sell. 2-3 inches works well.
4) Mat the artwork to a standard size such as: 11x14, 16x20. For example, image size 12x16 matted to 16x20 is popular
5) Carry 2-3 frames which you can put over the matted print to show the effect
6) Attach a COA on back with your name, edition, info about the arwork, contact info
7) Digitize your signature and print it somewhere near the bottom of the image in a way that does not detract from the artwork.
8) Where possible, tone down the mat, so your eye does not have to fight to see the image.

Ernesto
 
We need a "DISLIKE " or rather "DISAGREE" icon. :D Encouraging the OP to persist with skinny mats is not what I would recommend, if you want to sell your art
What would other Grumblers suggest ?.:help:

I think you misunderstood my intention Keith.......

The skinny mats only serve to package the print for display. They can be handled and generally moved about
without touching the art. OK, you can put them in 'proper' mats but if you have 100s to transport around exhibitions
the sheer bulk will be considerable. And chances are a few will be damaged and rendered unsaleable.
I have had more than a few pre-matted prints/paintings in for framing with dinged corners/marks that have to be
replaced. Some quite complex (and expensive) ones. So matting in 'sacrificial' mats does make sense from a purely
practical point of view. 🙂
 
I think you misunderstood my intention Keith.......

The skinny mats only serve to package the print for display. They can be handled and generally moved about
without touching the art. OK, you can put them in 'proper' mats but if you have 100s to transport around exhibitions
the sheer bulk will be considerable. And chances are a few will be damaged and rendered unsaleable.
I have had more than a few pre-matted prints/paintings in for framing with dinged corners/marks that have to be
replaced. Some quite complex (and expensive) ones. So matting in 'sacrificial' mats does make sense from a purely
practical point of view. 🙂
This is similar to what I did when I sold my photography at markets and craft fairs.
I had "sacrificial" samples on display, some matted, some not. These samples get handled so much that they usually get minor "dings" and other damages.
When a customer bought an item, I gave them a carefully stored and packaged version, and I put the sample back on display.
 
Back
Top