Synopis of FACTS Guidelines

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nona powers

nona powers

MGF, Master Grumble Framer
Joined
Jun 15, 1999
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san diego
I had written this synopsis of FACTS several years ago to be able to teach it in a Nielsen and Bainbridge learning Center at one of the big trade shows. Reading the FACTS guidelines can be a bit daunting, so I tried to put them in a form that is readable and usable without changing any of the basic information. Don Pierce read it over and said it was fine. I'll include it here for those who have tried to read the actual guidelines and have not quite made it. As a payback, I would like to get your check for $30 please so the work of FACTS can continue.

Nona Powers, CPF, GCF
P. O. Box 600025
San Diego, CA 92160-0025

Synopsis of FACT Guidelines

Paragraph 1.02: It is recognized that everything does not require preservation framing. If the frameable has no future MONETARY, HISTORIC, COLLECTOR or SENTIMENTAL value.

Paragraph 1.03: The FACT guidelines are for when the art work or the client indicates that there is, or may be future MONETARY, HISTORIC, COLLECTOR or SENTIMENTAL value. The guidelines provide the maximum protection for art on paper (1.06: original or reproductions) intended for display. (1.04: not photography)

Paragraph 3.01: Materials shall not be used, nor any procedure performed, unless the results of such actions can be anticipated as non-invasive to the artwork. (No trimming)

Paragraph 3.02: All procedures performed with any materials that include attachment to the artwork shall be reversible without damage to either the artwork or its support. (No mounting or gluing down) 5.04 All adhesives shall be non invasive without damage to the artwork or it's support. 8.01 All attachments shall be removable without damage to the artwork or its support. (Hinging method must be easily removable with clear water, leaving no residue behind)

Paragraph 5.0: All decorative embellishments shall be of materials considered non invasive to the artwork. 5.02: non-bleed and non-migrating

Paragraph 3.03 Artwork shall be completely separated and isolated from any potentially damaging materials by an impermeable barrier such as glass or metal. 10.02: All artwork shall be at minimum one inch away from all wood surfaces including wood frames, fillets and liners. 10.03: unless the wood has an impermeable barrier.

Paragraph 9.01: Glazing should provide a minimum of 97% blockage of ultraviolet light in the range of 300 to 380 nanometers. 10.01: artwork should be separated from the glazing by window mats or spacers. Minimum is one 4 ply matboard.

Paragraph 11.01: The back of the frame shall be sealed with a non-invasive material to reduce the invasion of pests and normal dust contamination. 11.02: frame shall be sized to allow for normal expansion and contraction of the art, (11.03) sufficient size and/or strength to securely hold the art, (11.04) hanging method and materials should be adequate (12.01) and designed to place minimum stress on the frame (12.03) equipped with a method of spacing out from the wall a minimum of 0.100 inch (bumpers on frames lower corners)

Paragraph 14.04: To maintain condition, all artwork should have a regular professional inspection
 
That's a good synopsis, Nona.

I'd add one more comment -- that the concept is equally adaptable to jobs calling for less-than-maximum preservation features, as well.

Using the FACTS concept for communication at the design table is the best part of FACTS, I believe. We discuss framing features in the context of protective value, and explain how each feature meets (or not) the FRM2000 Maximum Preservation Framing Guideline. Customers then make *informed* decisions about which features they want to buy for each project.
 
Well, it's probably just me, but I've had a "EUREKA" moment! When one goes to the FACTS web site, it can be quite intimidating. When you click on "Standards" there are 12 different areas with topics such as "Determining Frame Allowance", "Hanging Artwork by Cord or Wire", "A System for identifying and locating any area within any given parameters", and (as I've found out, the one we're most interested in) "PMMB-2000 Permanence in Paper, Mat and Mounting Boards".

A couple of days ago I downloaded and printed all these topics. As "life" would have it, the PMMB-2000 is the next to last one on the list. As I've been reading them (in order of course, right-brain in control now!) I've learned a lot of things. The most obvious one being "a lot of this stuff is things we take for granted." The 1/8" frame allowance, figuring how to place hangers due to weight, and standard terminology used in framing, etc. My first thought was, "This is a good way to keep everyone "on the same page" in framing. For instance, when you're ordering a chop or writing a ticket for a shadowbox type of moulding, how do you specify which rabbet size you want? I always called it "inner and outer" rabbets. But the correct (standardized) term is "rabbet and back rabbet". If everyone is "on the same page" there are fewer questions. The analogy to me was, "It's like McDonalds and Big Macs. Every where you go in the world, if you say 'Big Mac' you are automaticaly saying 'two all beef patties, special sauce, lettuce, cheese... etc'. It's Standardized." And that's a good thing.

Now, tonight I will be studying the PMMB-2000 guide. It, (I think) will be covering this same type of terminology dealing with papers, mats and mounting boards.

We've mostly all agreed on these other terminologies, and use them daily without thinking much about it. How wonderful will be the day when we can say anything about papers or tapes or whatever, and everyone will know what it means.

I'll add more when I finish studying tonight.

Betty
 
Okay this is becoming a bit confusing...

Bottom line if there is an accepted printed standard for framing... Then it must be used for framing of anything and everything..

The last person who should be deciding if the item is valueable, is the employee at the frame shop counter...

To a framer using the FACTS standards or even being a CPF everything you frame is valued as not replacable...

If customer "A" comes in with a 1895 photo of great Grand Ma.. You would treat it like gold...If her sister comes in with a picture of her new born son.. Why would you treat it any different..

If you are going to use the standards use them every time...

So why wouldn't any reference in the FACTS statemnet reflect this...
 
Paul, not everything is an ireplaceble familly heirloom. The sisters photo of her son could be one of many, backed up by her posession of the negative. She may not be interested in the extra expense of archival framing.

I had a customer about ten years ago have me frame a very large lithograph that she had paid over $5000.00 for. We, natuarly, used archival framing on the project. The woman called up about a month later and said she could notice a slight waving of the piece in the frame. I explained to her that this is to be expected and why. She non the less, brought the framed piece back and demanded that we dry mount it. I had her sign a waver and did just that.

Not everything we frame will be framed to FACTs standards, and that IS noted in FACTs.

I admit that there are some shops that consider themselves the "Framing Police" and that's fine, let them be that. Those shops are the other end of the spectrum from a "Big Box". They only help the rest of us by driving customers to our shops because of their attitude.

Some people just want to frame their pictures, they do not want to turn it into a huge project that would satisfy conservators in any museum.

There has to be a middle ground where a person can go to a frame shop, get the correct advise on the proper way of framing their pictures, then be allowed to make their own decisions, without pressure to do otherwise.

John
 
Exactly, John!

One of the goals of FACTS is to standardize terminolgy with respect to materials and procedures so we're not arbitrarily and interchangeably using terms like "conservation," "museum," "archival," and "acid-free." In the end, FACTS is a teaching tool - teaching framers, vendors and customers to speak the same language so we can truly communicate.

A customer who wants maximum protection should know exactly what to expect. Some framers will choose to apply the FACTS standards for the maximum preservation of artwork to every project they get. Most of us won't. The decision will be made by an INFORMED customer. Deviations from the standards will be discussed and noted by an INFORMED framer. Life will be a little less confusing, at least for the 5-10% of the framers that understand and use the system. The rest will continue on in ignorant bliss and that is perfectly okay with me. I'm not an evangelist, after all, though I suppose I'm starting to sound like one.
 
Originally posted by JRB:
... not everything is an ireplaceble familly heirloom. The sisters photo of her son could be one of many...
Not everything we frame will be framed to FACTs standards, and that IS noted in FACTs.

John
Click to expand...
 
It is noted in FACTS but specifically what is or is not the 'exception' is not defined. The sisters photo of her son may NOT be one of many. As the perceived expert in our field, aren't we to be held responsible for that decision? I just don't feel we should be quick to assume anything.
In 1991 we lost our house to fire. EVERY picture we had was destroyed. A very short time later my mother died. Thank goodness, my sister had a picture taken Dec 1990. It is the only photo of my mom. How important do you think it is to us?
 
If FACTS is a teaching tool, as I also agree it is... Then it is the responsability of the PPFA...

They are the ones that should handle all of our training... Lets keep the cost down and keep all the related functions under one roof...

I would agree that a seperate group that does nothing but test the products and the procedures would be a wise choice..

However this group would need to be independent of the industry with nothing to lose if it becomes necessary to notify us that something is "out of spec"
 
That's one of the reasons FACTS is such a good document. Don managed to walk the tight rope well enough to get a good document for framers. It was not easy, but he did it.

The PPFA supports FACTS totally, but is still considering how best to show that support and how to be involved. I'm very pro PPFA, everyone who knows me knows that and I very much want FACTS to be part of the PPFA cerification and recertification program and will work very hard, if FACTS survives, to see that happen. For now, FACTS wants to be independant and there are many reasons why it should be which have been mentioned in many posts. Education can be presented at every educational venue direct from FACTS. National and regional PPFA events, at PFM shows, maybe at Larson Juhl education events and at private schools.

Send me a check for $30 made out to FACTS so FACTS can serve as a tool for framers.

Nona Powers
P. O. Box 600025
San Diego, CA 92160-0025

Nona Powers, CPF, GCF
www.nonapowers.com
 
What FACTS wants at this point is not all that important to me... They had all the balls and all the bats and didn't win the game...

Now it is up to others to go in and pick up the peices...

why in the world would you spend money to paint the hull of a sunken boat....

Lets push the PPFA hard to take this under there wing.... It is in all of our best interest that they do...

This is a hard stand but these are hard times... I have no faith in what the present FACTS group can do on there own based on what they have done in the past few years...

I'd hate to see your efforts be wasted over time... even worse would be the loss of faith and money if it does fail again.... It needs to be taken over by the PPFA..

What do we need to do to get them involved in this....
 
Originally posted by nona powers:
....For now, FACTS wants to be independant and there are many reasons why it should be which have been mentioned in many posts...
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Nona,

I haven't heard a really good reason yet, why it needs to be independent of PPFA. I believe that it can establish itself with a legal independence within the support umbrella of PPFA. I believe that a parent organization assures it of a future.

Your passion is admirable, but passion without a plan has no future.

John
 
What do we need to do to get them involved in this....
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I can't speak for the PPFA. But if I were responsible for a trade organization, I would not spend the organization's money to implement a program that would not be supported by the members or nonmembers.

How do we (as members of the Picture Framing Industry) show that we support FACTS?

HELP SOLICITE 1000 FRAMERS TO SEND CHECKS FOR $30 to:

Nona Powers, CPF, GCF
P. O. Box 600025
San Diego, CA 92160-0025

PPFA members who have read the Hitchhiker on Saturday July 20 know the PPFA/PMA's current position. I haven't asked for permission to reprint it here.
 
Originally posted by Paul M:
What FACTS wants at this point is not all that important to me... They had all the balls and all the bats and didn't win the game...I have no faith in what the present FACTS group can do on there own based on what they have done in the past few years...
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Paul:

All what balls? All what bats? FACTS has never been in the game!

FACTS has never had balls or bats, or anything more than a handful of volunteer experts who wanted to contribute to the development of framing standards. And they have done it very well.

If you knew FACTS history, you would know that its achievements have been extraordinary, and that the FACTS concept has long term merit for all framers who choose to use it.

FACTS's only failures have been in marketing and fundraising, as everyone involved freely admits. The Chicago meeting was encouraging because it was attended by some of the best sources of marketing and fundraising in the industry.

Informed skepticism is a healthy thing, and so is reasoned debate. But your rejection of FACTS seems to be based on mistaken assumptions. The information is here on The Grumble. Have you been skipping over posts on this topic?
 
I apologize to those of you on HH - this will be a duplication. Incredibly, there are Hitchhikers who never read The Grumble and vice-versa.

The PPFA has adopted a "wait-and-see" attitude toward FACTS. This isn't a criticism. Have we forgotten that less than a year ago, the PPFA was itself struggling for survival? I am confident in the future of the new PPFA, but that future is by no means assured. Lets see how the renewals come in when all those $25 trial memberships run out.

Some major vendors have been financially supportive of FACTS throughout its history, but others will "wait-and-see." What do you suppose everyone's waiting for? They, and the PPFA, are waiting to see if we - the framers in the trenches who stand to gain the most from FACTS - actually care about FACTS. Nona is confident that enough of us do. Boy, do I admire her optimism! If enough framers adopt the "wait-and-see" attitude, the 8-year-old FACTS organization will disappear about the time the new PPFA/PMA celebrates its first anniversary.

Many Grumblers are NOT PPFA members. Do YOU want FACTS to exist as an independent entity? Some would say that if you don't care enough to join our only trade association, you won't care about FACTS. Is that true? (I don't believe it, myself, BTW.)
 
I'm not a member of PPFA, yet I mailed a check to Nona yesterday. I also have a wait and see attitude, however, thirty dollars won't break my bank and it just might help to improve our industry. I'll wait and see.

John
 
Originally posted by JRB:
I'm not a member of PPFA, yet I mailed a check to Nona yesterday. I also have a wait and see attitude, however, thirty dollars won't break my bank and it just might help to improve our industry. I'll wait and see.

John
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Ah, an "honest skeptic"!

There are "skeptics" - don't know, don't care, aren't willing to find out and only want to stir the pot...

And there are "honest skeptics" - don't know, but care and are willing to do whatever it takes to find out, even if it means stirring the pot!"

FACTS has already done a lot for us that many may not be aware of. To illustrate (trust me, this will link up!) I am not a feminist by any stretch of the imagination, but I stand on the shoulders of many feminists every time I go to vote. Whether I agreed with their politics or not, I've benefited.

As I have been studying all the FACTS guidelines, not just the PMMB2000, I've found other things in our industry that FACTS has worked to make the "norm", like 1/8" allowance on frame moulding. If I remember correctly, in the early 70's, whatever the order called for, or whatever chop was ordered, was what was received - no allowance for anything. They've gone to bat for "standardization" within the industry so that we're all on the same page.

We're all independant business people, but that doesn't mean that we have to each "invent the wheel" every day. Let's stand on the shoulders of those who've gone before us and keep it there for those who come after us. Whether we agree with the "politics" or not.

Betty
 
Bless you, John Baker! Your kind of "wait-and-see" I can live with!

You come across a vehicle with a dead battery and you offer a push-start (no automatic transmissions in my analogies.) You don't say, "The AAA really should be doing this." You don't even have to know where the vehicle is going. But you give it a push and then see if it'll start before you jump aboard for the ride.
 
Betty, I used to order chops back in the early sixties from our plant in Los Angeles. ( this was Aaron Brothers before Big Box days) The order taker always asked "Standard allowance?" standard allowance meant 1/8" allowance. That has been around for many more years before I came along.

Facts is just reafirming some of the things we have always taken for granted. I don't believe they are attempting to come up with anything new or original, just compiling what seems to be an acceptable norm for the way we all should be doing things. I guess they are also assigning a common nomanclatures for proceedures with conflicting names.

John
 
Thank you John. I did not know for sure about the allowance. I do wonder if that allowance was industry wide, because as I remember, we got exactally what we ordered. But that has been 30 years, and as the saying goes, "I've slept since then!"

At any rate, I think these standardized guidelines are important. Did you know that one of the guides, GEN1997, has a way to find a certain location on any given surface? Say you and I are looking at a copy of the same print, you on the west coast, me in the south, and we need to discuss a certain "spot" on this print. We could use this "division" method listed in this guide and find the exact spot! Now I think that's cool! This method may have been around for centuries, but I never knew about it until I read this guide.

Ya know, sometimes I worry about what I don't know, that I don't know!

Betty
 
I didn't know about the position locator formula. This proves that you have read a lot more of FACTs than I have. Before Nonas sympnosis I had only read about a page of it, I couldn't read much more than that, it seems my eyes had glazed completly over. They need a laymans copy of it made up. It's very apparent that an attorney had a lot to do with writing this thing up. Hopefully some of this money will be used to do just that.

John
 
John:

Have you been to the web site yet? it's
www.artfacts.org.

All of the standards and guidelines are listed there, and you can download them -- especially handy in PDF format.

Don't be intimidated by the technical look of the standards. After you get accustomed to reading that layout, you'll discover that it actually helps, especially when you're trying to find a specific guideline for reference.

The web site is a great reference resource. And speaking of that --

It isn't widely known, because Greg Fremstad (Frame-Tek) is a low-key guy, but he has personally kept FACTS going since Don's health-related retirement. Greg has provided storage space at his Eugene, Oregon location for the office equipment, supplies, and publications. He has taken care of legal requirements, correspondence, and kept the website going, too.

So, while FACTS has been in hibernation for the past couple of years, Greg has kept it alive through the web site.

Kudos to Greg.
 
A hypothetical comparison:

Let's say I own a restaurant.

All of us restauranteurs are trying to entice those who appreciate fine food.

I happen to provide, and have for years, a level of cuisine that has entailed products and techniques that are the finest available.

My customers come to my restaurant because they know noone can come close to my product.

Lots of other restaurants are out there.

For the most part, their cuisine is crap.

Now.....

Why would I want to instruct all the substandard restaurants out there how to provide a level of service equal to mine?
 
FramingFool,

My first response to your hypothetical scenerio was that you were living up to your screen name but that is, in fact, a question that framers have been asking themselves for a very long time and it's an interesting one.

I've heard that framers are typically jealous and secretive people. That's hard to believe if you hang around PPFA functions much, but try this: Walk into a frame shop when you're travelling some time and announce that you are a visiting framer. They'll either A)Lock down tighter than a Iraqui munitions plant during a UN compliance-check or B)Give you a two-hour tour of the shop, show you the books, hand over the customer list and invite you to dinner. There's not much middle ground.

I have access to a truly impressive collection of cookbooks, as well as the finest utensils and ingredients. (My wife is a GOOD cook.) That doesn't mean I'm ever going to be half the cook my wife is.

Having the FACTS standards as a reference is not going to turn a third-rate framer into a world-class competitor. Knowing when to use a FACTS-compliant matboard isn't going to help the framer who can't pick colors or avoid overcuts. If the framer down the road starts stealing customers from you because he/she has the FACTS standards available, you aren't doing your job.

I understand this is all hypothetical, but it's a good question.
 
I'm not trying to start a fight and I have no reason to think you are, but I looked through some of your past posts, FramingFool. (You've been here a very long time.) You ask for help, sometimes, and people answer. Why in the world would they do that? Other Grumblers have questions and sometimes you have an answer. Again - why?

When you share information with your peers, you both gain something. It's not always a business edge, but it's part of what makes this a good business to be in.

In case I'm sounding a little too much like Mr. Rogers (It IS a beautiful day in the neighborhood,) I should mention, once again, that for about eight years I avoided the PPFA, trade shows, frame shops (other than mine) and framers in general. A year ago, I discovered that isolation wasn't fun any more.
 
FramingFool:

I like a good analogy -- the deeper it gets, the better I like it. So, in the spirit of FramingFoolishness, I'll play into the one you started...

The reason you should help your fellow restauranteurs serve better food is that their customers -- your potential customers -- are getting sick from their Crapcuisine. They're suffering gastrointestinal discomfort when they get it home, which is bad news for everyone in the business.

Before their customers find their way to your fine establishment, many of them decide that the unfortunate Crapcuisine experience must be typical -- that all restaurants serve Crapcuisine. All Crapcuisine is alike. The best Crapcuisine is the cheapest Crapcuisine, right?

Blissfully ignorant of your Excellentcuisine, they avoid further distress by staying home, or eating out less. And when they do eat out, they're braced for the worst; they buy the simplest (cheapest) menu items because they don't want to take any chances. They've been heartburned too many times before!

Soooo, it is in your best interest to help make every diner's experiences pleasant in every restaurant. With more pleasant dining experiences all around, customers will venture more boldly toward culinary creativity. They will develop informed opinions about taste, and their preferences will become more sophisticated. In other words, more of them will become like the relatively few customers who have already come to appreciate your Excellentcuisine.

More and more of them will find their way to your fine place and will appreciate the exceptional quality you offer. They will belch compliments instead of disdain. Your Excellentcuisine will become the standard to which other restaurants are compared. And you no longer will be merely a better restauranteur -- you will become a leader among restauranteurs.

Meanwhile, the purveyors of Crapcuisine will suffer bad times and will either (A) improve, or (B) die off. The average level of quality in restaurants will rise, and so will the sales of those who make it happen. Customers will dine out more. They'll be happier with their experiences and they will spend more.

The restaurant industry will grow. Customers will actually enjoy eating out, and fewer of them will be puking on sidewalks. A win-win situation!
 
Yeh, that's what I meant.

Jim, you're soooooo right! A collector who has a really bad experience getting a movie poster* framed may not shop around for a better framer. He may just assume that ALL framers are inept or dishonest and avoid them altogether in favor of inappropriate, albeit cheap, alternatives.

*Until the term "evergreen slug" becomes part of the Generally Accepted Terminology for our industry, I am reverting to the archaic term "movie poster."

I have another analogy that you might like. Why should I pick up after someone else's dog at the dog park when the owner is too careless or rude to take care of it? Because, the next trip around, I might be the one that steps in it.
 
Framing fool : Have you ever heard the expression that "you rise to the level of your competition"?If all you ever have to surpass is Crap guess what you wind up produceing?
The analogies given to you by Jim and Ron are right on.In addition to those I'd like to ask"Have you ever taken a class by Brian Wolf?If you have ,have you or anyone else walked out the class and felt just as capable as he?At some point someone will surpass Brian( Someday)but instruction isn't all that they'll need. For some skills the craftperson with the NATURAL talent and createtivity will out do most.On the negative side have you ever encoutered a framer that could recite chapter and verse of what should be done but their application left a lot to be deisred?
What FACTS is attempting to do is start all framers on the same level as far as useing the right material.How skillfully you use them takes a lot more than just reading the Standards.But it should assure all the clients that their work is properly treated when any Framer starts with their recommendations.Which will ecourage more things being framed professionally.
I for one want to know when my work is admired and respected ,it is because I was the best of a well informed industry not just what I can get by with.
BUDDY
 
On closer examination, I like the Jim Miller/FramingFool restaurant analogy better than my dog park one.
 
I thinks the FACTS idea is a good one, but I joined PPFA in April and have inquired about it at least 3 or 4 times, and I still do not seem to be a member. Do I want to send more money to PPFA? My former money will have been long used and my membership will have run out before I have even been shown my membership. Maybe my $25 should be designated for FACTS?
 
To me FACTS type standards (which I will now call guidelines) compare not to How to make a better business of the restaurant BUT the proper way to wash dishes. Correct temperature water, soap and antibacterial rinse and other US restaurant rules for basic survival -- wear hats; don't touch money and then touch food... etc.

Is revealing that standard allowance is 1/8 inch going to create a lot of competition?
 
Originally posted by rosetl:
To me FACTS type standards...compare not to How to make a better business of the restaurant BUT the proper way to wash dishes...
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I think you're focusing on the written standards, and have not yet discovered the FACTS concept of frame design. It has nothing to do with washing dishes -- it is not a back-room concept. It is a concept to improve framer/client communication.

The FACTS standards begin with specifications. Nona gets all excited about the standard for boards, and some others think the glazing standards are excellent. But the published standards are just the beginning.

One of the standards is FRM2000, the "Maximum Preservation Framing Guideline", and that is the one I think is most useful to retail framers.

The best use of FRM2000 and its standardized terminology is to help customers understand what "maximum preservation" is; to understand what framing features are available, and how each of them relates to the job at hand.

That is not to say that every job should be framed to the max-pres standard. On the contrary, the concept is to use the max-pres standard as a benchmark from which to deviate. it is a reference, a starting point in frame design.

Once the customer understands what is available and how each feature works, then he/she can make informed decisions about which of those features should be used in the job at hand. For example, a cheap poster have no long term value, but a customer might decide that reducing the fading from light would be worth the $xx.xx cost of UV-filtering glass.

The FACTS concept is intended to: (1) raise customer awareness and understanding of what goes into a frame; (2) bring consistency to a traditionally inconsistent industry; and (3)increase sales and profits for framers.

That's not dish washing. That's selling the steak as well as the sizzle.
 
Rosetl; I don't want to beat a dead horse but if you know of a way to run the business of a resteraut without washing dishes,I know a lot of restraunteers who want to speak to you.
In the same way what FACTS is trying to do is make sure that we all start with the same basics,since if your going to run a framing Business you must first know what the materials you are purchasing are capable of.
Where the Resteraunt or the Frame shop goes from there is up to them,but noether can omitt any part of the whole Package.
BUDDY
 
I'm confused. I can't see how I implied that dishes didn't need to be washed....nor implied any disagreement to FACTS guidelines. Sorry if some took it that way. I give up.
 
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