tiny frames

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Leslie S.

MGF, Master Grumble Framer
Joined
Apr 11, 2002
Posts
710
Loc
Waxahachie, TX
I guess lots of us charge extra for dealing with oversize artwork. This is the other end of the spectrum. How do you price tiny frames? For example, I had a client this week who wanted 2 custom framed pictures, finished size abou 3.5 x 6, with a suede mat and LJ102g. Fullcalc priced one at about $85...the customers are always quite shocked when you roll out one of these prices. I always try to get them to pick something I have enough "scrap" to make it out of, and give them a substantial discount, but maybe this is stupid. How do you guys handle this issue?

Leslie
 
Leslie, we make ready mades out of our left over pieces of moulding. We make sizes from about 3 X 5 to 16 x 20 for people who want to spend a little less, or are in a hurry. Many are made from high end mouldings, and they are discounted a little, not 50% by any means though. Today I sold an 8 x 10 for $264.00 made of small pieces of a wide moulding that would have gone to the dumpster otherwise. If they don't want to mat it and put it in one of those frames, then it is full price all the way.
 
Sometimes I explain that while the frame is small it does still have 4 corners and the same number of steps to complete a 3"x5" frame job as a 16"x20" job. It doesn't always close the sale, but at least people seem to undertand better the custom nature of what I'm selling.
 
Small frames are very labor-intensive. Anything smaller than 8x10 is priced as 8x10. I'm sure many shops have a much larger "minumum" than 8x10.

Have you ever cut a 1 1/2" x 2" frame with a saw? That's a little too intense for me, and the chop vendors don't particularly want to do them either.
 
I have the POS set to a four ft. minimum, and 8 x 10 is as low as everything else is set. I go through the whole explaination of having to buy a whole sheet of mat board, cut the same four corners,etc etc, and STILL I have to haul out the smelling salts. Years ago, I used to paint very detailed oil miniatures, and people didn't understand why those were so expensive, either. At least oil paints were not a threat to my fingers!
 
I have always told my customers that a small frame is the same amount of time as a larger frame... just smaller materials. Sometimes the frame jobs that are smaller than 8X10 actually take more time. (Lots of times the really small frames are also shallow frames, and require a nail-on backing. :mad: )

So... no discount for small size. If they don't like the price, they can always make the job bigger. :D
 
I had to frame a very small embroidery that came on a Christmas card for a customer a few years ago.

It looked like a repro of a Currier & Ives horse drawn sleigh and she wanted it in a 3" ornate gold frame.

If you want to test the accuracy of your chop saws sometime, try cutting a 3"x5" frame out of some of THAT stuff and make the corners close properly!! I was SO proud that I got it the first time. (I never considered the "luck" factor in building the frame!) :eek:

...................................I don't do those anymore.

FGII, aka, allmydigits
 
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