We finally got around to framing our San Francisco Ork poster this weekend and wanted to post the results. Instead of getting it custom framed, we made a few adjustments to cut costs while achieving the look we wanted.
We finally got around to framing our San Francisco Ork poster this weekend and wanted to post the results. Instead of getting it custom framed, we made a few adjustments to cut costs while achieving the look we wanted.
We decided to get rid of the "San Francisco" written at the bottom (it made us feel a little like that guy wearing the band's t-shirt to their show), so we went to Framed & Cornered and picked up a standard 16" x 20" pre-made wood frame, which fit the area we wanted to save perfectly. Then we used the glass as a guide and cut off the excess of the print. We spray-painted the frame, put it all together, and voila! A slightly personalized version for not a lot of cash.
Poster available here.
it looks great!
view Signe's profile
Indeed it does!
view ekoshyun's profile
That's not hacked.
It's called "Cropping" - and it's done all the time...
view bepsf's profile
Just today I ordered a 24"x36" frame that's too big for my Chicago poster but much, much cheaper because it's a standard frame. If only I would have thought to cut off the words, I could have had that thing framed months ago! Thanks for the idea!
view catiaelizabeth's profile
One of the easiest way to make framing an oddly shaped piece of art inexpensive is to find the frame you want to use, and then have just a mat cut to fit the picture and then the mat will fit the frame. A custom mat is just so much cheaper than a custom frame.
view LauraE's profile
I really like the idea of the hack. How much time/money did you invest in the project? Would be curious to see in-person how the spray-painted silver looks with an otherwise natural-colored print.
view reiskid's profile
Ooh, thank you for the reminder! I need to get the Boston print. :)
view sparkle's profile
Nice hack! Did you use the poster or the screen print for it?
view Jacamara's profile
I just framed and hung the Brooklyn poster in my bathroom! Next is Manhattan!
I like your framing job!
view kdkaboom's profile
Thanks for the compliments! As to your questions, I spent about $35 on the frame and $6 on the spray paint (it's actually gray, not silver, and not my first choice but goes better with the other colors in my room). I'm sure you could find a cheaper frame at ikea or the like. I used the poster, not the print. The whole process took maybe an hour, including time for the paint to dry.
view sflily's profile
Can't wait for LA and some international goodies! Thanks for the heads up!
view That70sHeidi's profile
that's exactly what my SF poster will look like after paying to have it framed. argh! Should have thought outside the box on this one, but I got so frustrated that I couldn't find any cool frames to fit the dimensions of the poster - not even at ikea! sigh.
view yourherokatie's profile
Another option for custom framing at a fraction of the cost is doing it yourself through Pictureframes.com . I recently framed six Matson Cruise line dinner menu's from 1950's by using them...and it came out a LOT better than I'd anticipated at a fraction of thecost....and NO....I'm not shilling for them....I just think they're a great source for doing it on the cheap. I'll be more than happy to post the results if people are interested.
view Ljames's profile
I usually go LauraE's route too. You can get custom size matting done at Cheap Pete's (if you're in SF) for under $20 usually. And they do it while you wait.
view jennifer in sf's profile
I found an inexpensive square frame at Bed, Bath, and Beyond that fits the poster perfectly. It had a matte in it designed to put several small photos in it, so I just got rid of the matte. IKEA also has a Ribba frame that fits.
view stuey's profile
Tip: Got the same poster awhile back (love it) and put it in a Ribba frame from IKEA (only $16!). You just have to cut the poster a little since it's a 19 3/4 x 19 3/4. Much cheaper than custom framing! :)
view jennk's profile