A3 poster framing in USA
August 16, 2011 11:17 AM Subscribe
How do I frame an A3-size poster in the US?
I bought an awesome print, and now that it's here I realized 11.7" x 16.5" is a pretty exotic size for America.
I bought an awesome print, and now that it's here I realized 11.7" x 16.5" is a pretty exotic size for America.
Depending on where you live and what's available in your area, you might be able to find a place that will help you cut the materials and them frame it yourself (it's fun!). There's at least one place like that in the Boston area (and probably many others). Alternatively, it's easy to find a custom framing shop. Price will depend heavily on the materials used.
posted by divisjm at 11:19 AM on August 16, 2011
posted by divisjm at 11:19 AM on August 16, 2011
As others have said, look for a custom framing shop.
I will, however, recommend that you avoid hobby/craft stores, even though most of them will do framing. They tend to use inferior materials and charge way too much, particularly if you want glass.
posted by valkyryn at 11:23 AM on August 16, 2011
I will, however, recommend that you avoid hobby/craft stores, even though most of them will do framing. They tend to use inferior materials and charge way too much, particularly if you want glass.
posted by valkyryn at 11:23 AM on August 16, 2011
I'd just matte it and frame it in a larger frame.
posted by Miko at 11:25 AM on August 16, 2011 [3 favorites]
posted by Miko at 11:25 AM on August 16, 2011 [3 favorites]
Best answer: Another option that is probably cheaper than a custom frame shop is this place, American Frame. You can create your own metal or wood frame plus mat board and glazing, and everything is cut to whatever dimensions you specify. They mail you the pieces and you put everything together at home. We've used this for lots of odd-sized prints (including an A3 poster just the other day, in fact) and have been happy with the quality. My standards are not exceedingly high, so I don't know if this is gallery-level quality, but the frames look nice and have held up well. They have lots of colors and options for customization, too.
As for the cost, I believe the frame kit for our A3 sized print ended up being around $30-35.
posted by Jemstar at 11:40 AM on August 16, 2011
As for the cost, I believe the frame kit for our A3 sized print ended up being around $30-35.
posted by Jemstar at 11:40 AM on August 16, 2011
Best answer: You know, oddly enough I just got a frame made for an unusual sized post from posterframedepot.com. They have a configurator that is pretty easy to use and goes down to small fractional inches. They also have a metric conversion tool that goes from mm to inches. No big deal.
posted by plinth at 11:43 AM on August 16, 2011 [1 favorite]
posted by plinth at 11:43 AM on August 16, 2011 [1 favorite]
I like Frames by Mail best for at home custom framing stuff, but if you don't feel like paying for or dealing with all that, having a mat custom cut to fit your poster and the closest standard frame size is easier, and even at a mall craft store that will rip you off for real framing, generally costs less than $20 or so.
posted by crabintheocean at 12:22 PM on August 16, 2011
posted by crabintheocean at 12:22 PM on August 16, 2011
I look for a used frame, with mat, at Goodwill, etc., remove the old pic and insert the new. Measure first, of course. Cheap and easy and sometimes really stylish if you have a good eye.
posted by fivesavagepalms at 12:45 PM on August 16, 2011
posted by fivesavagepalms at 12:45 PM on August 16, 2011
Doesn't Ikea sell metric frames? Not sure whether they're specifically A3, but worth a shot...
posted by catesbie at 4:44 PM on August 16, 2011
posted by catesbie at 4:44 PM on August 16, 2011
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posted by GuyZero at 11:18 AM on August 16, 2011