High Quality Copies for Framing?
October 6, 2013 9:25 AM Subscribe
I have a handful of hand-written recipes from my beloved late grandmother. I have been considering having some framed for my mother and sister, but we all treasure being able to hold them in our hands, and I am somewhat hesitant to lose that ability. I have done some searching about the possibility of having high-quality copies made and framing those, but I haven't been able to find anything like this. Does any one know if this is a service that exists? If it exists and exists in NYC, all the better, but I would be willing to work anywhere reputable. Many thanks.
I'm confused about what you want. You can't find somewhere in New York to make high quality copies?
posted by roomthreeseventeen at 9:41 AM on October 6, 2013
posted by roomthreeseventeen at 9:41 AM on October 6, 2013
Response by poster: If the answer is that a regular copy shop can make framing-quality prints, then maybe that's the answer. I'm asking because I don't know; snark isn't really necessary.
posted by MeadowlarkMaude at 9:48 AM on October 6, 2013
posted by MeadowlarkMaude at 9:48 AM on October 6, 2013
Best answer: Most regular copy shops have excellent machines that can make high-quality copies of your recipes. The main thing you want to consider is what type of paper you want to use for the copies. If you select an acid-free paper of the appropriate color (check out a stationary store for nice looking papers), then bring it into a local printshop, you should be able to get nice-looking copies that you can frame as if they were prints. Get some different types of papers and try them out - coated paper might work best, rather than something more porous. Get an employee at the print shop to help you, rather than using the self-serve copiers, and you'll likely get better-looking quality copies.
And even if it doesn't turn out as nice as you would want for framing them, it shouldn't be all that expensive, and thus worth a try.
posted by gemmy at 9:58 AM on October 6, 2013 [1 favorite]
And even if it doesn't turn out as nice as you would want for framing them, it shouldn't be all that expensive, and thus worth a try.
posted by gemmy at 9:58 AM on October 6, 2013 [1 favorite]
What, to you, is "framing-quality"? Anything can be framed. I don't think roomthreeseventeen was being snarky, I think that there's a mismatch between your two vernaculars.
The important thing in image reproduction is resolution. In film, there's something called grain - that's why when a film photo gets enlarged too much it becomes kind of blotchy; the grains are blurry, basically. But film grain is quite fine, and for many years exceeded the precision that digital could provide. These days, though, that isn't a problem. A scanner in someone's home office can scan up to ridiculous resolutions that can provide very good results, particularly if you don't actually want to enlarge the object being scanned at all.
Most people can't tell the difference between an original and something printed above 600 DPI (dots per inch) which is what plenty of laser printers can handle. The hard part is the paper and the printer, not the copying of the object. Different papers take ink differently, and have different textures that contribute to the overall impression of the final object.
I really like the idea from mollymayhem about making and photographing (or perhaps scanning) a collage of the recipes with a few objects that also remind you of your grandmother. That way, you don't need to worry about reproducing the look and feel of the recipe on a different, new piece of paper. Instead it would exist as an image on its own and the implication that the recipe is just part of that would be there. Am I making sense? It would be taking away any disingenuousness or possible tackiness in framing a copy; turning it into framing a collage that couldn't otherwise be made.
Anyway, NYC is rife with graphic designers and print people. Your best bet might be to go to an independent framing shop and ask them for recommendations.
posted by Mizu at 10:04 AM on October 6, 2013
The important thing in image reproduction is resolution. In film, there's something called grain - that's why when a film photo gets enlarged too much it becomes kind of blotchy; the grains are blurry, basically. But film grain is quite fine, and for many years exceeded the precision that digital could provide. These days, though, that isn't a problem. A scanner in someone's home office can scan up to ridiculous resolutions that can provide very good results, particularly if you don't actually want to enlarge the object being scanned at all.
Most people can't tell the difference between an original and something printed above 600 DPI (dots per inch) which is what plenty of laser printers can handle. The hard part is the paper and the printer, not the copying of the object. Different papers take ink differently, and have different textures that contribute to the overall impression of the final object.
I really like the idea from mollymayhem about making and photographing (or perhaps scanning) a collage of the recipes with a few objects that also remind you of your grandmother. That way, you don't need to worry about reproducing the look and feel of the recipe on a different, new piece of paper. Instead it would exist as an image on its own and the implication that the recipe is just part of that would be there. Am I making sense? It would be taking away any disingenuousness or possible tackiness in framing a copy; turning it into framing a collage that couldn't otherwise be made.
Anyway, NYC is rife with graphic designers and print people. Your best bet might be to go to an independent framing shop and ask them for recommendations.
posted by Mizu at 10:04 AM on October 6, 2013
Sorry, wasn't snarking. Many copy shops in NYC can do this, though.
posted by roomthreeseventeen at 10:21 AM on October 6, 2013
posted by roomthreeseventeen at 10:21 AM on October 6, 2013
I had tea towels made from old recipe cards via Spoonflower and my SIL framed hers.
posted by Ideefixe at 3:18 PM on October 6, 2013 [2 favorites]
posted by Ideefixe at 3:18 PM on October 6, 2013 [2 favorites]
This thread is closed to new comments.
posted by mollymayhem at 9:32 AM on October 6, 2013