Poster or Print:  Select this for commercial, common and replaceable paper-borne reproductions. Representative of, but not exclusive to this category are: Posters, prints, cards, newspapers, handbills, flyers, pamphlets, events announcements, postcards, tickets, passes, tourist maps, bills and open-edition reproductions. These items, unless otherwise instructed, will be permanently bonded to thin, light but durable materials such as Foamboard or Craftwood. The end result will be smooth, flat surfaces, free of lumps, bumps or bubbles.

Photo or Still:  Select this for commercial, common and replaceable paper-borne photographic stills. Representative of, but not exclusive to this category are: Holiday snapshots, baby photos, wedding, graduations and occasion photos. These items, unless otherwise instructed, will be permanently bonded to The end result will be smooth, flat surfaces, free lumps, bumps or bubbles.

Original or Paper Art:  Select this for paper-borne, irreplaceable items of any sentimental, financial or other value. Representative of, but not exclusive to this category are: Originals, antiques, limited-edition, watercolours, pastels, charcoals,crayons, pencil-work, etchings, mezzotints, serigraphs, holograms, intaglios and woodblocks, These items, unless otherwise instructed, will usually be hinged, or hung with conservation tape to conservation-quality mats (also called surrounds or borders). The end result will be relatively flat surfaces with artwork capable of being deframed and removed, if desired, for repair, inspection or resale.

Certificate, Degree or Map:  Select this for unique or irreplaceable items of any sentimental, financial or other value. Representative of, but not exclusive to this category are: Testamurs of Degrees or Diplomas and hand-coloured maps. These items, unless otherwise instructed, will usually be hinged, or hung with conservation tape to conservation-quality mats (also called surrounds or borders). The end result will be relatively flat surfaces with artwork capable of being deframed and removed, if desired for repair, inspection or resale.

Cross Stitch, Long Stitch , Embroidery and Needlework:   Select this for most commercial embroideries and replaceable, private needlework. Representative of, but not exclusive to this category are: Tapestries, Petit Point, Cross and Long Stitch embroiderings. These items, unless otherwise instructed, will usually be lightly stretch-stapled around the four edges, to thin, light but durable, strata lined with conservation-quality, rag-paper sheeting. Minor, mechanical, staple-puncturing of the raw, unembroidered edges of items may occur. The end result will be attractive, squared fabrics, with flat surfaces and with artwork capable of being deframed, de-stapled and removed, if desired.

Poster, Print or Photo to BlockMount and Laminate:   Select this for commercial, common and replaceable paper-borne reproductions. Representative of, but not exclusive to this category are: Posters, prints, cards, newspapers, handbills, flyers, pamphlets, events announcements, postcards, tickets, passes, tourist maps, bills and open-edition reproductions. These items, unless otherwise instructed, will be permanently bonded to a 9 or 6mm thick, durable sheet of Craftwood. After bonding, the artwork is either gloss or matte-laminated. The four edges will then be machined either square to 90 degrees or fluted or scalloped as illustrated. The end result will be smooth, flat surfaces, free of lumps, bumps or bubbles.

Photo, Oil or Artwork to be stretched over a Stretcher Frame:   Select this for any canvas-borne art. Representative of, but not exclusive to this category are: oil or acrylic paintings, photographic images, printed sheets or chemical renditions. These items, unless otherwise instructed, will be permanently stretch-stapled onto a purpose or custom-built stretcher-frame. The four edges of the stretcher frame are usually left unframed and unadorned . The end result will be smooth, flat surfaces, free of lumps, bumps or bubbles with that frame-less look.

Naturally, we cannot include here all of the available types and kinds of pictures as this would be beyond the scope of this reference. If you would like us to try and identify a picture for you, please take a photograph of it with a mobile camera phone, or similar device, go to our Contact page and e-mail it to us.

What a "mat" is:  A mat, is a coloured cardboard surround, border or edge often seen around an image inside a picture frames Typically, picture framers cut mats from matboard sheets which they stock in many colours with the more popular ones being off-whites, dark greens and black. "Mat" is the American name for this material but it's also called a mountboard in England and passepartout in Europe. Putting mats in a frame is called matting, a term also interchangeable with mat.

What a mat does:   A mat is nearly always, rectangular, with an inside square hole, or window. The top section of the mat is where most artwork, such a prints and photos are hinged or taped to. The paper hinges or tapes support and hold up the artwork, preventing the inevitable buckling or cockling caused by its own weight when in a vertical position. However, a mat's most important function is that its thickness (about 1.2 millimetres or 1/16th of an inch) serves to separate the glass away from the artwork being framed. This separation is desirable to prevent any condensation that may develop on the inside of the glass from transferring to the artwork itself. Moisture from condensation frequently stains, causes water damage and promotes destructive mold and mildew.

When should a mat or mats be used:   Primarily, but not solely, due to the above reasons, when framing any items of sentimental, financial, commercial or historical value, it is strongly recommended that at least one mat (single mat), and preferably two mats (double mat) be used to protect the artwork from possible damage.

The different types of mats:   Matboards can be Regular, Conservation or of Museum quality. Regular boards are made out of unbleached wood pulp containing harmful lignin, have a core that may progressively yellow, are not fade-proof , become more acidic with time and may damage your artwork. Conservation boards have the lignin removed, have a bright white core, are totally acid-free, fade-resistant and will not damage your artwork. Museum boards also share these characteristics but additionally, are made out of higher-quality cotton rag instead of wood pulp.

The mats we use:   For all custom picture framing we the quality, acid-free, UK-manufactured WaterMark Conservation mountboards. In line with the prevalent industry practices, this does not normally apply to bulk, commercial orders of no investment value where costs are minimized.

The four frame types:  Because we carry hundreds of frames, it would take too long to work out all the prices for the thousands of picture framing combinations. Therefore, classifying our stock to just the four, most popular types helps to simplify the PE, making it fast, easy and user-friendly. This is the commonest and most inexpensive type of glass used in picture framing. It is made from molten glass floats on molten tin to achieve a flat, uniform finish. Framing manufacturers add special qualities to float glass giving it added value. This type is the staple of the custom framing industry and can be used in a wide range of applications. About Non-glare Glass:   This is the second most common type of glass used in picture framing. It is glass that has been etched to diffuse reflected light. The etching process also gives the glass surface a matte finish. It should be noted that no more than two mats are recommended when using non-glare glass. Because of the way light is transmitted and scattered through non glare glass, there is a tendency for non-glare glass to visually soften or blur the work in direct proportion to its distance from it.

About Acrylic Glass:   This is the toughest and safest type of glass used in picture framing. Also called Perspex or Plastic Glass. Recommended for applications where a virtually indestructible glazing is required. It is ideally suited for industrial consumers such as hotels, galleries, institutions, etc., where high volume traffic and potentially fragile glass could be a concern.

About TruGuard UV Glass:   This is the best though also the most expensive type of glass used in picture framing. Exposing artwork to UV light causes organic material to break down. This is visible in the form of fading colors and embrittlement and yellowing of the materials that bear the artwork. These effects, once started, are cumulative and irreversible. The best way to preserve your art is to protect it from exposure to UV light from the outset. Ask your framer to use TruGuard UV Conservation Quality Glass. This product effectively blocks a minimum of 98% of the dangerous UV light — protecting your artwork without affecting the visible light spectrum so your colors show truly as nice in a year as they do the first day you frame them.

About glass and fading:   Ordinary, everyday sunlight inevitably and inexorably fades and colour-bleaches most things, including pictures. The rays of direct and indirect sunlight comprise the ultraviolet or, "UV" rays. Normal, clear picture framing glass blocks only about half the damaging light. This is not enough to conserve colours or prevent fading. To protect your valuable artwork glaze your artwork with TruGuard UV-Blocking glass. This type of glazing but has been proven to block over 97% of the harmful "UV" rays.

How to put sizes in:  Measure you artwork's Width and Height with a tape or ruler. Read these sizes and type them in the red Cm Centimetre fields. Do not key in Millimitres (mm) or Inches (ins)because the PE will giver either an Error message or inaccurate result. You do not have to use the "Series Sizes" dropdown box unless you want to. It is there simply as a convenience, to select the common or most office paper sizes if you cannot readily recall them.

How to put sizes in:  Measure you artwork's Width and Height with a tape or ruler. Read these sizes and type them in the red Cm Centimetre fields. Do not key in Millimitres (mm) or Inches (ins)because the PE will giver either an Error message or inaccurate result. You do not have to use the "Series Sizes" dropdown box unless you want to. It is there simply as a convenience, to select the common or most office paper sizes if you cannot readily recall them.

What these are:  The PE produces price estimates, or cost approximations, but not binding Price Quotations. Any and all results are for standard, non-specialized, picture framing of commercial items such as photos and posters. The PE cannot be used for, and specifically excludes specialized work such as paper toles, 3-D frames, photo collages, object-framing, militaria, museum-framing and all memorabilia.  If you are not sure about your framing project simply contact us.

Their accuracy:  All estimates are computed to come within ± 10% of our actual shop prices. The programme calculates four factors: a) the variable price of labour, b) the variable cost and resale of materials per linear metre, c) the variable cost and resale of materials per square metre and d) cumulative errata. We welcome Customers' feedback and will endeavour to remedy any discrepancies.  Please contact us and report any results you feel may be incorrect.