Most people are aware that properly framing a document or a piece of art is one of the best ways to keep such pieces clean and protect them from deterioration – that’s the whole point of archival framing practices used by museums and document collections. However, it’s less commonly known that some documents, prints, or other paper-based pieces of artwork may benefit from careful cleaning before framing to make the surface more legible and to remove contaminants that may cause future damage. Because of the fragility of paper, any such procedure needs to be done cautiously and with the right materials and processes to get the best results – and not cause damage.
When Not to Attempt Cleaning
Certificates, book pages, maps, manuscripts, and similar documents can benefit from being cleaned, but not all documents and works of art benefit from cleaning. Any document or artwork that contains material not firmly bound to the paper, such as charcoal, pencil, or pastel, should never undergo surface cleaning. Paper that is especially brittle, or documents of great age or value should be placed in the hands of an experienced conservator for evaluation and cleaning. Also, if a document is marred by old tape or leftover adhesive from a strip of tape, don't try to remove it yourself because this is very tricky and sometimes impossible to do without causing damage to the document.
Start Gently, Work Slowly
When cleaning any paper document or work of art, always start with the most gentle possible method of cleaning and work slowly and carefully to avoid damage. If a document is simply dusty, all that may be necessary is brushing the surface with a soft brush to remove the extra dust and dirt. The harsher a treatment is, the greater the chance of damaging the paper. Torn paper can’t be mended to its former state, and if the document content is erased, faded, or otherwise altered, there is no way to restore it.
Types of Cleaning Products Available
Document cleaning powder can help lift surface dust, dirt and grime from documents, as well as remove oil left from fingerprints. This type of powder is very soft and free of grit. It can be applied to a pad or purchased in a pad form. You would then rub it gently across the surface of the document to clean it.
If a document has surface deposits, such as insect specks or rust, they can be carefully picked off with a scalpel tip or the corner of a razor blade. Extreme care needs to be taken not to tear or puncture the paper, and if there is any doubt whether the buildup will come off, it's better to leave it in place than risk a tear.
Small patches of grime can be lifted with a gentle eraser, such as a vinyl block eraser or granulated vinyl erasers. Again, it is important to work very carefully to avoid causing damage. It is best to test the effect of an eraser on an obscure part of a document first to check the effect. Also, over-cleaning one area of a document can create a light-colored patch that stands out and makes the rest of the document look even dirtier.
Document Protection
Finally, when a document or piece of art has been cleaned, protect it from further dirt and damage with good framing practices. Use archival framing materials, such as acid free mat and mount board, UV filtering glass or acrylic glazing, and a good quality frame to seal the document and prevent dust, dirt and humidity from getting in. Well-cleaned and well-framed documents will stay in beautiful shape for a long time to come.
Most people are aware that properly framing a document or a piece of art is one of the best ways to keep such pieces clean and protect them from deterioration – that’s the whole point of archival framing practices used by museums and document collections. However, it’s less commonly known that some documents, prints, or […]
Mat board is an essential item for serious photographers, who understand that the final display of a photo is critical to fully appreciating it. The choice of picture frame and mat can have a big influence on the look and mood of a great picture. But mat board has a lot of other potential uses. Crafty folks can find lots of ways to get artsy with mat board as part of other projects, whether or not they have anything to do with photography. These are five ideas detailing how you can creatively use mat board in arts and crafts projects for your home or office.
Shape Collage
Instead of showing a single picture in a frame, put together a collage of small images to display more pictures at once. To add more visual interest, cut out shapes in the mat board to surround and offset the collage. First, cut a piece of mat board to fit your intended picture frame. Center it carefully and cut out the shape you want to fill with your collage. It can be a simple shape, such as a circle or diamond, or you can do something a little more complicated, like a cutting out a large letter that’s the initial of your family name or the shape of your home state. Lay out photos on a piece of paper or on a thin piece of mat board, arranging them to make a nice collage that will be visible through the cutout part of the mat frame. Use double-sided tape to fix your photos in place and to secure the paper to the mat before installing in the frame.
Quick and Easy Desk Mat
Mat board can be quickly made into a pretty desk mat for kids, teens, or adults. Simply cut a section of mat board to an appropriate size for the desk. Choose a color that coordinates with the room's décor or color scheme, or use a contrasting color to create an interesting and creative pop at the desk area. Kids can decorate theirs by drawing on or gluing pictures to the surface. For adults who use a desk calendar, a mat that is cut 1- inch larger than the calendar on all sides will create a nice border around the calendar.
Minimalist Framing
You can also use a piece of heavy mount board to display photos without a frame. Cut the mount board to the size of the picture you want to display, then affix the picture to the front of the board. If you cut the mount board slightly smaller than the photo or print, you can carefully wrap the edges of the picture neatly back to cover the sides of the mount board. Then you can use an easel stand to display the frameless picture or attach hardware to the back to hang the picture on the wall.
Birthday Party Autographs
For children’s birthday parties have a large piece of mount board and markers ready. Let the kids sign the mat board and write short messages for the birthday boy or girl. This special greetings board can be displayed in the child's room after the party. You can also use mount board to create party games, such as a customized version of “Pin the Tail on the Donkey” – maybe pin the eye patch on the pirate for a pirate-themed party.
Family Photo Wall
Mat boards add a beautiful finished touch to framed pictures; however, you can take decorating with family photos a step further by decorating and writing messages on the mat borders around pictures. Choose an appropriate solo photo of each member of your family. Use a larger photo frame and a mat with a wide border. Before you frame the picture of the individual, have the other family members write something kind about the person in the picture. Help young children add their own messages, draw small pictures, or apply a handprint. Fill up the mat with messages of love about the person in the photo before you finish framing it and then use the set of framed photos to anchor a family picture wall.
Mat board is an essential item for serious photographers, who understand that the final display of a photo is critical to fully appreciating it. The choice of picture frame and mat can have a big influence on the look and mood of a great picture. But mat board has a lot of other potential uses. […]
Framing a photograph or piece of art is almost as important to the display as the image itself. While the actual picture is what you want to display, without a good frame, the art will not be shown to its best advantage. Picture frames create visual space around a photo, separating it from its surroundings and drawing attention to the artwork itself.
Choosing a picture frame can be a creative project on its own, and a distinctive framing choice can set your artwork off and garner more attention for it. A type of frame that is gaining popularity for its unique look is the canvas floater frame.
What is a Floater Frame?
Designed for artwork that is printed or painted on canvas, floater frames give art the illusion of floating inside the picture frame without touching it, which creates an interesting visual detail and a sense of three-dimensional depth in the overall display.
Materials and Sizes
A floater frame can be made out of metal or wood, the same as standard picture frames. They can be made to any size and with different frame widths, although many floater frames are narrow for the best display of the photo. Different finishes are available, including metallic finishes as well as matte colors. Because these frames are designed to work with photos printed on canvas or other canvas-based artwork, they need to be matched with the stretched canvas frame, which is then attached to the back of the floater frame to create the illusion that the canvas is floating inside – but not touching – the main picture frame.
Ordering a Floater Frame
To get a floater frame sized correctly for your artwork, you need to make sure you order based on the right size of your stretched canvas photo or art piece. Check with the seller of your frame to make sure you understand how they size their frames and what dimensions they require in order to create your frame. Often they will want the actual size of the stretched artwork and will build the floater frame with increased dimensions to create the needed space or “moat” between the edge of the artwork and the frame itself.
Printing and Mounting a Canvas Photo
Floater frames are designed to work with photos printed on canvas, which will probably require some extra steps for most people. Many photo services offer specialty printing on canvas, so if you have a photo service you use regularly, you can ask about their canvas-printing services.
It's also possible to print your own photos on canvas by buying special printable canvas that you can feed through a desktop printer. If you want to print your own canvas photo, make sure you check that the canvas you purchase will work with your type of printer.
A photo printed on canvas also needs to be mounted on stretcher bars or a stretcher frame before it can be attached to a floating frame. Lay the canvas face down on a clean surface and lay the stretcher bars on top, making sure to line the bars up with the photo.
Fold down the canvas at the center top and staple it to the frame, then pull it taut at the center bottom and add another staple. Work around the edges of the frame to staple the entire canvas on, being careful to stretch the canvas evenly as you go. When the photo is mounted on the stretcher frame, it can be inserted in the floater frame to complete the mounting.
Floater frames mimic the look of fine art displayed in a gallery, where these types of frames are the preferred way to display art. They enable galleries to mount a piece of artwork in a frame without the surface of the art touching the frame itself, preserving the image from potential contact or damage.
For home display of images, they provide an alternative to traditional matted picture frames. The depth of a floater frame creates a greater three dimensionality to a piece of art hung on a wall, and the floating image provides the same effect for art that is displayed on a desk or shelf.
A floater frame is a beautiful way to display the most precious photos or priceless artwork in your collection, giving them a presence that matches their importance.
Framing a photograph or piece of art is almost as important to the display as the image itself. While the actual picture is what you want to display, without a good frame, the art will not be shown to its best advantage. Picture frames create visual space around a photo, separating it from its surroundings […]
If you’re an avid photographer or simply like to surround yourself with lots of pictures, figuring out how to display pictures can be an interesting challenge. Hanging pictures in simple, boring rows doesn't do them justice, and it isn't always visually appealing.
But having a huge jumbled wall of framed art doesn't look great either. And the placement, oh, the placement; trying to measure a frame and lining it up on the wall or with other frames is like being back in 9th grade geometry class.
In order to make the best use of your wall space and to display your pictures to their best advantage, you need to plan out your display ahead of time. A unified photo wall display will make the best use of your wall space to display pictures, turning an entire room into a work of art. In order to create such a display, you need to do some planning and preparation ahead of time. Here are a few tips.
Unify Your Frames
If you want your entire photo wall art display to look the most visually appealing, the frames you use for the display need to have a unified look as well. Unifying the look or color of the frames also allows the subject of the photo themselves to pop and be true stars of the show. A group of unique wood frames will make a great start as in the reference photo above that features our wood frame Profile 311 in brown or a group of sleek black frames.
Although matching frames are a good option, frames don't need to be identical in order to work in a photo display. It’s also okay to use existing frames, or if you enjoy collecting odd frames, they can become a creative part of your photo display. But a jumble of different frame styles and colors can look too random to form a cohesive display.
If you have a set of odd frames, consider painting them all the same color to create a unifying effect. If you don't want frames that look exactly the same, divide up your frames by color or material and look for sets that, while different, go well together.
A way to find frame groupings that work well when you don't have matching frames is by laying the frames out together on the floor in order to evaluate whether they work together. Rearrange them into different shapes and configurations and try pulling out or replacing frames until you are satisfied that you have a group of frames that all work together. Considering frames in this way can also give you a jump on the next step: deciding on your layout.
And don’t forget to include the fur-babies and your family's favorite places too in your family gallery.
Choosing a Wall Layout
Before hanging anything on the wall, you need to decide on the configuration of your photos. The layout of your photo wall can be as simple or complex as you desire. You can also choose to hang photos very close together, with narrow spaces between frames, or more widely separated. Use these tips on how much spacing to include. The display options you choose will influence the look of the entire wall as well as of the individual pictures.
To try out a layout on your wall, use butcher paper, craft paper or even old wrapping paper to make a template of each frame. Simply lay each frame on the paper, trace around it, and then cut along the lines. You can tape these paper templates up on the wall to get a better idea about how a layout will look before committing to it (and without damaging your walls). When you have a layout you like, leave it in place for a day or two so you can get used to it and see if it still works.
Hanging Pictures
Once you’re happy with your layout, it's time to start hanging pictures. You can do it the traditional way with nails and other traditional hanging accessories, or if you don't want to fill your wall with nail holes, you can look for a creative way to hang pictures instead.
You can create a gallery-style hanging setup by installing wire close to the ceiling then using additional picture wires to suspend your art at the correct levels as in the reference photo above that features our wood frame Profile 311 in blue. Or you can use other materials to display your frames, like thin rails that can be installed for pictures to sit on or coat hooks that you can dangle small pictures from.
If you are creative, you can set up a unique display that won’t require lots of nail holes in your wall and that will showcase even more of your creativity in your unique photo display.
For a few bonus tips check out our post about the 7 Unspoken Rules for hanging picture frames.
Last Updated December 22, 2021
If you’re an avid photographer or simply like to surround yourself with lots of pictures, figuring out how to display pictures can be an interesting challenge. Hanging pictures in simple, boring rows doesn’t do them justice, and it isn’t always visually appealing. But having a huge jumbled wall of framed art doesn’t look great either. […]
Guest post by Catherine Jo Morgan, The Heart Painter
In talking with gallery owners and other artists, I've found two different approaches to framing paintings. Some suggest "just anything to get it on the wall"—in other words, cheap mats and frames. The expectation is that the buyer will have the painting reframed to suit personal taste soon after purchase; the initial framing is so temporary that it's unlikely to damage the artwork.
Yes, cheap mats and frames can indeed damage the artwork. This is because cheap mats, mounting boards and non-archival ways of mounting the artwork put acidic materials in contact with the artwork. Eventually—even within a few months—acid begins to migrate into the artwork to age and discolor it.
Cheap temporary framing is a significant problem only if the painting isn't sold and reframed promptly. However, it's easy for the buyer to procrastinate, and sometimes the artist or gallery doesn't warn the buyer that reframing should be done as soon as possible. One gallery owner even told me that "once the painting is sold, that's the buyer's problem."
As an artist, I think it's also my problem.
What Is Archival Framing?
Archival framing—also often called "conservation framing" or "preservation framing"—aims to prevent damage from the start. Every aspect of the framing process is designed to protect the painting over the long term. Of course, the artist is responsible for making the art with archival materials and methods, or at least explaining when this is not the case.
"Getting it on the wall as cheaply as possible" vs. "museum framing" are two extreme points of view, with plenty of gray area. On a scale of one to 10, with "cheap and dirty" at one and "bar no expense" at 10, here's where I fall:
On this framing continuum, I'm at about 7.75—maximum archival value for moderate cost.
My current position is definitely toward the archival end of the scale, and I look for good long-term value for the collector. If you buy a framed painting from me, that should be it—for decades—unless you opt for a different frame to suit your personal taste.
The painting is ready to hang, protected from dust and moisture by the dust cover on the back of the frame. The foam board is acid-free, and the mounting and mat boards are either all cotton or very well buffered against acid. This is to keep the acid in ordinary cellulose from gradually migrating into the painting, which creates dark spots or turns it yellow, brittle and fragile. Since airborne contaminants can also damage paintings over time, the ideal archival mat adds additional protection from air pollution.
The framing package—foam board, mounting board, painting and glazing—is taped around the edges with a special acid-free tape that prevents dust from entering. The whole package is held in the frame with points that hold just the right amount of pressure, but are easy to remove. Too much pressure on the back of the artwork can eventually damage it.
Framing Art: First, Do No Harm
Use the same age-old principle used in medicine for framing: "first, do no harm." Whatever is done to protect the painting must not harm the painting. Though it’s an obvious sentiment, it's easy to violate it unintentionally.
- Reversible Framing
You should frame painting and photographs to prevent harm in the future, but later on, the painting may need reframing. Whenever artwork is mounted to a mounting board or mat, the attachment must be reversible—in other words, you must be able to remove the artwork from the mat.
Using household cellophane tape to adhere a painting to a mat can be just as damaging, as peeling off the tape later on will leave a sticky, acid-laden tape residue—and the acid has already been working its way through the paper.
Archival framing starts with mounting the artwork using the correct hinges that are not only acid-free, but removable with distilled water. This method of attaching artwork to mounting boards is not expensive, but it does take special materials, some instruction and practice.
- Archival Mats
Mat boards are important for paintings that need the protection of glass or acrylic glazing; the mat not only presents the art nicely, but keeps the glazing from touching the art. There are many different types of mat board, but archival mat board is generally made from cotton or alpha-cellulose.
The same mat board is often used to mount the painting behind the mat, and additional backing is generally foam board. The archival choice—acid-free mount board—costs about twice as much as regular.
Choosing a Framing Package
- Selecting the mat board can be part of the creative process.
Sample mats can be used to find the right color, shape and size mat board for the painting. Many exhibitions, however, require that artists display paintings only with white or off-white mats and simple frames; I often follow these guidelines.
However, if a black mat makes a big difference in making the painting's colors sing, I use a black mat and offer the painting matted but unframed. I chose a black mat, for example, for painting of a single heart, called "Thrive."
- Some paintings want a frame that connotes intimacy.
Sometimes a painting seems to fit better in a more intimate mat and frame. This small oil pastel painting, "I Will Give You Everything," was inspired by the words that began my 44-year-long relationship with my beloved life partner.
It's an intimate painting that needs to be framed accordingly.
- Some paintings want dramatic framing.
On the other hand, some paintings seem to benefit from a more dramatic presentation. Nielsen Bainbridge makes twice as thick 100% cotton rag archival mats that provide extra protection from air pollution and other contaminants.
Some of these mats show off smaller paintings in a dramatic way. At right, for example, the painting, "Divine Play," is only 5x7 inches, but the vertical frame is 14x11 inches. I've sometimes framed an 8x10 inch painting this way, too—putting it in a vertical frame 20x16 inches.
How to Find Good Frames
Several years ago, I began a quest to find good gallery frames—simple, modern frames for showing paintings in exhibitions. I was amazed at how difficult it proved to find frames of good quality. Time after time, I ordered sample frames or an assortment of "frame corners," only to find that the mitered corner joints didn't fit properly, or that the frames had gouges or scratches, or paint that flaked off. I tried frames from several major art supply retailers to no avail.
Finally, I found a reliable source of good quality, American-made frames : Frame Destination. I've been ordering frames from FrameDestination.com for several years now.
Frame Destination was founded by a photographer, Mark Rogers, who faced a similar problem of finding good frames—and decided to solve it for others as well. I've been very happy with the quality of the frames, which are sold at a reasonable price, and like the fact that the wood is selected for renewability. Their delivery times and customer service are also excellent, and the site includes a useful glossary of framing terms.
If you'd like to save some money by doing your own framing, I recommend ordering the framing materials and supplies directly from Frame Destination.
The bamboo frames from Dick Blick are also quite handsome; when I can’t find a frame in the light, natural color I prefer at Frame Destination, the bamboo frames are a reasonable alternative. The Nielsen Bainbridge unassembled wooden frame kits I tried were also well made and easy to store.
The pre-assembled Bainbridge frames I have tried didn't satisfy me, however. Their design would put pressure on the artwork, keeping it from the natural expansion and contraction it needs to have—pressure can lead to wrinkling. Quality control for some of these frames also seemed to be a problem, perhaps because manufacturing is outsourced to factories abroad. The frames I buy from Frame Destination, on the other hand, are made to order in Texas.
Archival Framing Resources
If you're interested in collecting art for your home or office—or even donating it to your local doctor or hospital—you might want to learn more about archival framing from these sources:
The Library of Congress: A brief guide to conservation framing
Image Permanence Institute’s Guide to Preservation
Sharon Yamanaka: The Benefits of Archival Matting and Framing
Joshua Cripps: How to mat a print in an archival, conservation-safe manner (video)
Nielsen Bainbridge Artcare Technology
Would you rather pay less—for example, for archival matting but a cheap frame—since you nearly always reframe new paintings, or do you love the idea of buying a painting that is ready to hang?
This post first appeared on HeartPainter.com and was written by one of our customers, Catherine Jo Morgan. Ms. Morgan has no affiliation with Frame Destination except as (in her words) a very satisfied customer.
Guest post by Catherine Jo Morgan, The Heart Painter In talking with gallery owners and other artists, I’ve found two different approaches to framing paintings. Some suggest “just anything to get it on the wall”—in other words, cheap mats and frames. The expectation is that the buyer will have the painting reframed to suit personal […]
For nearly two decades, CDs have been a medium of choice for archiving computer data, and they were later joined by DVDs. Anyone who has suffered from data loss knows how important it is to back up computer files – especially photograph collections. As a photo storage option, burning photo files onto a CD or DVD is fast, simple, and secure.
Pictures stored on disc aren’t prone to loss if your computer crashes, and they can’t be accessed by hacking your computer or online accounts. But CD archiving and DVD archiving have their own potential issues, which need to be addressed in order to maintain a safe archival collection of your photo files for many years.
Potential CD Archival Problems
Although CDs and DVDs are very familiar and seem to be quite durable, the discs are actually fairly delicate things. The layer of a disc that holds the data is a thin layer of either aluminum or gold under a layer of protective lacquer. The protective layer is necessary for several reasons, but one of them is potential oxidation from air touching the data recording layer. If the aluminum in a disc oxidizes, the data stored at that location is lost.
Other issues can also plague CDs and DVDs. Physical damage can erase data on either side. The top side of a CD is actually more sensitive to damage than the “shiny” side on which the data is written, therefore damage on either side of a CD can ruin your data. Other environmental factors can also affect the materials in a CD or DVD, including the jewel cases in which the discs are most often stored. Plastic jewel cases may "outgas" harmful material, which can damage a disc.
Any of these types of damage can lead to "CD rot," a condition where CDs become unreadable. No CD has an indefinite shelf life. The "normal" lifespan of a CD or DVD is considered to be between two and 20 years. Protecting discs properly can extend their life and preserve the data written on them, which is especially important if the data is irreplaceable, such as a family's entire collection of special photographic memories.
Protecting CDs and DVDs
To protect and extend the life of an archival CD or archival DVD, proper storage and handling is key. Jewel cases should be replaced with binders containing disc storage pouches, which both saves storage space and prevents damage from outgassing.
Archival discs can be protected by storing them with anti-corrosive inserts. These inserts prevent oxidation by keeping air away from discs to prevent oxidation of the metal layer. You can invest in archival quality storage pouches, which include these protective inserts, or you can get adhesive anti-corrosive inserts to attach to jewel cases. Archival quality inserts can extend the life of a CD or DVD many years past its normal lifespan.
Correct handling of CDs and DVDs is also important to prevent corrosion and other damage. Discs should only be handled by the outer edges or the center hole. Avoid touching either surface of the disc and keep both sides of the disc clean. This protects the disc – and your computer equipment – from getting accidental dust or dirt inside.
Only open cases or pull discs from pouches when you want to use the discs and return discs to their protective cases as soon as you’re finished with them. Keep CDs and DVDs out of UV light to prevent damage and store them upright rather than horizontally. Gold discs are also less prone to oxidative damage than silver aluminum ones.
For nearly two decades, CDs have been a medium of choice for archiving computer data, and they were later joined by DVDs. Anyone who has suffered from data loss knows how important it is to back up computer files – especially photograph collections. As a photo storage option, burning photo files onto a CD or […]