One of the curses of collecting art, regardless of whether it’s affordable posters or fancy serigraphs and screen prints, is that you eventually have to get them framed, and framing is not cheap. Framing can easily fetch North of $200 depending on the size of the print and archival components of the framing.
Over the past two decades, I’ve amassed a shelving unit worth of rolled tubes filled with prints from Shepard Fairey, Mondo, Frank Kozik and many more. This year, I tasked myself with framing a print a month so I can actually enjoy my art work. While, my rare prints will probably go to Frame Fetish for a super-fancy framing, I’m going to test out Framebridge for prints that either didn’t cost me an arm and a leg or that I don’t expect to spike in value in the near future.
The day after Christmas, I sent Framebridge a 11×14 print featuring a dozen or so signatures from a recent wrestling event. The original print cost $75 and while it is signed, wrestling signatures don’t exactly rise in value much. Hence, I thought it was a good test print for framing.
To use Framebridge, you simply download the app and create an account. From there, you upload an image of your artwork and start sorting through the different frames and mattes to see what your print will look like once it’s framed. You can also have Framebridge pick a frame and matte for you, but I figured I’d try out a basic black frame and white matte to start with. I didn’t see a ton of different options or the ability to do double mattes, but I’m guessing that’s available if you dig deeper into the app. I paid an extra $25 to have the print floated above the matte because the art extended all the way to the edge. All in, with an $18 off coupon, I paid $113 for the framing.
Framebridge gives you the option of mailing the print in with your own packaging (they provide free shipping) or they send you a free tube. This was a flat-file print, so I requested a tube and received it about a week later with instructions, a plastic insert sheet (for extra protection) and some fancy tape. The only thing missing was some additional padding for the top and bottom of the tube so it doesn’t get nicked if it slides around, but that’s easy enough to find.
The company sent me an email on Jan.5 acknowledging that they received the print. I got a notification that they were building the frame on Jan. 7 and it was done and shipped by Jan. 9. On Jan. 11, I received my shipment in an oversized box with copious amounts of packing material. The frame was perfect and looked as professional as you would get from a big box retailer like Michaels. The front element is acrylic, not glass, but I find that most of the pro-framers I use choose acrylic because of the added UV protection and decreased weight. If you want anti-glare museum glass, look elsewhere.
But there was a hiccup — the print wasn’t floated; it was set under the matte like a traditional print. I wrote to customer support with a small complaint and received a quick reply and return shipping label from Grant. He also refunded me the float cost and an additional 25%, and threw another 10% off towards another frame job.
I hate sending stuff back and really considered leaving the frame alone and just calling it a day, but the way the poster was printed it would always look cockeyed under a matte. I knew it would drive me nuts, so I sent it back. The challenge now was that Framebridge wasn’t updating the original order or sending updates because the order was technically closed. I emailed Grant on Jan. 24 to get an updated and he replied that they received it, corrected it and were going to ship it out in a few days.
On Jan. 30, I received my print, floated in the frame, and it looks great. They even include mounting hardware with the shipment to save me the hassle of finding a nail and hook. All in all, I was impressed with the service and will try them again for a larger print.
Mistakes happen, so I won’t ding them too hard for mounting my print wrong, but I would highly recommend they update their app or email system to notify customers when repairs arrive, are being worked on and ship. If you are looking for an affordable framing company for non-priceless artwork, Framebridge should definitely be a solid option.
