Giving clients framed photos is a great way to show you care. With most images going directly to the Internet now, fewer individuals have physical photographs on hand.
Due to this, a framed photograph makes a great gift. However, if you’re looking to offer a framed photograph to your clients, you don’t want to just print the picture off and slap it into a frame.
There are other ways to class it up, including the addition of a mat board.
The added mat board will help with the presentation while offering a professional look to the photograph. Whether you decide to cut the mat yourself or pay a professional to do it for you is your call, but whatever you decide to do, presenting clients with framed photos is a great way to secure a lasting memory of an important moment.
What Are Framed Photos?
Framed photos are exactly what the name says. It is a photograph printed off in physical form. It is then inserted into a picture frame for safe keeping. This makes it possible to display the photograph or to put it up somewhere and share the memory with others who see the photograph.
As fewer photographs are now printed, having a physical image on hand is desirable and shows you go the extra mile as anyone can tag a client on Facebook or send a link to the digital file. Whatever you decide to do, though, just know your client will appreciate the framed photo.
They can then do what they want with the photograph and place it anywhere for display.
Importance of Framed Photos
The importance of a framed photograph is the significance of the memory attached to it. A photograph is a window in time and instantly takes a person back to that moment in time. More pictures are being taken now than ever before.
There are smartphones now with multiple cameras built into the device to provide the best-looking image possible. Yet, despite all of this, fewer images are being put on display in a physical form.
Often times, an image is taken and uploaded to a social media account without being viewed ever again (until the social media account reminds you of the photograph a year later). With a framed photograph, you’ll always have the memory right in front of you.
So, whether it’s celebrating a marriage, a birth, or even the purchase of a new vehicle, if an image is framed and put on display, there’s usually an important moment behind it.
Tips and Tricks for Framed Photos
If you want the best-looking photograph possible and the highest-quality display, there are a few tips and suggestions you need to follow. Framing your photographs is easy and doesn’t take much time of effort.
However, this simple gesture shows your clients how much you appreciate them. You just need to decide how elaborate you want the framed photo to be.
Printing the Photo
First, never print it on a traditional computer printer or on computer paper. The paper isn’t designed for that kind of quality, and the ink from your printer is not designed for that either. If you have invested in a photo printer or even a computer printer designed for a photograph, you can use this.
You will need to purchase photo paper though. When selecting the photo paper, there are different grades to consider (five stars being the highest, but also the most expensive). You also must decide if you want a matte finish to the paper or if you want it glossy.
This shouldn’t have too much of an impact on the price of the paper.
A traditional photograph is going to be 5×7 or 4×6 although there are different sized papers to choose from when buying photo paper. It comes down to the size you’re interested in.
Do note, the larger the photograph the more expensive the entire framing project will cost.
If you don’t have such a printer, you need to save the full-resolution image onto a flash drive and take it to a local print shop. Your local Walmart will print the photograph. Most corner drug stores, such as Walgreens or CVS, can help you out with this as well.
If you expect to do framed photos, regularly it will become more cost effective to invest in a quality photo printer.
Mat or No Mat
Now that you have the printed paper, you need to decide if you want a mat or no mat. A mat will provide the photograph with a professional appearance and help draw interest to the photo.
This is something you can cut on your own or you can take it in to have a professional cut the mat.
You will need to invest in some additional equipment, and cutting the mat may take some practice, but it’s worth it if you want to present the image in a more professional appearance. If you don’t want a mat, you can skip to the “Framing” step.
Cutting The Mat
If you’ve decided on a mat, you have three options. The first it to pay a professional for the mat. The second is to purchase a pre-cut mat, and the third is to cut the mat yourself.
If you are using a standard 4×6 or 5×7 photograph, you’ll find loads of pre-cut mat options that work just fine and will save you money over paying a professional to cut the same mat. If you’re using a different size photo or you want to alter the size of your mat, then cut the mat yourself.
Cutting the mat yourself will take a bit of math, but it isn’t that tricky. First, select the mat board you’re interested in. There will be a color side and then the back, a white side.
You will want to pick up a mat board that fits into the desired frame size. Let’s say, for example, you bought a frame that is 7×9 and you want to place your 5×7 photo in it. Not a problem at all.
First, purchase your 7×9 mat board (or cut it down to this size). On a clean, flat surface, place the mat color side down. You now need to measure out the window.
With a 5×7 you’ll have an inch border on each side (an inch board on top, an inch border on the bottom, and left and right). However, when you’re measuring out the border, you need to give some overlap.
If you make the window exactly 5×7, the photograph will flop out. Instead, you want a quarter-inch overhang on all sides (you can make the overhang smaller, but a quarter of an inch is easier to work with without covering up much of the photograph).
So, measure 1.25 inches on the back of the mat and, using a ruler and a pencil, draw out the border. With the 1.25-inch border all the way around, you’re ready to cut it out.
You can purchase a small mat board cutter from your local arts and craft store. With this cutter, you’ll notice the razor blade is angled inward.
Also, if you look at a professional cut mat board, you’ll see there is a white angled space between the colored mat and the photograph. It slopes up from the photo to the colored portion.
This is because of the angle of the blade. So, take your measured mat board and keep the color facing down. Slide the border portion into the mat cutter and line the line up with the mat cutter’s ruler.
The blade will have a small line right where the blade starts.
Position this on the perpendicular pencil line, then cut it down until you reach the opposite perpendicular pencil line. Repeat this process for all the cuts until you’ve cut the window out.
Frame the Photograph
If you cut out a mat, go over the colored side of the mat and use a white eraser to remove any dirt or pencil marks. You may also have some hanging threads on the mat.
You can use a knife or sandpaper to smooth this out. Place the photograph behind the cut-out window and tape it down with masking tape.
Now, insert it into the frame and close the frame. You now have a professionally framed picture that you can give to your clients.
Conclusion
Whether you’re interested in framing the photograph on your own or you want some professional help to create the display, a framed photograph can instantly connect you with your clients. This single photograph shows how important they are to you and will constantly remind them of the framed memory.
So, no matter what the event is for, if it’s worth framing, it’s worth saving and sharing. It doesn’t cost much to go with a professional for a small photograph, and it costs even less to frame and display the image yourself.
Whatever you decide to do, you’ll always be able to draw in that important connection to your clients with framed photos.