By Jon Kellogg
Our autographs are an investment to our collections, whether they are $1.00 or $1,000, they are ours! We all collect for different reasons. It is nice to show off our items to others, but we need to protect our investments. Now the easiest way is to make a copy, slap it into a frame and call it a day. There is absolutely nothing wrong with that, but to me it is not the same and I like to display the real deal. So how do we do this?
The easy way is to find a trust worthy framer to do the dirty work for you. If you like a challenge, you can do it yourself with a small investment.
Let’s look at why we need to frame the way we do. Besides looking good, safety is the major reason we as collectors frame and mat a picture. Moisture can ruin our graphs in seconds. It can be humid weather, steam or even a pipe breaking that can cause humidity to rise. We combat this by matting the picture. This allows air to move around the picture reducing moisture. The moisture causes mold and can make the ink stick to the glass, especially on glossy prints. This space also allows the picture to expand and contract with temperature changes (the wrinkles you see sometimes, especially with posters). The picture can be held in place with archival tape or photo corners – more on those later.
What kind of mat do you need?
Archival. Any product that comes into contact with the picture needs to be archival / acid free. Paper made from wood-based pulp that has not had its lignin removed turns yellow, becomes brittle, and deteriorates over time. This will leach onto the picture. Now almost all matting is acid free, but you need to make sure. There are for types of mats.
• Regular Mat Board (sometimes called Paperboard) offered by Bainbridge and Crescent. A 4-ply acid neutralized mat board, the industry standard, and the most popular kind.
• Alphamat Artcare by Bainbridge is a conservation quality archival mat board made of alpha cellulose fibers. 100% acid and lignin free throughout.
• Rag Mat Board by Crescent is an acid free, lignin free cotton core mat board. Archival quality. Face papers are acid neutralized.
• Museum Rag 100 by Crescent is a 100% cotton mat board. Both the core and face papers are acid and lignin free. Archival, conservation quality.
How do you secure a picture to the mat board?
There are 2 main ways to secure your picture: tape and photo corners. There are pros and cons with each type.
Tape: Tape is very common. It is a secure way to keep the picture in place. But it needs to be acid free and photo safe. The downside is that you are sticking tape on your item.
Photo corners: These are an alternative to tape. They hold the picture on the corners. There will not be any residue left on your item. These are great for smaller items, 8×10 and smaller. I prefer these when framing index cards, trading cards and 8×10’s. The cons for corners are they do not secure your item and it could move. Larger pictures could be too heavy and sag.
What backing should be used?
This is an easy answer, black foam core. It is acid free and will keep your mat and picture in place. This is held into the frame by points. Points are used to hold the mat, mount board and glass or acrylic inside the wood picture frame molding. These are the little metal tabs that you bend up on a store bought frame. They can be rigid – will not bend. Or flexible – will bend and allow the picture to be changed easy.
What type of glass should you use?
There are many factors to consider when choosing the right glass for you.
Plain glass is the cheapest option for framing. It’s sometimes called standard, float glass, or basic glass. This comes in ready-made frames.
Pros: Inexpensive, protects against dust, can see the art clearly
Cons: Reflects overhead lights and sunlight, which can obscure your view of the picture.
Non-Reflective Glass (NRG) and Anti-Reflective Glass, on this type of glass, there is usually an anti-reflection coating that disperses light in order to reduce reflections, enhancing visibility of the photo or art. NRG may be acid etched to give it a non-glare on one or both sides. It may also be known as anti-glare or non-glare glass.
Pros: Does not reflect light, can make your piece look better, can be used on oil paintings
Cons: More expensive, some basic low-grade types can dull colors, make the art unclear.
Ultraviolet (UV)-protected glass, UV
can damage your art as it’s transmitted through the glass. To guard against this, some glass coating
reflects or absorbs the UV spectrum.
Pros: Almost completely UV absorbent, protects against fading
Cons: Chemically-deposited UV absorbers make a less scratch-resistant surface,
may increase absorption of visible light
Anti-Reflective and UV-protected glass, this type of glass is nearly invisible, anti-reflective with conservation-grade UV protection. For art and photographs that are particularly valuable, this is the best option. It not only blocks up to 90% of indoor and outdoor light, but it helps maintain the clarity and brightness of the art.
Pros: Anti-reflective, UV-protection, nearly invisible
Cons: More expensive
How to pick a frame
I completely stole these tips on choosing the right frame.
Tip 1: Don’t overemphasize matching specific colors in your photo to the frame color. Instead, consider the overall tone of the image when selecting a frame.
Tip 2: Select a lighter frame for casual or simple art—and choose a darker frame for more elegant or formal pieces.
Tip 3: Matching a frame to your existing room decor is more important than matching a color in your image to the frame itself. Choose a frame that either compliments your current decor or adds just the right spark of contrast.
Tip 4: To help your artwork stand out, ensure your frame color isn’t too similar to your wall color. Tip 5: Your mat color and frame color should be different. When they’re too similar, attention is drawn to the framing rather than the artwork.
The last thing to consider is the backing. This seals the back to keep dust out, yet allow for the humidity and temperature changes. This stuck to the back of the frame with double sided tape. All it is is kraft paper. Kraft paper is paper produced from chemical pulp produced in the kraft process. Sack kraft paper, or just sack paper, is a porous kraft paper with high elasticity and high tear resistance, designed for packaging products with high demands for strength and durability. When I do my own I just use a brown paper grocery bag (I’m pretty cheap).
I hope this helps. This is just a basic guide and if there is enough interest, I can provide a basic Do-It-Yourself guide.
Be sure to follow Jon on Facebook. He is an administrator for the Through The Mail Star Wars Group, which we mention often on our podcast. In addition you can follow his personal autograph collecting by “Liking” Jon’s Collections and requesting membership to his other collecting group Star Wars Patch, Pins and Coins.
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