Framing and displaying large prints without glass. Showing prints in a safe and economical way.

Framing big photo prints behind glass becomes expensive and difficult to handle for large prints. How I frame and mount some prints for exhibition and sale.
The lamination process also makes the prints much better suited to a residential environment allowing for dusting and cleaning, as well as removing reflection problems.
The print in the video is of Lake Granby in Colorado
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[@clarkbarrow6750]

Excellent information on how to display a print without using glass. And, I like the bright light-filled room you’re in. Nice.

[@KeithCooper]

Glad it was helpful! - This is our new conservatory at the back of the house. Design/decor courtesy of Karen [the other half of Northlight Images]

[@clarkbarrow6750]

@@KeithCooper excellent. Please give my compliments to Karen on a job well done.

[@KeithCooper]

Thanks - will do!

[@mipmipmipmipmip]

Thanks Keith! It looks great! With small kids in the house I don't want glass panes on the wall that can fall down, looking for options like these.

[@KeithCooper]

Thanks - this one hangs near our bed, so I do have concerns with big sheets of glass.

[@batex3]

Great alternative for your large prints! In US we call the angled board you used for mounting a French cleat.

[@KeithCooper]

Thanks - it might even be the same here, I'm not a framing expert by any measure! ;-)

[@wiseguy8828]

It’s not a framing term it’s a woodworking term !

[@deraldart]

just the info i needed, thanks. love the decorations in your new studio. i watched this twice.

[@KeithCooper]

Glad it was helpful! - I'm not allowed to leave kit set up in this location though ;-)

[@JH-qv3xv]

This frame approach is an interesting option and your point on matching a room color, so true. Thanks

[@KeithCooper]

Thanks - it's a good way of dealing with some of my very big prints

[@christophernation4793]

Big bits of glass 🤥. My ex is a painter. She had a friend in the studio helping with assembling the pictures for an exhibition. The friend was walking with a big pane of glass, slipped, fell and cut her throat. Died on the studio floor ... I've just hung a 170cm x 70cm [67" x 28"] print which I framed myself. I had a spare panel of 3mm ply. I ran 40mm x 20mm batten round the edges of the back to give it stiffness. I could screw this thru' from the print side because the screw heads would be covered by the edge trim. I stuck the print to the ply with spray glue, leaving 70mm ply showing rounds the edges. I covered that with glossy black 70mm wide 'plinth' [that was what that section of the DIY shed called these profiles] square at the outer edges, a chamfer profile to the print edge. Looks fab! A 2.4m length of this 'plinth' is €4.60. It's glossy black plastic film stuck to an MDF profile.

[@KeithCooper]

That's a horrid thing to happen - the plastic/board is so much safer

[@boristahmasian9604]

Hi Keith, The frame and picture look really good. For economical presentation, I chose 1.5" gallery wrapped canvas. It looks great without needing any frame or glass. I have a print that is 11 years old and it looks like day one. I do brush on a coating for extra protection.

[@KeithCooper]

Thanks -That's a good idea, but [personally] I really dislike canvas for some images - this one gives me the look of a smooth art paper

[@boristahmasian9604]

@@KeithCooperI agree. For personal use I prefer framed art. But for low cost applications, canvas seems to come out ahead. The look is not bad either.

[@KeithCooper]

Yes - the customers tastes [or lack thereof] will win out ;-) This way has proven very popular for some of my commercial images, where the desire was for an obvious 'photograph' and getting an 8-10 foot long print conventionally framed was not practical.

[@jbairdexp]

That was really interesting Keith. I hadn't considered this way of displaying prints before. Very useful! 🙂

[@KeithCooper]

Glad it was helpful! I came across this whilst looking for more economical ways of displaying prints commercially - where it mattered that they could be cleaned.

[@ivorcomment1526]

I use foamboard but had not thought of laminating it - glass is so heavy in the frame as well - this is a MUCH better solution. Just need to find a foamex laminator now ! Many Thanks

[@KeithCooper]

Look for local sign making companies - they often do all sorts of unusual stuff...

[@tedbrown7908]

Foam Board and French cleats. Very light weight for large photo prints. Very nice.

[@KeithCooper]

Thanks It works well, and is decidedly safer than big sheets of glass

[@kbee33]

So helpful!! Thank you!!

[@KeithCooper]

Glad it was helpful!

[@grahameanderson6913]

As is usual with the youtube this video popped into my feed and I've got a lot from it, thank you very much Keith. The biggest thing I got is the notion that people may choose an artwork to blend in with their decoration. I used to be a keen photographer and this insight may trigger further thoughts. Thanks again.

[@KeithCooper]

Thanks - glad it was of interest

[@grahameanderson6913]

@@KeithCooper yeah it was and I've subscribed on the back of it🙂

[@lynsmith1096]

Nice tips Keith

[@KeithCooper]

Thanks

[@ronboe6325]

Us photographers can be a most annoying lot.... :^) Reminds me of a party my wife's thesis adviser gave. I used to work in lumberyards and was at the time so I was quietly sitting there, minding my own business and "inspecting" the woodwork. His wife busted me - they had finished and installed the trim themselves and was apparently very sensitive to people looking at it. Sue was mortified! LOL To this day I still manage to annoy folks. sigh.....

[@KeithCooper]

Of course, that's half the fun... ;-)

[@ronboe6325]

@@KeithCooper LOL

[@nachnamevorname5917]

Same here 😁

[@zpeckler]

Freakin' loving your Ferocactus, Keith!

[@KeithCooper]

Thanks - when we had the new conservatory, I was allowed to keep them as long as they were in nice pots ;-) The pots have gravel in the base which eliminates any watering issues with the plants in ordinary brown clay pots...

[@nachnamevorname5917]

I must say, Karen is very good to you. You should work very hard to justify that! ​@@KeithCooper

[@jeffreywrightphotography]

Rather than using foamboard try gatorboard. It's very similar but the inner foam is a bit more dense and the outer surface is infused with wood fibers and resin rather than just paper. It is much stronger, stiffer, and more durable than standard foam board but nearly the same weight and only a little more expensive. It won't warp and bow so easily.

[@KeithCooper]

Ah yes - another option for the board... Yes there are several. I just used what the signage company had available.

[@christophernation4793]

It comes in a variety of densities, from a foamy core like the old Aero chocolate bars to solid.

[@iigal]

Thanks a lot keith, this is great and I also struggle on how to mount big prints. Can you comment on what that top plastic film does to the paper?

[@KeithCooper]

There are several types of film available - this one has a light matte finish. You can see the lack of reflection in the video. It has very little colour, perhaps s little cool. I've produced prints on smooth cotton rag, baryta style papers and a thicker lustre photo paper. It effectively replaces the surface finish with the film. I'd note again, this is not technique aimed at the 'fine art' market or anyone fussy about paper characteristics ;-)

[@thedarkslide]

I got a 30 by 40 inches print framed professionally two years ago with museum quality glass, the frame, glass and work came up to USD800. It is expensive.

[@KeithCooper]

Yes - I've had to delicately broach the issue of frame price to a few people in the past when they've enquired about some of my big pano prints. The technique in this video has been very popular with some commercial clients who wanted impressive 'big' prints, but were not bothered by their 'fine art' or archival credentials ;-)

[@thedarkslide]

@@KeithCooper Another option I am looking into is canvas prints, including Heirloom Canvas Wrap prints, they come with a UV protective layer that is sprayed on. Not cheap either. I am still on the fence.

[@flol3266]

Great idea! I am also not a fan of big glass frames.

[@KeithCooper]

Thanks - I'd forgotten how much lighter it was too, when I took it off the wall to bring it down to do the video.

[@killpop8255]

A complication of going with glass (I know this isn't using gIass) I've seen is some really bad (?) glass on pictures, where the glass is quite green in colour and it really affects the print presentation. Not sure if Joe Public would notice or care tho. Just remembered now I actually have some spray on stuff in my bedroom that I bought decades ago. It's supposed to give a new surface to the print, eg spray glossy to make it matt. Never seen anything like it since, altho I've not been looking.

[@KeithCooper]

Yes - good picture grade glass is needed and it's not cheap. As to coatings - I just don't like using the stuff

[@nospam-hn7xm]

Keith, truly appreciate your channel and the information you provide. Would you, please, provide some additional detail as to what lamination film was used on the front of the image? Thank you!

[@KeithCooper]

Thanks! Unfortunately I can't offer any detail, since I just went to a small local sign-making company and asked what they had got. They had one with a semi-gloss look and one with a matt finish.

[@nospam-hn7xm]

@@KeithCooper Understood. Thank you for such a timely reply!

[@CassidyHansen]

Keith, I love you, dude, and your videos are so informative. I just know you'll normalize the audio next take. ;) Thanks again. Cheers!

[@KeithCooper]

Thanks, but nothing's shot with more than one take, or with a script :-) I just forget where the microphone is sometimes...

[@CassidyHansen]

@@KeithCooper The 1-take, no-script style suits you well! It was only a minor nitpick ;)

[@miller1520]

@Keith: excellent video thank you. I wonder if you could offer some advice on how you choose the size of your borders? Not the frame size, but the size of the white border between it and the image. Thnx!

[@KeithCooper]

Thanks Borders depend on the frame and the image [oh and choice for the customer if it's not going in my house] They need to big enough to matter - so for a 24" x36" print 1" is probably no good - 3-4" just feels better It's all rather imprecise ;-) Of course, for smaller frames/images the size depends on the image too, but may be governed by what size paper you are using. Oh, and I have a matt cutter, so custom sizes are fine. If I'm matting the image I like to have a bit of overlap, so image expansion may come in [the matt usually overlaps image, so as not to show the image border on the paper.

[@iandavis1355]

Hi Keith. Thanks very much for this video as it's quite timely. Three of my prints were just put on display at a gallery. I mounted one print directly on to Gatorfoam Board (I sprayed it with MOAB Desert Varnish to protect it from curious fingers.) The other two are behind thin acrylic. While the first prints works well on the Gator board, the other two just lose that little bit of quality behind acrylic. (I used to use regular glass as a protector but went to non-glare glass for obvious reasons. However, both uses are heavy and the latter quite expensive.) I have another show coming up where I need to supply 3 more prints and I've been debating what to do. I use quality, cotton rag paper and it seems a shame to put it behind glass or acrylic. The subtlety of the paper's texture and how it plays with light is compromised. How does the plastic film work with your paper? Is the paper texture visible? Are the colours accurate? How UV resistant is this plastic and will it protect the print from UV if hung in a bright location? Thanks again!

[@KeithCooper]

Thanks - the film here is a matte finish - makes very little difference to the look of the print from a colour POV, but if you make significant use of textured papers, that's an issue. There are several different sorts - I just went to a local signmaking company to see what they could do. No idea about UV - not something I asked about when I got it done. These prints are very much aimed at the 'decorative' end of my print making.

[@wgalloPT]

Does the transparent plastic film covering the picture has a name I could refer to when going to framers? Just wondering...great idea !!! I loved it !!

[@KeithCooper]

It's a matt laminating film. Note that I first got the lamination done by a sign making company, and then took the laminated print to a framers to make the custom frame. Not all framers will have the lamination kit.

[@wgalloPT]

@@KeithCooper Dont want to bug you...sorry but you said the board is glued onto a board...when you take it to the sign company it is already glued onto the board or you take the print directly to the sign company? I really like the idea...

[@KeithCooper]

No, the sign company glued and laminated it - then cut to size. Then I took that to the framers. I'm afraid my videos are always shot in one take and unscripted, so apologies if it wan't fully clear ;-)

[@wgalloPT]

@@KeithCooper Hey amazing job, now i understood, thank you !

[@MrX-zz2vk]

Beautiful scene there. You mentioned that you printed it with one of the Canon 44" printers, but what are the image dimensions? And the camera format used?

[@KeithCooper]

Thanks The camera was a Canon 1Ds mk3 - printed on an iPF8300. The print is roughly 29" x 43"

[@benny4legs]

Hi Keith, this is a useful idea, thanks. One thing I didn't quite understand though - what is the top baton actually screwed into?

[@KeithCooper]

Into the foam board [it's a fairly solid type] - not very deep [2-3mm] hence the application of hot melt glue...

[@benny4legs]

@@KeithCooper ah ok, how thick is the foam board then? I'm used to the 5mm stuff from hobbycraft.

[@KeithCooper]

@@benny4legs Probably about 5mm - this is quite a solid form and takes the screws - not enough for me to trust it without glue ;-) I've no idea what brand it actually is - it's one used in the local sign-making company I went to

[@gerhardbotha7336]

Keith, what are your thoughts about online large format printing services for this kind of photography? Obviously not many of us can print our own, and my experience of having prints made at the local print shop was not amazing… so up to just over A3 I do myself. But I would like a few larger prints

[@KeithCooper]

I've not used such services. I was going to be doing some work with one, but it's been pushed back to the autumn for various reasons

[@viperspd2]

that looks fantastic! So when i take my photo to a printing service i have to both ask for lamination and then ask for them to adhere the laminated photo to foamex?

[@KeithCooper]

Not quite - the lamination and foamex were done at the same time for this example. It also depends on finding somewhere to get it done - I've no idea if anyone offers both the printing and lamination. I just took the print along to a signmaking company

[@viperspd2]

@@KeithCooper thanks for the quick reply! And again, excellent work, really love both the photo you captured and how you framed it using this method!

[@mb-moose]

Very interested. Any chance you could indicate ball park cost?

[@KeithCooper]

It's very difficult to give any specific info, since it was using two local companies. IIRC the lamination was ~£20 and the framing ~£40 [depends on the quality/size/thickness of the frame material] The board used was, I'm told, available up to 5 metres by special order [3m more easily] - the bit used for this picture was from an off-cut, so may have been cheaper. One of those things where it's worth just looking for local companies and going in to ask them if they can help.

[@mb-moose]

@@KeithCooper cheers, just what I needed. 🍻🍻

[@pedrocaldeira1604]

Couldn´t you use the Hahnamulle spray instead of the plastic?

[@KeithCooper]

Messy, smelly and difficult to get a smooth coating at that size free of dust and runs. This one takes no effort on my part is quite cheap and looks good for prints on the wall. I'd pick this as an option for prints in my home or commercial sales any time over spraying ;-)

[@pedrocaldeira1604]

@@KeithCooper not that complicated and the semell it's only a few minutes. Very easy to apply. It's my choice because it keeps the paper charecteristics. I would only put plastic film over low quality paper and prone to abuse. I would never put plastic film over my beloved papers.

[@KeithCooper]

That's as maybe - this is for people who the concept of 'beloved papers' is completely meaningless... Other slightly smaller prints around the house are conventionally mounted and do have glass. I merely offer this as an alternative mounting technique - I know that some will hate it, but others will appreciate the possibilities. It's an option - much like spray, which I'd personally never use on a paper which mattered at all to me - YMMV it seems ;-)

[@pedrocaldeira1604]

@@KeithCooper i'm a little astonished with you answer... sorry I took your time...

[@KeithCooper]

Why astonished? As a commercial photographer, I learned it's important to accept that my own preferences/choices are sometimes secondary for things like prints - especially when someone wants to buy one of the big ones ;-) :-) My personal favourite prints are printed on papers I've chosen and traditionally mounted in matts I've cut myself. I'd also note that sprays and coatings can change the tonality of prints - making accurate high quality icc profiling a potential issue.

[@oneeyedphotographer]

3:45 French cleats?

[@KeithCooper]

I don't know - it's not a term I've ever heard used, but then again I'm not a picture framer ;-)

[@harrybradley]

That's what came to my mind too.

[@christophernation4793]

That term is used in UK as well as the USA. Two battens are cut with a V-profile on one edge. The batten screwed to the wall has the sloping face to the wall. The batten on the object to hang has the sloping face outwards, facing the person holding the object. The profile of the batten on the object slips behind the profile of the wall batten and the object is supported.

[@josephinewaldron9550]

sorry just want to make a frame😂

[@KeithCooper]

You need a woodworking channel for that... ;-) I buy them from a commercial frame making company.