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Ok I haven’t been framed yet. I’ve been trying to figure out this whole framing situation though. Did you know that framing is an extremely complicated thing? I thought it was just a matter of putting a rectangle of metal or wood around a piece of cardboard cut to show your photo in the middle. Simple, right? I tried to get a price quote from a popular framing place (The Framing Warehouse) and the impression I got is that it’s about as simple as the general theory of relativity. I told her how many prints I had and what sizes, and asked “How much?” The resulting sheet of paper (on the left) gave every possible framing contingency that could arise. I said, “Can you just give me a bottom line price?” and she said, “We’re still waffling about whether you want custom or pre-cut matte, or if you want regular or non-reflective glass!” I wasn’t waffling! I had told her, but she was so busy writing down this huge formula that she didn’t hear me! I just wanted a basic price. Anyway, after 30 minutes of so-called waffling (me telling her what I want and her not listening), what it boils down to is that a very simple frame for an 8×10 photo will cost me $32.50 plus tax, and I have to put the photo into it by myself. By the way, that includes them charging $1.50 for me installing the photo myself. 😐 If I want her to install it, it costs an extra $15 per photo. I couldn’t discern the difference between the crappy “ReddyMade Backload” frame that she was selling me and the kind you buy at WalMart for $3.97. She seemed quite embarassed about the pricing. She kept saying things like, “This is an expensive process,” and “I’ll see if I can save you a few bucks here.” Someone needs to give that girl some sales training. Anyway, I think I’ll take a trip to a photo store to see if they have any “ReddyMade Backload” frames that don’t look like cheap crap. I’ll pay myself $1.50 for the installation.
The other framing option is a place down the street run by a guy from Iran. His accent is so thick that I couldn’t understand a word he was saying. But, he seemed very nice. After much struggling, I managed to explain what I wanted, and he quoted me some much more reasonable prices. The frames are made from genuine Iranian wood. Did you know there was such thing? I guess they have trees in Iran, but I didn’t know they made them into picture frames for sale in Canada. The prices were very reasonable, but I can’t be sure that he actually understood what I was saying to him. The last thing I need is a bunch of weirdly custom-framed photos delivered the day before my show opens. The rest of today is dedicated to hunting down some pre-made frames. If I can’t find anything good tonight, I’ll head down to the Iranian guy’s store tomorrow. 🙂
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whoa boy.. what a pain in the ass 😛 I’ll install them for free! I run into this a lot 🙁 it’s quite aggravating especially when it’s a result of people not listening and resulting in a huge waste of time.
*massage* it will work out!
Iranian wood sounds pretty 😛
yeaa this is way more complicated than it should be. especially if you want custom made stuff in less than a week hehe
I figure you need custom stuff when you want something special and/or unusual, but since from what i understand yhou just want the basic basic stuff why not just buy the retail stuff?
good luck with stuff
yeah i want retail stuff, but it’s impossible to find 8×12 retail frames 😐 i like the “wall” style from nexxt, which is what i usually use, but they don’t make 8×12 or 20×30. 🙁