BUYING READY-MADE FRAMES
Because photographs, unlike paintings, tend to come in standard
sizes dictated by paper size, it is usually straightforward
enough to fi nd a suitable ready-made frame in the smaller
sizes—that is, below 24 × 36 inches or 594 × 841 mm. You
might think that in looking for a ready-made frame, the priority
should be fi nding one that looks good. However, the most
important element is, in many ways, the back of the frame
rather than the front. Inexpensive frames can look good from
the front but still have a number of problems:
• poor construction and weak corners, which means that being moved around will
cause the frame to eventually collapse
• problems in attaching the plates or wire to hang it by, because the wood is too soft
to hold a screw
• small metal teeth holding the removable back of the frame in place, which can break
and fall off after a time—the fastening system for the back of the frame should be
strong
• cheap wood used for the frame, or a poor wood fi nish, which renders the
frame vulnerable to being dented or scratched and its appearance diffi cult to
maintain