Digital BW, The Print

A big decision is 8 ply vs 4 ply and whether you want to cut them yourself.
Personally I'd advise buying cut mats (either custom or from a range of
"standard" sizes) as cutting mats well without a very expensive computer
cutter is a royal pain - especially 8 ply.  In the UK it is almost
impossible to find someone who has the equipment to cut 8 ply mats well.  I
can order custom cut mats from Frame Destination cheaper than I can order an
uncut sheet of the same material in the UK (at wholesale prices).  I have 22
custom cut mats from FD sitting next to me now.  They are perfect (and were
perfectly packaged).  Their frames are soft wood and don't travel as well
internationally and so I've started making my own frames using a local chop
service.  I pay a premium to get custom pre-cut lengths (but don't have any
off-cut wastage) and assemble them myself. Have a look at FD's website.  I
can't recommend the quality of Mark Rogers' service enough.

Steve 


> From: Tom Baker <tbaker1328@...>
> Reply-To: <DigitalBlackandWhiteThePrint@yahoogroups.com>
> Date: Tue, 31 Jan 2006 10:29:02 -0800 (PST)
> To: <DigitalBlackandWhiteThePrint@yahoogroups.com>
> Subject: Re: [Digital BW] Good, cheap mats, frames
> 
> In the end there is a baseline price for all quality products.  Many reputable
> vendors will be charging essentially the same price.  However, look locally.
> Shipping costs on this stuff can be high, offsetting any savings over what you
> pay locally.  
>    
>   Tom Baker
> 
> CDTobie@... wrote:
>   
> In a message dated 1/31/06 12:56:27 PM, jymbo46@... writes:
> 
> 
>> I am just starting to mat and frame some of my work and I need the
>> opinion of the forum as to who has the best combination of price and
>> quality. These would be from 13"x19" down to 8 1/2"x11".
>>