How to frame your giclee prints
A collector requested two large framed giclee prints of my fashion illustrations and since I never showed you how I frame my prints, I thought it’d be fun to make this video. Watch the video above for a full description on how to frame your giclee print or read the tips below.
Always frame your giclee prints behind glass and with a matt, so it keeps its distance from the glass. This way you’ll ensure the longevity of your beautiful giclee print. If you’re in the Netherlands, I buy mine from de Lijstenfabriek. Barth is a good quality brand to start. Optional is framing it in museum glass, which is non-reflective (don’t confuse this with non-reflective glass because that’s a matt look and I personally don’t prefer it).
Thoroughly clean the surface you’re framing your prints, you don’t want any smudges on there!
Place the matt upside down on your surface and place the print behind the matt. Measure if it’s the right distance on all four corners.
Tape the giclee print to the matt with acid-free tape. I only tape it at the top and depending on the size of the print also on the sides. You can let the giclee print ‘hang’ in the frame.
Turn the giclee print and matt around and check if it still has the right measurements.
Remove the backing of the frame and clean the glass with a clean microfiber cloth (no dust!) or with a can of compressed air.
Place the matt and print in the frame and check if there’s still no dust (this may take a few turns).
Once you’re happy with the placement and there’s no dust on your giclee print, place acid free paper behind the matt and replace the backing of the frame.
Admire your beautifully framed giclee print!
Learning how to frame your own giclee prints can be quite the money-saver but it’s also not as easy as you might think. The bigger the print, the harder it is to work clean and make all the measurements fit, so I’d recommend for a larger print to let it be done by a professional framer. It’s a little more expensive but you’ll have the guarantee that it’s perfect and dust free and it saves you a few hours.
