Journal · pricing
How much does custom framing cost? Real numbers, from the bench.
Most framing sites ask you to fill out a form, then wait for an email. We’d rather tell you the ranges up front, and let you see your own number while you try frames on your photo.
Three things that set the price
Size does most of the work. We buy moulding by the foot and glass by the square inch, so a 30×40 costs a lot more than an 11×14 in the same design.
The frame style is the biggest swing. A slim black profile and a wide carved gold frame can be hundreds apart on the same piece.
The glass is the quiet third. Regular glass, conservation glass that blocks most UV, or museum glass that also cuts glare. Mats and special mounting matter too, but less than people think.
You’ll see the price as you build it.
Honest starting points
| What you're framing | Typical starting range | What moves it up |
|---|---|---|
| Small photo or print (up to ~11×14), simple profile | from around $100 | museum glass, wide mouldings |
| Mid-size piece (16×20 – 24×36), mat + conservation glass | roughly $200–$500 | double mat, premium profiles |
| Large statement piece (30×40 and up) | $500 and up | museum glass, gilded or stacked mouldings |
| Jersey or shadowbox | priced at the bench | depth, layout, and how we mount it — send a photo for a real number |
| Canvas stretching (your canvas, our bars) | $54 at 16×20 · $109 at 24×36 · $250 at 40×60 | oversize splicing past 108″ |
| Gallery-wrapped canvas print (we print + stretch) | from $100 | size — $23/sq ft |
Your exact number depends on the design you pick. That’s why the online designer shows the price live. The ranges above are for framed prints. Shadowboxes we quote in person, because depth and mounting change everything.
Why custom costs more than a store frame
A ready-made frame is a box in a stock size. Custom framing is cut to your piece, built with materials that won’t stain the paper, sealed for Florida humidity, and finished with choices a $30 frame doesn’t make. For a throwaway poster, buy the poster frame. For Grandma’s watercolor, a signed jersey, or the diploma — the piece decides.
Where people overspend
Museum glass in a dark hallway with no windows. Mats so wide they fight the room. Rush fees you could skip by bringing the piece in a week earlier. And the classic: replacing a whole frame when a new mat would have fixed it. Not sure? Send a photo of the art and the wall. A framer will design it, price it for free, and tell you where not to spend.
Ways in
Price your piece in the designer · Glass tiers · Frame color & style · Bring it by the shop · trade.
Try a frame on your photo.
Pick the moulding, mat, and glass. The price updates as you go.
Frame your photo