Frequently Asked Questions

When you look at a framed picture, the picture is usually placed inside a mount that’s been cut to the size of the frame. This has a number of purposes. The pictures can be greatly enhanced by separating them from the frame, the mount can be used to give a contrast or gradient depending on the colour mount used or the mount can be used to put an odd sized picture into a standard frame. There are others, but these give you an idea.

It’s up to you. Some pictures look better with a wide mount, and some with a narrow one. Look at other examples of what you have in mind and decide. As a rule of thumb, the minimum size should be at least 20% bigger than your picture.

First, and most importantly, assume nothing. There’s an old saying, ‘Measure twice, cut once’. If the frame you’ve bought has its size on the label, measure it yourself. The imperial and metric sizes may not exactly tally because they’re often rounded up or down. Unless your picture has a border, subtract a little from the aperture size to give you something to tape down when you put the picture in. If your picture is 10” by 8” and you order a mount with that aperture size, the picture will fall straight through, and even if you can tape it in, you are likely to see edges, and that will detract from the end result.

An aperture, at least in this case, is where your picture or other item is going to be placed. It can be any size or shape, but essentially, it’s a hole in the mountboard that you will fill with your item.

Normally, supplied in cream it is a plain piece of mountboard the same size as your picture mount.  The purpose of this is to protect your item from harmful leaching from the frame back, it can also be used to attach items such as records or medal, and for those who are selling items unframed to gives a professional finish to your artwork when displayed in bags.

Either one is fine, but please don’t mix the two. Our software rounds up or down when you convert between the two. Sorry, but we can’t do anything about it. It’s only a fraction of a millimetre, but that can be critical.

With our machines, there is an element of what’s known as ‘overcut’ which means that if 2 apertures are less than 3mm apart, the board between the two apertures can become loose or fall out. We recommend a minimum of 1cm between apertures. Remember that all frames have an overhang, which you will need to measure before deciding where your apertures will be placed. Again, we recommend a minimum of 1 cm between the edge of the frame and the closest aperture.

We’ll need the external dimensions of your mount (this is the frame size). Next, we need the dimensions and shape of your aperture. If it’s a single aperture mount, we normally place the picture aperture in the centre. If you are ordering a multiple aperture mount, we’ll need to know the position as well as the size and shape of each aperture. For multi aperture mounts we can send you a mock up via email.

We have an extensive cut art library, all of which can be added to your mount (There are some size constraints though). Phone or email us and we’ll help you narrow down your search, then email you some choices.

Currently we only produce these for records and CDs. They include a mount, a frame and detailed instructions. They’re all you need to produce something ready to hang.

Our machines can cut up to 45” x 30” or 76 x 114cm. Whilst we can cut up to these dimensions, larger sizes will need to be collected, or special arrangements made regarding couriers.

Yes, but you’ll need to make an appointment. We don’t do 9 to 5. A few of our customers who live locally pick up their orders, but they always phone first.

Absolutely. We’ve produced mounts for cigarette cards, coins, medals (military and marathons), golf markers and some stranger requests like a sonic screwdriver and a Captain America chest plate! Call us and if it can be done, we’ll do it.

Sadly, not right now. It’s possible, but takes too long to make it a viable option purely on cost grounds

We can. Any of our cut art library can be put on a mount using a pen tool. We also have a library of fonts we can use to write on your mount. Phone or email for more details.

Whilst everything can be purchased as a single item, the pack sizes vary depending on how many mounts can be produced from a single sheet of board. We do this so we can offer you the best possible price.

Normally, a mount is made of one layer of mountboard, but either for aesthetic reasons or to add depth (mounting medals for instance), we would cut extra layers of board with the apertures in graduated sizes giving a stepped look to the aperture.

No, we don't. There are a lot of firms out there supplying frames. We supply a few special sizes and colours, but only with our DIY Kits and our Lettermounts.

If you only want one or two frames, Ikea is a good place to start (and they sell on line). Standard frame sizes can be found on most high streets in shops like Wilkinson or The Range. Remember to buy a frame larger than the item to be framed to leave room for the mount. If you are looking to buy larger quantities, please contact us and have a chat about your requirements.