Our Standard Frames
We have two different ranges of standard frame to meet the ready made market.
One is the range developed for our online store, launched in store in 2016 and online in 2019. This is our core offering, with classic, versatile frames as the forefront.
The other is our offcuts range, which is exclusively in store. When we have leftovers from a custom job, if it isn’t enough to save for the next time we will cut it down into standard sizes frames. These are often one offs but made from all frame profiles on the sample wall. You’ll find standard black frames, hand finished Italian frames, and everything in between.
About the Artefact Frames Range
We developed this range as we saw a gap in the market for a quality standard frame range. Unlike some of the other offerings out there, our frames use the same quality of material as our custom framing work does, using archival grade mat boards and backing, with options for UV glass.
The idea behind this was creating a frame that will last as long as any custom frame will, meaning you can keep special things on the wall looking good for longer, or give you a frame you can change the art in time and time again for years. We’re all about minimising the things that end up in landfill.
The range is available both in our Auckland based workshop, and online to be shipped Aotearoa wide.
If you order in store there are many fitting options available, including sticking prints down to keep them flat over time, that are not available to online order customers.
The range is set to be expanded Autumn/Winter 2025, with a brand new website along side. These will likely be launched in store prior to launching online as a soft launch and test.
About the Offcuts Range
Custom framing inherently results in a fair amount of waste, as everything we makes is specifically made and sized to order.
The frame profiles we buy come in lengths between 2.4m and 3m, and usually in packs of 2 lengths. Sometimes we will use half of that, sometimes all, but if we have a left over it may be too small to warrant saving for the next customer, or be something we sell infrequently, and putting it back in the racks will likely result in it getting damaged over time.
To minimise what ends up in the bin (because we hate throwing things away) we will pre-empt the damage and cut them into standard sized frames, making them as large as we can from the piece we have. As a result, we have a lot of black and white box frames, but we also have some stunning one off finds from large ornate frames, to Spanish and Italian imports.
This also has the added benefit of helping us use small pieces of backing, glass and mat board that we will either hoard, or eventually cave into getting rid of if we have no other use for them.
The offcuts range is only available in store as many frames are one off and wont be repeated.
How do people use our standard frames?
Fitting their existing work
Between standard prints and posters bought online, kids art done at school and family photos, there are endless ways to use this range.
When frames are purchased in the workshop, we offer mat cutting and fitting services, making it easier than every to make even slightly odd sized things work in the range.
The beauty of these ranges in particular is it makes creating a gallery wall of things, be they prints, photos or everything in between, more affordable to do, whilst getting a look that feels custom.
Some people start with the artwork they have and choose frames to suit, others will start with frames and print to suit, which bring us to the best friend to the standard frame range…
Utilising our in house print services
One of the reasons we invested in a gorgeous new printer in 2023 was to make the framing process even more simple for your photos. For the standard frames, it means you can find a frame you love and we can print the photo to the correct size of the frame for you.
With our new printer, we can now print more sizes, on more paper stocks, with more vivid colours.
Just looking at out print schedule for some examples, in the past week we have printed:
A series of black and white family photos for a 3 - up standard frame
A professional photographers commissioned work for a family to document their family farm
Wedding photos for a couple gifting them to family post wedding, as well as a few for their own wall
A photo scan produced and retouched in house, reprinted so the family could have copies of this one of family heirloom image
A collage of family photos printed to A2 to fit into an Artefact Poster Frame
A series of photographs for a photographer launching her online print store