The signature and the edition number of a print are written in the lower margin. We frame the sheet at its full size, hinged on acid-free board, with both marks in view behind UV glazing.
We frame signed and numbered prints in our workshop at 1242 Davie Street. A limited edition is a fixed number of prints of one image. The artist signs each sheet, usually in pencil, and writes its number beside the signature. A number such as 12/50 means the twelfth print of an edition of fifty. Both marks are in the blank margin under the image, and the whole sheet, margin included, is the work the artist released. The frame is built to show all of it and to leave the sheet as it is.
The kinds of print, in plain words
Screenprint. Ink is pushed through a fine mesh onto the paper, one colour at a time. The ink forms a solid layer on the surface, and it scuffs when rubbed.
Lithograph. The image is drawn on a flat stone or metal plate and printed from it in a press.
Etching. Lines are cut into a metal plate with acid, filled with ink and pressed into damp paper. The plate leaves a pressed rectangle around the image, called the plate mark.
Giclee. An inkjet print made with pigment inks on art paper. The surface marks under a fingernail, so hold the sheet by its edges.
The margin stays whole
The lower margin carries the signature, the edition number, sometimes a title, and sometimes a blind stamp, a small raised mark pressed into the paper by the printer or the publisher. All of these stay visible. The sheet stays at its full size, and the frame is cut to fit the sheet. Trimming is permanent and removes part of the print as it was issued.
A wide mat opening, or a floated sheet
A mat is a border of card with an opening cut in it. You have two ways to show the margin.
A mat opening cut wider than the image. The opening shows the image, a band of blank margin, the signature and the number. On an etching it also shows the plate mark.
A floated sheet. The whole sheet lies on top of the backing board with its four edges in view. This suits a print on handmade paper with a rough edge, or one where the ink runs to the edge of the paper. Our float mounting page explains how it is done.
A drawing with blank board around it gives the same choice. Azure Whisper, a coloured pencil drawing on artboard of a toucan on a branch, 30 by 40 cm, has white space on every side, and a mat opening can show as much of it as you like.
The print is attached with hinges, small tabs of thin paper fixed to the top edge of the sheet. It hangs from them and is free at the sides and the bottom, so the paper can move as the air changes and still lie flat. The hinges come off later and leave the sheet as it was. Dry mounting fixes a sheet to a board with heat and adhesive across its whole back. It is permanent, so we advise against it for any signed print.
Board and glazing
The mat and the backing board are acid-free, which means they are made to stay free of the acid that turns paper brown. Our guide to acid-free mats and backing shows what ordinary card does over time. Glazing means the sheet of glass or acrylic at the front of the frame. We recommend UV glazing, which filters ultraviolet light, the part of daylight that causes the most fading. The mat, or a spacer (a thin strip hidden under the frame edge) on a floated sheet, keeps the glazing off the ink.
Acid-free board and UV glazing suit an original drawing as much as a print. Wild Grace is a coloured pencil drawing on artboard, 30 by 40 cm, of a woman with wavy brown hair, blue eyes and red lips, and it is one of the originals in our gallery.
A certificate, a receipt or a gallery label that came with the print belongs with it. Keep those papers together, and ask us at the counter about keeping them with the frame. If the print comes out of an older frame, keep any label from the back of that frame too.
What changes the cost
The size of the sheet, the width of the mat, the type of glazing and the moulding, the shaped length of wood or metal the frame is cut from. A floated sheet needs a deeper frame and a spacer. We quote at the counter with the print in front of us.
What to bring or send
Bring the print flat in a folder, or in its tube if it arrived rolled. If you live outside Vancouver, send the size of the sheet, the size of the image and a photograph that shows the lower margin. Photographs are covered on our photograph and print framing page, and original drawings under watercolour, pastel and drawing framing.
Walk in at 1242 Davie Street during opening hours. Enter your email on this page for a 10% framing code to show at the shop, and see custom framing for everything else we frame.
How it works
1
Bring it in, or send photographs
Walk in to 1242 Davie Street during opening hours. If you are not in Vancouver, send the dimensions and a photograph and we will work from that.
2
We look at the actual piece
What it is made of, what condition it is in, and where it is going to hang all change the answer. You get a straight recommendation and a price for your piece, not a rate card.
3
It is made by hand and fitted
Cut to the piece, using conservation materials, and finished with hanging hardware rated for the actual weight.
Common questions
Should the mat cover the signature on a limited edition print?
The mat should leave the signature on a limited edition print in full view. The signature and the edition number are written in the lower margin, so the mat opening is cut wider than the image to show a band of margin with both marks. A title or a small raised stamp in the same margin stays visible too. The other choice is to float the sheet so all of it shows.
What do the numbers in the corner of a print mean?
The numbers in the corner of a print give its place in the edition and the size of the edition. A print marked 12/50 is the twelfth of fifty. Letters in place of the first number have their own meaning: AP stands for artist's proof, one of a few extra prints kept by the artist. These marks are part of the print, so the frame keeps them in view.
Can a limited edition print be trimmed to fit a frame?
A limited edition print should stay at its full size, so the frame is cut to fit the sheet. The blank margin carries the signature and the edition number, and the full sheet is the work as the artist released it. Trimming is permanent. When a sheet is larger than you expected, a narrower mat or a slimmer moulding makes the outer size of the frame smaller.
What is a plate mark on an etching, and should it show?
A plate mark is the pressed rectangle that the metal plate leaves in the paper around an etching, and it should show in the frame. It shows that the image was printed from a plate under pressure. The mat opening is cut wider than the plate mark, with a band of plain paper between the mark and the edge of the mat. Keep heavy weights off the sheet, because pressure flattens the mark.
Is a giclee print framed differently from a screenprint?
A giclee print and a screenprint are framed by the same method, with one difference in handling. Both are hinged at the top edge on acid-free board behind UV glazing that is held off the surface. The inkjet surface of a giclee marks under a fingernail, and the thick ink layer of a screenprint scuffs when rubbed. Hold either sheet by its edges and keep a clean sheet of paper over the front.
Can a signed print be taken out of its frame later?
Yes, a signed print framed on hinges can be taken out of its frame later. The hinges are small tabs of thin paper at the top edge of the sheet, and they come off without leaving a mark. The sheet is its full size, with no glue across the back. That lets you change the mat, replace the glazing or move the print to a different frame.
My print has ink right to the edge of the paper. How is it framed?
A print with ink right to the edge of the paper is float mounted, so that no part of the image is covered. The sheet lies on top of the backing board with all four edges in view, held by hinges hidden behind it. A spacer under the edge of the frame keeps the glass or acrylic off the ink. The backing shows as a border around the sheet, and you choose its colour.
10% off your custom framing when you show this code at our shop
We frame, stretch canvas and reframe by hand, in our own workshop inside the gallery at
1242 Davie Street. Enter your email and your code appears right here. Show it at the
counter and we take 10% off the job. The code does not expire.
Send the measurements, what it is made of, and a photograph. We will tell you what it actually needs, including when the answer is that it needs less than you expected.
Choosing a selection results in a full page refresh.
Opens in a new window.
In-shop offer · 1242 Davie Street, Vancouver
Get 10% off your framing at our shop
Add your name and email and your code appears on the next screen. Show it at the counter
and we take 10% off any framing, stretching or reframing job you bring us. It does not
expire.
Exceptional Service and a Truly Memorable Art Purchase
I had a wonderful experience with Van Art Hub Gallery. I came across two pieces by Melina Ghaemi — *Mad Mirrors* and *Small World in the Hands of a Stranger* — and immediately fell in love with them.
I contacted Van Art Hub Gallery, and they were incredibly helpful throughout the entire process, from arranging the payment to organizing the shipping. At first, I was a little skeptical and nervous about how everything would work, especially since the paintings were still in Iran and it was shortly after the war. But the gallery handled everything with such professionalism and care that my concerns quickly disappeared. Amazingly, they were able to get the paintings to Canada in just two days!
The pieces are absolutely captivating. Even when I picked them up from the frame maker and was simply carrying them to my car, several people stopped and asked me about the paintings. That says a lot about how striking and special Melina Ghaemi’s work is.
A big thank you to Van Art Hub Gallery for making this experience so smooth and enjoyable. I truly appreciated their professionalism, communication, honesty, and integrity throughout the entire process. I would happily work with them again and highly recommend them to anyone interested in purchasing art through the gallery.
I got my order today and your work is really good. I didn’t expect to get a certificate for this painting, it was a surprise. Thanks for caring about small details.
The support team was really helpful and followed up nicely, wich I really appreciated. The painting is just like the photo – great quality and very detalied. I just wish it arrived a bit sooner, but honestly it was worth the wait.
I received my painting today. The support team was great and very responsive. The artwork is exactly what I was hoping for – even more beautifull in person. Truly a valuable piece. I’ll definetely order again. Thank you!
