Q. Who are  Fine Art Framed?
A. We are an Irish company and we have been selling  custom picture frames online since 2009.

Q. Are all your frames made in Ireland?
A. Yes. All our frames are hand made at our factory in Clonsilla, Dublin 15.

Q. You say that you are 70% cheaper than retail shops and galleries.  How can this be? 
A. Traditionally mark ups are incredibly high in this business probably because it is very much associated with the World of Art and all that goes with it.  We simply charge a fair markup on a costs plus basis like most other competitive industries.   On top of that, we sell online only and directly from the factory so we don't have the rents and rates that retail shops and galleries have to pay.  However, our biggest saving is in time saved.  We do not have to engage staff to meet, greet and consult with customers when they bring in their artwork to be framed which is a sales process that can sometimes take a long time.  Instead, the customer has done the work for themselves by picking out ther own mount and frame and our single task is to make the frame from the instructions given.  It is very easy to test our claim.  Use our system to decide what frame you want and note the price. It will have to be a frame design that is easy to describe i.e. flat white mat frame 1" wide. Then call a frame shop or gallery with  a spec for the frame and see what their response is.  It might not be exactly a saving of 70% but it will be only slightly less or perhaps a lot more depending on who you call.

Q.What other benefits are there to buying a custom frame online as opposed to doing it the traditional way?
A. Lets go through the process of purchasing a custom frame the traditional way and compare it to buying on line.  When we compare them, the benefits are obvious  and these benefits come on top of a saving or around  70%.  

Purchasing a Frame the Traditional Way.  You might have to ring in advance to make an appointment so you have to rearrange your day to suit.  You then get into your car.  If you live in a city, you have to battle through traffic and then hope too find a parking spot nearby.  If you live rurally, you might have to travel 10, 15 or even 20 miles to the nearest framer.  When you finally arrive at your destination, you have to haul your art work which might be heavy  into the shop.   When you get into the shop, you are going to have to pick a frame and possibly a mount to suit your artwork and your pocket.  You will need a good imagination as you will have to work out what your frame will look when finished by looking at a small cross cut of a frame (a chevron) and some mount board samples.  You will of course get some assistance and advice on picking frame and mount colours to suit your art work but it will be unlikely to be any more indepth than the adive that you receive in our Advice Section.

This process of looking between the chevrons, your artwork and the mount board so you can make a decision will take between 20 minutes and one hour.  Then, when the frame is ready,  you will have to face the traffic again and go and collect it - another few hours out of your day.

Purchasing a frame online:  Measure your  artwork.  Its easy.  See Here.  Measure Twice.  Time Taken: 5 minutes.  Now you want to see what your artwork will look like framed and mounted so to take the guesswork out of it,  take a quick snap of the artwork with your mobile phone if you dont already have it in digital format.  it does not have to be perfect because you are only going to use it for colour contrasting so once the colours are clearly identifiable, it will do the job.  Also,  The system will crop it for you as you load it - so make sure you get the whole picture in even  if that includes bits if the wall/table/carpet etc.  Time Taken: 5 minutes.  10 minutes if you have to take it out of frame first.  Next upload the photo, crop out the bits of carpet etc that you dont want, and there you have it.  From the comfort of your own living room, you can mix and match mount and frame combinations to your heart's content. You can also email friends with your creations and ask them for their opinions.  There is plenty of advice on mount widths and colour matchng at our advice centre.  When you have made up your mind you will pay about 30% of what it would have cost you to do it the traditional way and your framed artwork will arrive on your door in 5 - 10 days time ready to hang on your wall.

 

Q. Sounds great in theory. But what happens if I get the mesurements wrong?
A. It is highly unlikely that you will.  If you do, it is most likely that a replacement mount will fix the problem which we will supply for free, but you will have to pay the courier charge (6.50 + vat ).  If the frame measurements are wrong, we will not replace the frame.  To get the frame size wrong, you will have had to have ignored the simple instructions on measiring the artwork entirely. However,  in the nine years that we have been selling frames online,  we have only ever had to send out a few replacement mounts and never a replacement frame.

Q. you have a section that says "Preview Your Artwork Mounted and Framed".  How can I do this?.  The piece I need a new frame for is hanging on my wall.  
A. This is all you need to do.  If the Artwork is framed, take it out of the frame and place it on a table/on the floor or up against the wall.  You will need to take the artwork out of the frame to measure it anyway.   With your mobile phone, take a quick snap of  the artwork.  Make sure you get the whole piece even if that includes bits of the wall/carpet/table. You can crop these bits out when you upload the photo onto the system.  The photo does not have to be perfect because you are only going to use it for colour matching against the frames and mounts so once you can clearly make out the colours, it will do the job.  In fact, with the camera on a modern mobile phone, the photo will probably be more than adequate for your requirmements,  Upload the photo onto the system and you will be able to see exactly what your  artwork will look like mounted and framed.  To get the correct scale and the price, enter the actual measurements of your artwork. 

For a Quick Estimate, do this. If you just want a quick estimate of the price, just leave the artwork on the wall in the frame and take a pic.   If there is not too much glare from the glass, it will do fine.  Then just guess the measurements of the artwork or measure the width and height of glazing on the frame.  This way you can get an estimate of the cost  without going to the bother of taking the artwork out of the frame BUT if you are pleased with the price and you decide to order,  you will have to take the artwork out of the frame and measure it correctly. How to measure your artwork

Q. What can I Frame?
A. Virtually Anything. photos, posters, stretched canveses ( including 40mm deep ones), board, etc.   if your medium is more than 5mm deep and you want glazing put in a comment to that effect in the comments section at the checkout so we know where to put the frame tabs.

Q. How can I contact you if I have a question before placing my order?
A. If you cannot find the answer to your questions on this page then you can ring us on 09064 77346 anytime , or email us at: sales@picureframes.ie. If you have questions about picking a frame and mount design to suit your artwork, and you can't find your answer in our design section, please email: design@pictureframes.ie

Q. How long will it take for my order to arrive?
A. We aim to dispatch all orders within 5-10 working days. It all depends on demand. which varies through the year but normally it is 5 working days. However, we can expedite if you have a pressing reason like an exhibition, presentation or you are travelling home after a holiday in Ireland. 

Q. What are your carriage charges?
A. Our Delivery charges are €6.50 + vat for regular over night delivery.  If you want same day delivery ( Dublin Area Only ).   It is €17.00 + vat.

Q.  I notice that you only offer acrylic glazing when the frame reaches a certain size.  What if I want glass instead?
You cannot pay over the system, so just email your order to us and we will send you a papal invoice which you can pay with a credit card.  You will have to collect your order from our factory in Clonsilla, Dublin 15. 

Q. Where do you deliver?
A. We Deliver throughout the Island of Ireland - even to the Islands.

Q. What is your returns policy?
A. See Returns Policy

Q. What if my item arrives damaged?
A. In the unlikely event your item arrives damaged. just let us know by email  info@pictureframes.ie.  If the frame itself is damaged, we will replace it.  If just the glass is broken, we will send you a sheet of arcrylic non glare safety glass by courier.  We may ask you to send a pic of the damaged frame.

Q. Are all of the frame mouldings you offer on your site in stock at all times?
A. Yes.  These are all stock items.  But if you order one and it is out of stock,  you will be informed immediately.  If you don't want to wait for it to be in stock again, you will be offered an equivalent or an immediate refund.

Q. What if I place an order, then change my mind?
A. If we have not started on your order then we will offer a refund. If your order has already been made to your specifications then we cannot offer a refund.

Q. What is a mount?
A.  A mount (or mat) is a piece of coloured mount board normally about 4-5cm wide that sits around your photo/picture/artwork to enhance you work. It also keeps your work away from the glazing.

Q. What do you mean by "aperture size"?
A. The aperture is the size of the cut-out or hole in the middle of the mount, or mat.

Q. What type of mount board do you use?
A. We use conservation quality Arqadia whitecore, acid free, mount board.

Q. How do I measure my work to make sure I order the correct size mount, and or, frame?
A. You can also visit our measuring advice page for more help if required.  if you still have questions about measuring, call 09064 77346 or email: info@pictureframes.ie and we will be glad to help.

Q. What type of printer do you use?
A. We use an Epson 9900 printer using genuine Epson UV inks guaranteed to last 75 years in colour and over 100 years in black & white.

Q. Are you able to offer other frames than those available on your website?
A. Yes we can.  There are about 200 frames on the website.  Our supplier has more than 800 so if you cant find what you are looking for on our website, just let us know and we will surely find a match from the supplier.

Q. Do you sell readymade frames? Yes we do.  Please go to our other site pictureframes.ie

 

 
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