Certificate and diploma frames

Which frame suits a certificate

A certificate has a visual convention of its own, different from a picture's. It's an official document, so a dark, restrained molding, black, dark brown, or wood with a subtle gold finish, will almost always look more right than a colorful or very modern one.

Width is part of the code too. A molding that's too thin makes a certificate look like a printed page hung on the wall; a molding with some presence gives it the weight it's meant to convey. That's especially true of a diploma or professional license hanging in a clinic or an office, where it's part of what clients see.

And for children's certificates, excellence awards, end-of-year certificates, after-school activity certificates, the rules relax completely. There, color works, and it's perfectly fine for the frame to be cheerful.

The mat: what turns a certificate into a display piece

If there's one thing that changes the look of a framed certificate, it's the mat. The even border around the document gives it breathing room, and the result immediately looks like something displayed rather than something hung up.

For certificates the usual choice is off-white or cream, which ties in with the tone of the paper instead of competing with it. A double mat, with a thin dark or gold line around the opening, is a small addition that does a lot for a diploma or an award.

There's a practical reason too: the mat keeps the paper away from the glass. A document pressed against glass for years is exposed to moisture and sticking, and that's exactly the kind of damage you can't undo on an original certificate.

Acid-free framing for preservation

Ordinary framing materials can speed up yellowing or discoloration of paper over the years. Acid-free framing uses a backing and contact materials suited to preservation, so the document doesn't absorb acidity from the materials around it.

This matters most for an original certificate with no copy: a diploma, a professional license, a historical document or an old family certificate. For a certificate you can reprint at the click of a button, it's less critical.

Just as important: the mounting is reversible. We don't glue the document to the backing, so it can be taken out later without damage.

Sizes: A4 and beyond

Most certificates are A4 (21×29.7 cm), a size that has its own dedicated page with everything that goes with it. See our A4 frames page.

But many certificates aren't A4 at all. Many academic certificates are larger, older certificates come in sizes that no longer exist, and some institutions issue certificates in a format all their own. In those cases we measure the document itself and cut to it.

Note that adding a mat makes the outer frame bigger. An A4 certificate with a 5 cm mat on each side becomes a frame of roughly 31×40 cm, which is worth knowing when you plan where it will hang.

Several certificates together

If you have several certificates from the same path, a bachelor's and a master's degree, a series of professional qualifications, or courses you've completed, there are two ways to go.

You can frame each one separately in the same molding and the same size and hang them as a series. It looks orderly and lets you add another one later without taking anything apart.

Or you can combine several documents in one frame with a multi-opening mat. That saves wall space and creates a single, more impressive piece, but it's closed: adding another certificate later will need a new mat. It's worth deciding based on whether the path is finished or still going.

Certificates of appreciation for organizations

A certificate of appreciation is a special case of certificate framing: it rarely comes alone. A company recognizing employees at year end, a nonprofit thanking volunteers, a school or a unit handing out certificates at a ceremony: they all need a few dozen identical frames, usually by a set date.

The spec is simpler than for an academic certificate. A frame for a certificate of appreciation is usually A4, in one molding for the whole series, sometimes with a mat in a shade that matches the organization's colors. What decides things is the schedule: if there's a ceremony, tell us the date when you order, because it sets the order of work.

If the certificates aren't printed yet, you can hand over files and get them back printed and framed in the same job. An order of dozens of units is priced differently from a single certificate; see our wholesale frames page.

How to order

Bring the certificate to the studio at 3 Naftali Palatin St., Booth 147, Rishon LeZion, with no appointment needed and free parking nearby. We measure, you choose the molding and mat against the document itself, and you get a quote on the spot. Most jobs are ready within two business days.

If you don't have the certificate in hand yet, for example if it was sent as a file by email, bring the file and we'll print and frame it in the same job.