Picture frames

Choose the frame for the picture

The difference between a frame that works and one that's merely "fine" almost always comes down to the picture itself. A family photo in the living room usually suits a wood molding in a warm shade that ties in with the furniture and softens the image. A black-and-white photo or a graphic poster, on the other hand, looks better in a thin black, white or aluminum molding that frames it without interfering. An oil painting or an art print can carry a wider molding, sometimes with an ornate gold or silver finish.

The colors inside the picture are a good guide to the frame's shade: a tone that already appears in the picture will almost always suit it, while a shade chosen to match the wall can look out of place the moment you rearrange the room.

The last question is viewing distance. A picture seen up close in a hallway and a living-room wall seen from three meters away don't need the same molding width.

Off the shelf or made to order

A standard-size frame has a real advantage: it's simpler and cheaper. It's the right answer when your picture is exactly a standard size, mainly A4 (21×29.7 cm) and A3 (29.7×42 cm), each of which has its own page here with the exact measurements.

Once a picture falls outside those sizes, a standard frame forces a compromise: trim the picture, live with uneven borders, or give up. Custom framing works the other way around: we cut the molding, the glass and the mat to the size of the picture, without touching it.

In practice most of the work that leaves the studio is custom, simply because most of the pictures people love aren't a standard size. Our custom picture frames page explains how the size is measured, what gets chosen at each stage and what it costs.

What makes up a picture frame

A frame has three components, and each affects both the look and the price. The molding is the frame itself: wood in dozens of shades, from pale natural to dark, black, white and gold and silver finishes, or aluminum for a clean, modern look. The glass protects the picture from dust and scratches; we use quality regular glass in all our frames.

The mat is the thick board that separates the picture from the frame. It isn't required, but it almost always improves the result, giving the picture room to breathe and keeping the paper from touching the glass.

A full guide to all three, including when to go for a thin or a wide molding and how wide a mat to choose, is on our frame types page.

Frames for large pictures and unusual sizes

The bigger the picture, the less likely there's a frame for it on a shelf. Posters in non-standard sizes, panoramic photos, maps and banners, and prints ordered to fit a wall are all made to measure.

At large sizes the rules change, not just the measurements: a thin molding on a one-meter picture looks weak, the glass starts to get heavy, and the frame hangs from two points instead of one. Our large picture frames page covers all of that.

And for posters specifically, whether rolled, half-sheet or in a size that matches no standard, there's a separate page: see our poster frames page.

How much does a picture frame cost? From ₪50

The price comes from the size of the picture, the molding, the glass and whether there's a mat, so there is no single price for every frame. To give you an idea: an A4 frame with glass starts from ₪50, and an A3 frame with glass from ₪100. A larger size, a wide wood molding or a mat raise the price.

You get the exact figure at the studio, in front of the picture, before any work starts: we try a few options and you get a quote on the spot.

Want to understand the logic before you come? Our framing prices page sets out the five factors that decide the price, and what raises or lowers the cost in each.

Don't have a print yet?

If the picture only exists as a file on your phone, there's no need to print it somewhere else and bring it to us. We print and frame in the same job, so the print size can be matched to the frame and the wall rather than the other way around. See our framed prints page.

Choose your frame at the studio

The studio is at 3 Naftali Palatin St., Booth 147, Rishon LeZion, with free parking nearby, so it's easy to bring a large picture by car. We're open Sunday–Thursday 08:15–17:00 and no appointment is needed.

Bring the picture, hold molding samples against it one after another, try a few mat shades beside it, and within two minutes you can see what works. Most jobs are ready within two business days.