Framing, explained by the people who do it every day.
Best Framing explains custom picture framing, printing and installation from its shop floor in Costa Mesa, Orange County. Most of what we know is easier to show than to write down. This is where it goes: what we make in the shop, why we recommend what we recommend, and the answers we give at the counter every week.
Eight things we made in-house.
Shot in the shop, posted as they happened. The chop saw, the UV flatbed, the oversized work, and the pieces that arrive as a box of something nobody else would frame.
German, our chop-and-join specialist, has been here over 20 years.Watch on Instagram
Back to work in between world cup games.Watch on Instagram
Just a joke. I do not want unions coming after me.Watch on Instagram
A quick-turn custom art piece for a showroom opening: printing, framing and installation, handled start to finish.Watch on Instagram
Some behind the scenes of our oversized work.Watch on Instagram
People ask what we did today. Today we printed on a flat door for a school play.Watch on Instagram
The coolest frames come from the most interesting finds. This one uses yucca fins.Watch on Instagram
Always having fun projects going through our shop.Watch on Instagram
Watch, listen, read.
Shop reels and dated notes are here now; a purpose-made video series and the podcast are on the way. Ask at the counter in the meantime, which is still the fastest way to get an answer out of us.
Shop reels now, series coming
Educational videos
The framing process cut to join, the wood shop, UV printing onto wood and acrylic, signs and vinyl, installs and deliveries. Grouped by what you came to learn rather than by when it was posted.
Episode one in the works
The podcast
A framing-industry podcast recorded on Placentia Avenue, going out on YouTube and the major podcast platforms.
On the blog now
Notes from the shop
New work, shop news and the occasional showroom event, written by the people who made the thing rather than by somebody describing it afterwards.
Guides from the counter.
The longer answers to the questions we hear at the counter, each on its own page.
What custom framing costs, and why
Size, moulding, mats, glazing and mounting: what sets the price of a custom frame, and how to get a quote.
Standard frame sizes, and when to go custom
Standard frame and mat sizes in inches, how wide a mat should be, and when to go custom.
The framing glossary
Moulding, mat, fillet, float mount, glazing and giclée: the words at the frame counter, defined plainly.
How to hang art, from the people who hang it for a living
Hanging height, spacing and hardware for art, mirrors and gallery walls, from the crew that hangs them.
How to make prints of your artwork
From original to sellable print: capture, proof, paper, edition, finish and ship, step by step.
What is a giclée print?
What the word means, how a giclée is made, and how it compares with a lithograph or a poster.
The questions people ask at the counter, answered.
From what can be framed and choosing the right glass to mounting jerseys, printing artwork and protecting the pieces that matter, we answer the questions our customers ask us every day.
What can you actually frame?Photos, posters, diplomas, jerseys, kimonos, oversized art and mirrors: what a custom frame shop in Costa Mesa can take on, and what each one needs.Read Article
Museum glass vs regular glass, and what the glass over your art is doingMuseum-quality and UV-protective glazing vs regular glass: what each does for your art, plus acid-free mats and conservation framing. From Costa Mesa.Read Article
How to frame a jersey, step by stepHow to frame a jersey: a shadow box deep enough that the glass never touches it, mounting that can be undone, a mat lined to its colors. From Costa Mesa.Read Article
Canvas, printed and stretched in the same buildingHow a canvas print is made and framed in one building: archival giclée, stretched in house, then hung as it is or set in a float frame. From Costa Mesa.Read Article
Where to learn, and where to ask.
Does Best Framing have a podcast?
Episode one is in the works. It is a framing-industry podcast recorded on Placentia Avenue, going out on YouTube and the major podcast platforms.
Where can I watch videos from the Best Framing shop?
On our Instagram, @bestframing. The reels are shot in the shop and posted as they happen: the chop saw, the UV flatbed, the oversized work, and the pieces that arrive as a box of something nobody else would frame.
What will your educational framing videos cover?
The framing process from cut to join, the wood shop, UV printing onto wood and acrylic, signs and vinyl, and installs and deliveries. They are in production now, grouped by what you came to learn rather than by when it was posted.
What questions does the Best Framing blog answer?
The ones our customers ask us every day: what can be framed, choosing the right glass, mounting jerseys, printing artwork and protecting the pieces that matter.
What is the fastest way to get a framing question answered?
Ask at the counter, which is still the fastest way to get an answer out of us. Walk in Monday to Friday 10am to 5pm or Saturday 9am to 1pm, no appointment required, or call +1 (949) 791-8780.
Still wondering? Come in and ask. No appointment required.
Print and frame what you love. Visit the showroom.
No appointment required.
- Call
- (949) 791-8780
- Hours
- Mon-Fri 10am-5pm
Sat 9am-1pm
Bring us the thing you love.
Walk in with it and talk it through with a designer. No appointment required, though you are welcome to book one.
1671 Placentia AvenueCosta Mesa, CA 92627
- Call(949) 791-8780
- HoursMon-Fri 10am-5pm · Sat 9am-1pm · Sun closed
- Talk to a designer nowStart a Video CallSomeone is on the floor Mon-Fri 10am-5pm and Sat 9am-1pm, Costa Mesa time
- Book an appointmentPick a time with a designerAppointments are optional. Walk-ins are welcome.