rpk.io Frames

A first look at some of my self-produced work, framed for a gallery in Athens. It features images from my project Granules.

Specs: Greek beechwood frame, fine art print on Hahnemühle paper, satin-etched glass.

Enquire about this piece↗ Made to order · Greece only

The Process

A framed print looks like a single object. It is a chain of steps, and shooting on film adds a few more before the picture ever reaches the wall.

01

The negative

Every image starts on medium format film, Kodak Portra 400. A roll holds only a few frames, and it has to be bought, exposed and developed before I know whether there is a picture on it at all.
About 20€ · one roll, film and development
02

The scan

The frame I choose is scanned at high resolution, so the negative holds up at print size.
About 1€ · per frame
03

The print

A fine art print on Hahnemühle paper, made at 645Lab.
About 20€ · a 50 × 60 cm print
04

The frame

Solid Greek beech, cut, joined and glued by hand. Solid wood is unforgiving: four corners have to close perfectly square, and a small error in one cut shows in all of them. A solid wood frame custom ordered from a framing shop is extremely expensive, which is why I build my own.
About 30€ · the wood alone, plus two days of work
05

The glass

I use regular clear glass. It keeps the colours accurate, but it reflects. Matte glass removes the glare and takes some of that colour accuracy with it. The level above both is museum grade glass, and it is the one upgrade I would like to make. It is also expensive enough to push the price of an already expensive piece much higher.
About 8€ · regular glass
06

Ready to hang

Glass cleaned, print set, back closed, hanger fixed. The piece leaves the workshop ready for the wall.
About 10€ · backing, hanger, hardware
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In total

Roughly 90€ in materials for one piece, before the two days of work that go into the frame.

What I would tell someone framing the same way tomorrow. Small margins and the right clamp make the difference.

01

Print a small border for a safe full bleed

For a clean full bleed inside the frame, print the image with a border slightly smaller than the frame's lip. It gives you a margin for error without ever showing white at the edge.
02

Get a 4-way corner clamp if you work alone

A 4-way corner clamp isn't strictly necessary, but it makes gluing up a frame far easier. If you're working alone, it's close to a must have.

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