Photo enlargement framing help needed

MzBug

If any one has any suggestions on how to help me... I am so pissed I can't see straight.

My Christmas present this year from my guy was some professionally framed enlarged photos (18x24 and 24x30). My late older brother took the pictures. Places we had gone hiking and camping when I was a kid. We took them to an art gallery/professional framer to have these done. $500+ for just the framing of the pictures. We spent 90 minutes with the framer making decisions. We waited 2 weeks for them. When I went to pick them up they were laid flat on the display table and looked great. They wrapped them and I brought them home. I leaned them up against the wall overnight. This afternoon we were going to position them on the walls. We unwrapped them...overnight the photos had sagged and warped in between the glass and backing board. They looked like *kitten*.

I called the gallery. It seems that securing the photos to the backing board was an option we did not choose. WTF? We didn't know it WAS an option. We thought it was part of the package! In 90 minutes with the framer it was never mentioned! For an additional $90 plus a handling fee they can "dry mount" them to the backing board. I had to hang up the phone before I lost it completely. I think WE are the ones getting "mounted" here. Please take lots of money, frame my pictures so they look like *kitten* (KNOWING they would sag) and expect me to be happy about it.

I would rather not take these back to the "professionals" unless we are going to get a full refund. I am not holding my breath on that. I have the pictures on a flash drive so I can get more prints made. I need some options on how to secure these photos to the backing board so they don't sag and warp. They are on actual photo paper, not regular paper. The frame itself only covers 1/2 inch of the edge of the pictures and there is no matting over the front. I have visited so many web sites that give different suggestions... if anyone has had experience with this please let me know.

Thanks.

bradwwood

$500 to frame two pictures seems really high. have you talked to the manager? I would think the "mounting" would be standard, and frankly I'd pitch a fit about this to someone at the top.

that said,

for $500, the backs of these things are probably sealed off with some brown paper yeah? you will probably have a hard time peeling that back, I'm sure they mounted it well (insert ironic facial expression).
In any case, get in there and be as gentle as you can with all the material behind the paper. I'm assuming there is some sort of backer behind the picture right?

I'd probably consider some spray adhesive. lay the picture in there, line it up with the matte, spray it, then put the backer down. You can be careful and flip it up to check alignment, most of those sprays will allow for some wiggle time.

or, I'd look at just using some tape and adhering the picture to the backside of the matte.... this actually would be my first consideration.

There is also some thing double stick tape you could consider for between the picture and the backer.

All just ideas, and likely not exactly what you'd normally get from a proper framer, but better that what you have now.

I'd still start by going to manager or owner of the store cause that is BS

edit: oh, I see, no matte. in that case, using a spray is probably a good way to go, but it is sorta permanent. 3M makes a product called Spray 77 that would do well. Any hobby / art shop will have something. We have Michael's in our area as a big chain, and a few smaller local shops.

KSwatek

Acid-free spray adhesive. Photo safe and about 5 bucks at WalMart.

Make sure your hands are clean when you spray the stuff and make sure they haven't picked up any kind of residue before you secure the backing to the photo otherwise you will end up with your sticky fingerprints on the image itself.

If this doesn't work, you've only wasted about 5 bucks. If it does, you saved yourself some money!

MzBug

My guy and I sat down and talked about this tonight after we both calmed down some. We will go back to the gallery and give them the opportunity to "make it right". We will be talking to the owner, not the employee that we delt with. If they choose not to correct the situation we will request a full refund and a return of our photos. If they decline either option we will take them to small claims court as well as launch a social media campaign including all the local online media and hard copy newspapers. My guy is very involved with the largest union on the Navy base here. He also has contacts in all the other unions that work on the base. He would launch a campaign that would inform ALL the workers on the base of the poor and unprofessional services at this gallery and encourage them to boycott them. As a small buisness owner in this area THAT would scare the *kitten* out of me. This area is very much like a small town...they love a good bit of gossip. It travels very far and fast.

We will wait until we both can talk to the owner in a calm and reasonable manner.....maybe in a couple days.

MzBug

My guy told a couple co-workers about the framing fiasco while at work last night. This morning there was a half hearted message on my phone from the gallery employee apologizing for not informing us or offering us the mounting service when we were ordering the frames. The gallery owner has offered to repair the situation at no cost. The grapevine is alive and thriving here. At least the owner knows enough not to let the customers remain unhappy, the employee not so much.