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Why I took on building a better way to frame any poster, print or photo

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Re: Why I took on building a better way to frame any poster, print or photo

#31

Post by NSAID »

aaronbrethorst wrote: post #17
NSAID wrote: post #16

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> "I need a frame that has a 18x18" opening," That's just the poster size that you enter in, right? https://www.levleframes.com/frames/new?height=12.0&width=12.... I punched in 12"x12" and it's showing me various frame/matte combinations that result in a 12"x12" opening.

No, punching in 12x12 gives you a 13x13" frame: Customizing a frame to fit a 12.0" x 12.0" print 13 x 13 x 0.75" Black Maple frame with No mat and Standard glaze. $43.50 I'm saying that my matted print is 12x12 (or whatever), and I don't want to futz with making the numbers come out right.

I would expect 13x13x0.75" to be the exterior dimensions of the wood, given that 3 dimensions are listed.

Maybe I just misunderstand how frames are described and sold, but I would fully expect to receive a frame with a 12x12" opening ("to fit a 12.0" x 12.0" print") if I bought that frame, and would feel misled if I ended up with a 13x13" opening. Again, maybe that's just how frames are sold, but if that's the case perhaps the site could explain that better.

Re: Why I took on building a better way to frame any poster, print or photo

#33

Post by jhubball »

crazygringo wrote: post #26

As someone who framed four photos (from small to 3 feet wide) a couple years ago -- I wound up using cheap $10-30 Blick frames and cropping my photos to "standard sizes", and spending $200 locally on the one that simply couldn't be cropped to a standard size. I would definitely have been interested in online custom sizes, but with cheap materials -- plastic instead of glass, black faux wood frame. Not just for qualit…

You nailed the alternatives on the head: buy cheap plastic or MDF frames that look crappy and are hard to find in the right size, or spend $$$ at the custom frame shop for a beautiful, high-quality frame. I wanted to deliver the same product as the custom frame shop, but in a much more convenient way and at ~half the cost. Could expand into other price point later, but right now trying to hit that sweet spot in the middle where there is a real pain point.

Re: Why I took on building a better way to frame any poster, print or photo

#34

Post by jhubball »

kuni-toko-tachi wrote: post #32

Very glad to see this. The profit margins for framing were ripe to be targeted. Would like to see similar services for lampshades and curtains, both of which have unwarranted high markup.

Exactly. The two products you mention are similar also in the fact that a traditional e-commerce paradigm (thumbnails and drop downs) don't quite map to the way you want to preview and select them. So much room for Levle to grow and become more intuitive/helpful to getting the right frame for your art up on the wall.

Re: Why I took on building a better way to frame any poster, print or photo

#35

Post by solipsism »

jhubball wrote: post #15
donall wrote: post #11

This has great potential. I plugged in some random numbers and the basic offering seemed to cost around $100, though, which is still significantly more than the cost of a cheap poster. Can you talk a little about the price breakdown here? Or perhaps that would reveal the secret sauce?

Thanks donall! Yes, these are not cheap frames or Ikea offerings. They are what you would get from a high-end custom frame shop. I'm able to bring the prices down by going direct, removing the need to handle the artwork (you do that part, but it's not hard) and eliminating the retail overhead.

Maybe I'm cheap. I want cheap frames and Ikea-like offerings, but I want custom sizes and combinations, and I want it for like $20. It seems ludicrous to me to spend $5 on a cheap thing but $100 if I need it custom-sized.

I fully acknowledge I may be asking too much. Just saying that if you can hit that price point I will probably become a customer. No idea if I'm unique.

Re: Why I took on building a better way to frame any poster, print or photo

#36

Post by aaronbrethorst »

NSAID wrote: post #31
aaronbrethorst wrote: post #17

Earlier quoted context omitted.

No, punching in 12x12 gives you a 13x13" frame: Customizing a frame to fit a 12.0" x 12.0" print 13 x 13 x 0.75" Black Maple frame with No mat and Standard glaze. $43.50 I'm saying that my matted print is 12x12 (or whatever), and I don't want to futz with making the numbers come out right.

I would expect 13x13x0.75" to be the exterior dimensions of the wood, given that 3 dimensions are listed. Maybe I just misunderstand how frames are described and sold, but I would fully expect to receive a frame with a 12x12" opening ("to fit a 12.0" x 12.0" print") if I bought that frame, and would feel misled if I ended up with a 13x13" opening. Again, maybe that's just how frames are sold, but if that's the case p…

> if that's the case perhaps the site could explain that better.

The ambiguity is a concern for me. Also, I was a little wrong on the $200 figure earlier. The number is actually $150 for two matted prints of mine that I have sitting at home waiting for me to frame them.

Re: Why I took on building a better way to frame any poster, print or photo

#38

Post by solipsism »

aaronbrethorst wrote: post #14
jastr wrote: post #13

This is a great problem, that you simplified a lot, but it's still expensive!

No, it's really not. It's about 50% more than you'd pay for a shitty, cheap frame, and half the cost of a custom frame. The OP may not have found product-market fit yet (I'd argue this should be targeted squarely at the pro and semi-pro markets, instead of consumers), but the product itself looks fantastic and the pricing is terrific.

We must shop at different shitty, cheap frame stores. I'd expect to pay more like $10 for a shitty, cheap frame in which to put my shitty, cheap poster.

Re: Why I took on building a better way to frame any poster, print or photo

#39

Post by jhubball »

ISL wrote: post #29

These sentences in your copy set me up to expect a framing solution that would let me frame a poster in a nice frame for ~$40: "A handful came from Fab.com, there was a Ray Lamontagne concert poster I picked up after a show, and several others I had purchased on and offline. Not one had cost over $40." I felt let down that the minimum cost for framing 24x36 prints was then $109+. It's a nifty idea, and the custom-fra…

Thanks for the feedback! Price-wise, there is almost no way a wooden frame of that size with a framers-grade acrylic could ever get down to that size. Cost of the wood alone is ~$0.30 per linear inch.

For me, I think it's wonderful that you can get a great print or poster for $40. That problem has been solved. But you can tell a cheap frame from a quality one every time.

Re: Why I took on building a better way to frame any poster, print or photo

#40

Post by aaronbrethorst »

solipsism wrote: post #38
aaronbrethorst wrote: post #14

Earlier quoted context omitted.

No, it's really not. It's about 50% more than you'd pay for a shitty, cheap frame, and half the cost of a custom frame. The OP may not have found product-market fit yet (I'd argue this should be targeted squarely at the pro and semi-pro markets, instead of consumers), but the product itself looks fantastic and the pricing is terrific.

We must shop at different shitty, cheap frame stores. I'd expect to pay more like $10 for a shitty, cheap frame in which to put my shitty, cheap poster.

I'm framing 16x20" silver gelatin prints that I mounted at 20x24". It's not possible to find a 20x24" frame for $10 anywhere (outside, possibly, of a thrift store).

I spend a huge amount of money on picture frames. When I'm putting together a show, my expenses for frames easily break $1000.

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