What custom framing actually involves

Custom framing for art prints means three decisions, not one. The frame itself, the mat that sits between print and frame, and the glazing that covers the front. A framer cuts the mat to your exact print dimensions, which matters if your edition is an unusual size or has a deckled edge you want to show.

Bogdanov-Belsky's paintings run warm. Schoolroom interiors, brown bread, dark clothing, low winter light through a window. A bright white mat will fight that palette. An off-white, ivory or soft grey mat lets the tonal warmth carry, and a simple wood or dark metal frame keeps the period feel without turning the room into a period room.

What it costs and where to go

There are three routes, and the price gap between them is wide. Ready-made frames with a pre-cut mat are cheapest and fastest. Online custom framing services cut everything to order and ship assembled. A local framer costs the most but lets you see materials in person, which helps when matching a warm palette.

One honest caveat. Auvrique does not currently offer editions of Bogdanov-Belsky's work, so this page cannot point you to a product. The advice below applies to any print of his you already own or plan to buy elsewhere, and to reproduction editions generally rather than originals, which are a separate market entirely.

Check before you commit

Measure the printed image, not the paper. Most reproductions have a white border, and you need to decide whether the mat overlaps that border or reveals it. A mat window cut 3 to 5 mm into the image edge on each side holds the print flat and hides any trimmed margin.

Then ask for a corner sample. Any framer, local or online, can show you how a mat and frame combination looks before cutting. Hold it against the print in the room where it will hang, under the light it will actually live in. A combination that looks right under shop lighting often reads differently at home, and this is the one step that prevents most regret.