Whenever something major happens, you can always find it in a newspaper article. Whether it involves sports, celebrities, or a significant world event rest assured it will be reported on! While it is rare that you may sit down and actually read the newspaper each morning, you probably still receive it!
If you have a special newspaper article or even a whole page that you want to frame, follow along as we share some tips and tricks for making your framing process as easy as possible!
Cut Your Article
The first step you will want to take is to separate the newspaper article that you want to frame. For this, you will need a steady hand and a ruler of some sort. A craft knife will probably work best for this, but, if you don’t have one handy, scissors will also work. Set the ruler up in a straight line against your newspaper and run the craft knife down the paper. If you are using scissors, you might want to draw a faint line along the ruler with a pencil first, so that you don’t need to hold the ruler in place.
Measure, Measure, Measure
Your newspaper will represent “Art Size” on our Frame Designer, so measuring is a very important step — if the art size is off, the rest of the measurements for the frame, matting, cover, backing, etc. will also be off, and we don’t want that! Be sure to lay the newspaper as flat as possible. You may even want to cover it in heavy books to flatten it out if it has creases from the folding.
Once your paper is as flat as possible (don’t worry if it is not perfect — we will get it to that before framing) take a measuring tape or ruler to measure from corner to corner. Be sure to jot those numbers down or enter them right into our Frame Designer so you don’t lose them.
How To Design Your Custom Frame
Here comes the fun art of framing newspaper articles. Your next step is going to be to design your frame. Our Frame Designer has four easy steps.
Step 1 – Enter your art size.
As we mentioned, you will want to enter your art size in the correct format in the Frame Designer. Be sure the “width” represents the top and bottom of the newspaper while the “height” represents the sides of the newspaper that you are framing.
Step 2 – Choose your frame style.
Next, you will want to choose your frame style. We have 10 frame styles, 4 metal frames, and 6 wood picture frames with over 18 frame colors.
Step 3 – Matting or no matting?
A matboard (also referred to as a photo mat, frame mat, or matting), is a cardboard-like material that serves two purposes: to protect your artwork from damage and to enhance its look. You have the option to add a single or double matboard, or none at all. If you are planning to add a matboard, you have tons of options since your newspaper article is most likely in black and white. However, if the article does feature a photo, try to find a matboard color that will enhance and complement the photo. Look for small colorful details in your photo, such as an accessory, an article of clothing, or even something in the background of your photo that will give your portrait that extra POP it was looking for!
Step 4 – Finally, your cover!
Last but certainly not least is choosing your cover. We have two options for covers, our clear acrylic which is the most conventional and almost like looking through glass. However, the clear finish is reflective, and it could cause glare if placed near a window, where the sun would shine through. The other option is our non-glare acrylic. Non-glare acrylic will diffuse sunlight that hits it, which would make your newspaper article more viewable if it’s near a window.
Time For Framing
Once your custom frame arrives at your doorstep, now it is time for framing. Since you already have your newspaper article, you will need to add the article to your frame. For this, you may want to pick up some framer’s tape from our accessories page as well. If you have chosen to add a matboard, you can use the framer’s tape and the T-Hinge method — a way of mounting your art to the matboard to keep it centered and secured. If you didn’t choose a matboard, don’t fret! You can use the framer’s tape and the H-Mount Method to float your art in the frame, securing it from the back. Both will keep your artwork centered and secured for the perfect framing.
Once you have secured your newspaper articles to either the matboard or the foam core backing, it is time to add the cover on top. Be sure that your article is flat against the acrylic cover so that it stays flat once hanging.
Final Thoughts on Framing Newspaper Articles
Framing newspaper articles is a great way to display some pretty big news! Just be sure to take these necessary steps to ensure your newspaper article stays safe and lasts for many years to come! Of course, if you have any questions along the way, be sure to reach out to our support team who is always standing by to help!
As always — be sure to share your finished product with us on social media so we can see what you have created!
