PhotoFrame

3-layer photo frame with a slot at the top to slide matboard/acrylic/glass over the photo after glue-up.

Settings for Mounting Edge

d_head

head diameter of mounting screw (in mm)

d_shaft

shaft diameter of mounting screw (in mm)

margin

minimum space left and right without holes (fraction of the edge length)

num

number of mounting holes (integer)

side

side of box (not all valid configurations make sense...)

style

edge style

Settings for Dove Tail Joints

angle

how much should fingers widen (-80 to 80)

depth

how far the dove tails stick out of/into the edge (multiples of thickness)

radius

radius used on all four corners (multiples of thickness)

size

from one middle of a dove tail to another (multiples of thickness)

PhotoFrame Settings

Width of the photo, not including any border

Height of the photo, not including any border

golden_mat

Use golden ratio to calculate matting width

matting_w

Width of the matting border around the sides of the photo

matting_h

Width of the matting border around top/bottom of the photo

matting_overlap

Matting overlap of the photo, e.g. 2mm if photo has border, 5mm if not

glass_w

Width of the pre-cut glass or acrylic

glass_h

Height of the pre-cut glass or acrylic

frame_w

Width of the frame border around the matting

guide_fudge

Clearance in the guide pocket to help slide the matting/glass in

frame_overlap

Frame overlap to hold the matting/glass in place

split_front

Split front into thin rectangles to save material

Default Settings

thickness

thickness of the material (in mm) 🛈

format

format of resulting file 🛈

tabs

width of tabs holding the parts in place (in mm)(not supported everywhere) 🛈

qr_code

Add a QR Code with link or command line to the generated output

debug

print surrounding boxes for some structures 🛈

labels

label the parts (where available)

reference

print reference rectangle with given length (in mm)(zero to disable) 🛈

inner_corners

style for inner corners 🛈

burn

burn correction (in mm)(bigger values for tighter fit) 🛈

3-layer photo frame.

Selected excellent features:

easy to change the photo after glue-up, without disassembling the frame
calculates the ideal matting size for your photo based on ancient Greek mathematics
can make the frame in one piece or split into 4 pieces to save material
can make a frame to fit the piece of glass/acrylic you already have
adds a hole for hanging the frame on the wall

Features available in the mysterious future:

rounded corners
a stand on the back to display the frame on a table

How to frame things like a pro

There are 1 or 2 things that you can't change when framing: the size of the artwork and the size of the glass. So we generate everything else to fit those measurements.

Set x and y to the dimensions of the actual artwork.

If your photo has a border, measure inside it.
If your photo does not have a border, still measure the actual artwork. Don't reduce the dimensions to allow for mounting. We do that separately.

A real pro measures the photo, calculates the matting, and cuts the glass to fit the matting. We will assume that you are not in fact a real pro, and can't be trusted with a glass cutter. So measure your glass and we'll calculate the matting to suit it. If you aren't using glass, we'll calculate the matting size based on "golden ratio of areas" like the pros do. Everyone will think your frame is perfect, but they won't know why.

Matting is just cardboard. Its jobs are to keep the glass off the photo, provide a clean border around the artwork, and make the whole thing look fancy. You can attach the photo to the matting or to the back of the frame. Either way, the matting conceals all sorts of sins like bad cuts, glue marks, or mounting with blue painter's tape. Matting also lets you reuse the frame for different sized photos. Just generate a new mat with the same glass dimensions.

The hole in the matting is smaller than the photo. This is so the photo doesn't fall out. Even if your photo has a border, the hole needs to be a bit smaller than the photo, or you will struggle to line up the photo without the edges showing. Recommended overlaps are given in the settings. Don't worry about "losing" too much of the photo. The matting will make the photo look bigger and more important. There's never anything interesting in the last 2mm of a photo anyway.