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Top 10 Features of Picture Frames

Decorating with picture frames is a common occurrence, yet do we take into consideration their entire potential? There are many aspects of frames for display used in home decoration and even retail marketing that are not well known, so this article will attempt to shed some light on some lesser known facts:

1. Picture frames save you money. While a four-sided picture frame isn’t the most complex of displays, it certainly provides affordability. Modern production facilities (both here and abroad) can churn out decent display frames at remarkably low prices which in turn relay the savings to the end user, the customer. A solid wood picture frame with ornate moulding and a handsome mahogany stained finish selling for less than 2 dollars? Believe it.
2. Choose your material. The age of the traditional wooden picture frame is over. You can still buy wood frames of course, but there are a plethora of other materials out there used by designers in every which way imaginable. Some examples include plastics made to look like wood, rigid foam made to look like gilded gold, cast acrylic sheet heated into convex and concave shapes, extruded aluminum, polished metals, the list goes on and on.
3. Decorate to the fullest extent. Looking for the perfect frame to display your wedding picture or landmark anniversary? Metal picture frames provide enough decorative style to eclipse the actual photo itself. Mimicking finely detailed jewelry, frames such as these offer pearl-laden borders, exquisite designs cast in solid metal, and frames incorporating frosted glass to name but a few.
4. “Environmentally Friendly”. With the attention brought to green products and their minimized impact on the environment, picture frames have gotten into the act too. Featuring recycled plastics such as polystyrene and polyethylene, these displays can be manufactured with renewable resources into virtually any type of finish.
5. Magnetic attraction is key. You know about the magnetic photo frame seen on every refrigerator door. Another frame invention using magnets is the sandwich. Take two clear acrylic plates, embed small magnets into each one at all four corners, and sandwich your favorite photograph between them as it floats in space!
6. What’s your theme? A newborn baby is a major event in anyone’s life and there are frames that provide pictorial accents to go with the photo like pacifiers and teddy bears. Another popular frame is the 12 month display, where you add a picture for every 12 months of your infant’s life, documenting their fast development. Collage frames are also good choices for creating unique displays. By incorporating multiple photos into a single frame, themes can be created based on a family reunion, special event, or most recent vacation.
7. Display it with pride. Almost always manufactured for 8-1/2″ x 11″ documents, picture frames specially designed for certificates of achievement, accreditation, recognition, participation, completion, or appreciation get lumped into this category.
8. How much for the chocolate martini? Restaurant and bars utilize picture frames to advertise and market food and drink specials. Most often called table tents, these clear plastic picture frames are usually priced very low for bulk purchasing. Naturally, food service establishments like these like to buy in bulk due to the number of tables they have.
9. Coming soon to a theater near you. Backlit posters, usually seen in movie theaters and retail store windows, provide a double punch. During the day they look like any other picture display but at night they glow with an intensity that’s hard not to notice. These illuminated frames are available in many standard sizes from 8-1/2″ x 11″ on up.
10. The Digital revolution. Digital picture frames utilize memory cards that cycle through an uploaded list of favorite digital photographs. Since they don’t need to be connected to a computer, their place as the prototypical picture frame sitting on the side table has been widely accepted. A major difference between these and traditional frames is the digital frames can display 100 images!

This list just scratches the surface of the vast possibilities offered by the ubiquitous picture frame. Treat this simple display tool in a new and refreshing way for showcasing your personal mementos. A little creativity goes a long way towards projecting your own sense or style. To view an assortment of picture frames along the likes of the displays featured in this article, please visit Picture-Frames-Warehouse.com.

About the Author

Marcus Miglio works with point-of-purchase displays in Marketing, Engineering, and New Product Development capacities. His work experience began in 1985 and is currently employed at George Patton Associates, Inc. in Rhode Island.

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