Framing Metalic Prints

My first thought was to frame it under museum glass.  Museum glass is the highest-quality framing glass available, with superior visibility, glare reduction, and UV protection--and I mean really superior.  It is normally used on museum-quality artwork, so the collections can be as easily seen as possible, but will suffer the least damage from their environment.  It would almost certainly give you the effect you want; visually, museum glass has no equal in beauty and visibility.   It almost looks as though there is no glass there.  The cost of this glass is consistent with the quality--it's pricey. Museum glass dealers will have a sample for you to try over your print and help you decide whether the high cost is worth it to you.

You may well decide to go ahead and frame the print without glass.  There are three things to consider.  First, how will you keep the piece clean?  Depending on the fragility of the piece you will need to gently dust it periodically.  (With a piece that absolutely can't be touched, I suggest just gently blowing the dust off every few weeks.) Also, if you smoke in your home, the smoke will eventually discolor the piece and it will become yellowish; consider not smoking in the room the glass-free piece is in.

The next question is, how will you design the framing package?  You need to consider how it looks, of course, but you also need to do what is possible; the absence of glass means you have to find another way to keep the piece from falling out of the front of the frame. 

For a paper piece, you can just have it mounted (your framer can help you with selecting the mounting method), mat it, and put it into the frame as though glass were a part of the package.  That's probably the simplest and nicest-looking option.

 You can also have the piece dry-mounted and frame it straight up with no mat; this is good for inexpensive and/or temporary displays, not really for pricey items.

The third question relates to the type of frame you choose. You may want to use a wooden frame.  Metal frames (the kind that screw together at the corners and have spring clips around the perimeter of the frame to keep the art firmly in the frame) are okay for the inexpensive/temporary art but they have the potential to damage the edges of nicer works.  A wood frame is really your best bet, because the framer is more in control of the snugness of the fit.

You can get wooden frames in sections; they come in pairs, and you buy two pairs in the dimensions you need.  They are easy to put together at home.  If you're dry-mounting the piece, or using a custom-sized mat, you'll need special equipment; this would be a good time to involve a framer.  You can have the framer mat and mount it, then put it into the frame at home.

Floating it sounds good, too.  My decision to float or not is usually decided by 2 things.  First, consider whether the method is appropriate for the piece.  (Your framer can help you make the decision.) Next,  consider the condition of the edges.  If they look interesting enough to display, consider a float. 

Paper pieces are typically floated on mats, while dimensional canvases are usually floated in an L-shaped floater frame.  For your piece, I'd consider a sink float.  A sink float mat is a top mat with a window in it mounted over a bottom mat with no opening. The piece is mounted to the backing mat, and the backing can be seen through the mat window all the way around the piece.  Your framer can make you one, or you can buy precut mats and put them together yourself.

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