The Framers Forum

We have only had few cards from suppliers this year but have received a plethora of email cards in the last couple of days.

RobinC

We have had a Fletcher wall mounted cutter (the 3000 I think) for over 20 years that we use primarly for glass cutting - we use a guillotine for board. The machine has given us 20 years of almost trouble free service. We have had to replace the ptfe bushes on the cutter holder (between the holder an...

I always cringe when customers ask for a black hogarth frame - what a nasty piece of moulding that is!

Anything that is particularly hideous does not have our shop details stuck on the back of the frame. The phrase I hate (usually uttered from the friend of the person bringing in their art to be framed) is "But the frame doesn't matter, its the art thats important - we'll have that this white cu...

We have used the Ultimos for over 2 years and all the wheels are still intact.

RobinC

Hi,

We started with vertical dividers under our workbenches, about 4" apart. About 2 yars ago we invested in th eLion Ultimo system and have been very pleased with it, makes storage a lot easier, and much easier when it comes to checking stock.

Recommeded

RobinC

After a quiet September business has picked up quite nicely - long may it continue! We have had a week of selling framed pictures off the wall and fron our website. We tend to put things away for Christmas all year - I think our first this year was in March (for a lady, obviously!)

RobinC

Prospero - we are thinking the same way. We have already had reams of paper promoting this idea, I am just hoping that the major retailers, who have the biggest share of the vote, are feeling the pinch at the moment and kick it well into touch. I already pay several arms and legs in UBR and our shop...

Hi, The area where our shop is situated is currently touting for BID funding. All traders in the area get a vote. If vote is favourable we all get charged an extra .5 % of our rateable value for 3 years. The vote is weighted by the rateable value of the electorate, so I actually think that my vote i...

We always have to leave the shop open when qwe take a holiday. Our first few years we didn't like to leave the shop, then we finally took a break to Whitby - we sold a lot of prints by Frank Meadow Sutcliffe at the time. I now could not go without my weeks holiday every year. The mobile phone is a b...

Just another thought with working from home. We have just had our annual PAT test carried out - every portable electic appliance from the kettle to the dry mount press has to have an annual test carried out by a qualified electrician to ensure it is safe - only one item failed this year - an extensi...

I have not looked at the FSB deal recently. The last time I looked we were getting a better deal independantly than through either the FSB or the FATG. I'll take another look though. I am not that disatisfied with Nat West or Streamline, but when we were approached by RMS we thought we would take a ...

We have been with Nat West since we opened 20 years ago, and we have had no real problems. However, I regualary review our charges and compare to ensure we are getting competitive charging. When a company offers me a better financial deal we have to look at it. As we have found no one who uses RMS, ...

We have been customers of Simons for 20 years and at the moment we usually receive our delivery the day after placing the order. We are in Lancashire, so I would expect an extra day to get to Ireland. I'd give them a ring to see what has happened. When we have a delivery problem it is often the faul...

Thanks Very Much, Thats exactly why I have asked on here to see if anyone has any experience of this company. I don't know how you manage without taking cards - about 80% of our business is done with credit or debit cards, we hardly ever see a cheque now and the rest is cash, but reducing year on ye...

We have been approached by this company to use them for processing our credit/debit card payments. We currently use Streamline, who we have been happy with for 15 years, but the rates from RMS are lower than Streamline. plus they also offer other benefits such as a legal help line. Does anyone here ...

I have just bought an epson printer/scanner and after about a week of use the black cartridge is empty and I have been asked if I want to use the colour inks to produce black. If you want to print a B & W photo you need to use your printer software to tell the printer to print in black only (thi...

I describe it as a soft black, and it really suits B/W photography where the photographs are a sepia/brown type of black rather than the hard blue/black (if you know what I mean!) I wonder if the "sepia/brown type of black is due to the limitations of some inkjet printers to prints a true blac...

I agree with all the posters about only drymounting items that can be replaced - Stabdard posters and the like. However, we have a couple of artist customers who work with watercolour and always want their work drymounted, despite being told of the risks as they don't like the cockling that is alway...

We have a comedian over here called Peter Kay, from Bolton. He does a very funny routine about when he worked in a retail shop (cash and carry) where the managers mantra was "Eye Level is Buy Level" It is on youtube under Peter Kay top of the tower, but the whole show is on and I don't hav...