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As a collector of screen printed gig posters, I know the pain that is the cost of frames. Not only that, but where can you find a frame that will fit an 11″ x 23″ poster correctly?
Calling around here in St. Paul, the average price ran about $50 for an 11″ x 23″ piece of glass - not the whole frame, but the glass! There has to be a better way! And, there is!

What do you need? A sheet of acrylic and some sectional frame kits. Read on, and I’ll show you how!

Having a custom frame made isn’t cheap - it can start at $50, and easily run over $100 - and that’s just for your basic glass. What I’m going to write about is significantly cheaper - I built the frame I’ll show you for about $25, and that’s aiming a tad high.

Materials:
You will need the following.

Sectional Frame Kits - You will need 2 to complete one frame, these can be purchased in a variety of lengths and materials from craft shops like Michaels and run from $7 - $15 each.
1/16″ clear acrylic plastic - This is cheap. A 2′ x 4′ sheet of this will cost you $13. If you use TAP Plastics, they’ll even cut the sheet for you.
3/16″ foam board - you’ll want it the same size as your plastic. An entire sheet will only cost you a few dollars (Don’t order it from this link in other words).
Standard screwdriver
A Joseph Arthur poster - or anything else that you want to frame.

Now, how to build it!

Open up everything and lay it out. You should 4 rails, 2 hangers, 8 ‘corner’ pieces, and numerous springy bits. Opening up the packages was the hardest part.

Notice how the frame sections have a thick U channel, and then a much thinner “C” channel. The “C” channel is the one you use to connect everything together.

Figure out which piece is the top bar, and insert one or both hangers - then tighten them so they lock into place.

Next, take a corner piece labeled “A” and place it onto a corner piece labeled “B”. Place it so that the letters are facing each other.

Place one half into one side of the frame, and the other half into the other side of the frame.

Now, take a screw driver and slowly tighten the screws. As you do this, you’ll push the “B” plate away from the “A” plate - thus locking them firmly against the top and bottom of the “C” channel - this is the brilliance of the kit! A connection like this has a lot of surface area and holds up very well - extremely strong and sturdy.

Connect the next side of the frame so you have 3 sides completed - you can choose the side you want to leave out, though I’ve tried it both ways and feel the longer side usually works better, but it’s personal preference.

Now take your foam board and cut a piece that matches the same dimensions of your plastic. This step is optional if you plan to frame something very rigid, but it makes a nice mat for whatever you’re framing. And foam board comes in a multitude of colors too.

Now, place your art on top of the foam board, trying to keep it centered. Remove the plastic protecting the acrylic and place it on top, making an art sandwich. Mmmmm, pretentious!

Now gently slide this sandwich into your 3 sided frame. If you’ve chosen the same thickness material as I have, you’ll notice that it just fits - with a little room to wiggle, we’ll fix that too.

Now put your final side on. I find that it’s helpful to slightly tighten the screws on the piece so the ends stay in one place while you slide them in.

Then hang and admire your handiwork! You’re done!

What about those little springy metal bits? Great question! If your art doesn’t fit snugly in your brand new frame, then you use those little guys to snug it tight. Hook one end onto the back of the frame, then press down tight on the other and slip it all the way under - it should hold things tight!

Note: Indeed there is an impact mark on that particular piece of acrylic. UPS enjoys stomping on anything labeled ‘Glass’ or ‘Fragile’. No matter, it and it’s brother piece that was destroyed are being replaced by TAP Plastics. Great guys!