Light Wood Diploma Frame Buying Guide

A diploma represents years of dedication and hard work, making its preservation and display a significant achievement. A professionally framed diploma serves as a valuable gift, whether for yourself as a college student or for a graduate in your life. Choosing the right diploma frame involves considering various factors, from the materials used to the style that best complements your decor. This comprehensive guide explores the key aspects of selecting a light wood diploma frame to showcase and protect your hard-earned degree.

Why Frame Your Diploma?

Framing your diploma is more than just decoration; it's a statement of accomplishment. Many display their framed diplomas in their workplace, home office, or family room. Some use feng shui principles to guide placement, hanging diplomas and certificates near the front door to remind themselves of their achievements. Delaying the display of diplomas, as Paloma Beamer did for nine years, is not uncommon, but ultimately, showcasing your diploma serves as a constant reminder of your success.

Choosing the Right Frame

Frame Material and Style

Frames are commonly made of materials like wood, metal, and plastic. The frame material is an essential factor to consider, with the choice depending on cost, durability, weight, and style preferences. For a classic and timeless look, light wood frames are an excellent option. You can also consider light or dark brown wood frames for a traditional touch. If you want to add some interest to the wall, you can choose a bright-colored frame. There are two-tone frames and ones with gold accents.

University Frames prides itself on using the best hardwood in all its solid frames. The wood we have chosen is renowned in the industry for its durability and straight grain.

Matting Options

Matting enhances a diploma's appearance and adds depth to the framing. You can choose one, two, or three mats of various colors. Classic color choices include white, cream, or gold. At Church Hill Classics, there are many different mat colors available. Don’t see your favorite mat color on one of our featured frames? Check out their Create-A-Frame tools to design the diploma frame of your dreams from start to finish. You can try out different mat colors and textures, wood finishes, and medallion, engraved nameplate, and embossing styles. Best of all, you can visualize every possible design feature before you buy.

Glazing: Glass vs. Acrylic

Protecting your diploma involves choosing between glass or acrylic glazing. You may plan on moving a lot throughout your career and life. You can choose glazing with museum-quality, or protection from glare or UV rays. Each frame comes with standard glass, but there are glass upgrade options available for added document protection: reflection control, conservation UV protection, and conservation UV and reflection control. For frames with documents larger than 12″x16″, Plexiglass is recommended, as it offers better damage-free protection during shipping.

Size Matters

The size of a diploma frame is important because it directly impacts the appearance and display of your diploma. If the frame is too small, it may not fit the diploma properly and important parts of the document may be obscured.

When choosing a diploma frame, it's also important to consider the size of the matting. Matting is the decorative border that surrounds the diploma, and the size of the matting can impact the overall appearance of the frame.

Preservation and Protection

Archival Quality Materials

Preservation is a key benefit of professional framing. Choosing a professional framer who uses archival quality materials is essential. You’ll want a graduation frame that protects your diploma and will prevent yellowing, brittleness, or cracking.

University Frames provides mat board and mount board made by industry experts. To help preserve and protect your document, all of their mat boards and mount boards are acid and lignin-free.

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UV Light Protection

One of the most important factors in choosing the best diploma frame is UV light protection. The right degree frames start with glass that will protect your diploma from sun damage. Whether digital documents or expensive parchment paper, cheap hobby shop frame glass will not protect against time in the sun.

Church Hill Classics also uses lignin-free archival materials. This term means the matting will not become acidic over time. This is the way to go. All of their graduation frames feature acid-free matting and backing boards. Be sure your diploma is safely encased in acid-free and lignin-free materials to avoid yellowing and cracking over time.

Mounting Techniques

Removable, less-invasive mounting is often quicker and less expensive than permanent mounting. Permanent mounting is typically reserved for documents in poor condition, such as those tightly rolled, creased, or torn. Wet mounting involves rolling paste onto the mount board, laying on the document and a cover leaf or paper, and pressing it for a short period. Dry mounting requires careful attention to hot dwell time, cooling time under weight, temperature, pressure, and moisture.

Customization Options

School Seal and Embellishments

Many frames offer the option to showcase your school seal, enhancing the diploma frame in compliance with licensing rights. Ornate medallions and elegant embossed versions of the school seal can be added. Medallions are three-dimensional die-struck brass or pewter emblems mounted within the mat opening of the frame, while embossing uses gold and silver foils to press your school insignia and name onto a matboard. Engraving involves setting silver or gold engraved school seals into the mat opening of a frame or adding your name and graduation year to an engraved plate below your degree.

Frame Styles and Designs

University Frames offers custom-designed diploma frames for thousands of colleges and universities. Their diploma frame styles come in a variety of frame mouldings, mat colors, and glass options to meet your personal style and requirements. They also provide a wide range of display options like diploma frame with tassel box, double degree frame (side by side or stacked), diploma frame with portrait, diploma frame with channel cut, triple degree, logo mat frame and more.

Create-A-Frame Tools

Church Hill Classics offers Create-A-Frame tools to design the diploma frame of your dreams from start to finish. You can try out different mat colors and textures, wood finishes, and medallion, engraved nameplate, and embossing styles. Best of all, you can visualize every possible design feature before you buy.

Where to Buy

Online Options

It is easy to select options and order your framing online. You can take your time selecting the mats, frame style, and glass or acrylic glazing options.

The Frame Room

The Frame Room has many price options to fit your budget. They are located in Baltimore, Maryland.

Additional Considerations

Complementing Your Decor

Make sure to choose a frame that complements your decor while highlighting your diploma as the focal point. You can preview how your diploma looks on different colored walls and decide on a theme for your decor if you want to create a collage wall. Gold frames paired with light wood frames look uniform. You can also take a peek at how matting colors and frame choices affect the look.

Multiple Degrees

Do you need to frame multiple degrees? Do you want to frame them in a double diploma frame, or display them separately?

Examples of Diploma Frames

Yale University Diploma Frame

Exquisitely constructed, this diploma frame is precision-crafted for Yale University graduates, scrupulously conforming to the institution’s unique aesthetics. The frame showcases museum-quality navy and gold matting with your Yale University logo and word marks ornately embossed in gold. Yale University's distinct design and color scheme for its diploma frames are honored in this set, representing a rich tradition that adds a profound sense of prestige. Each high-quality Yale University frame is officially licensed and proudly custom-built in the United States, ensuring it remains a cherished keepsake throughout your career. Additional accessories include easy-to-install level framing hardware and diploma assembly instructions.

University Frames' Diploma Frame Designs

The Executive: Features a high-quality hardwood with a fine, straight grain and a furniture-quality finish. An intricate "rope" pattern on the frame's inner edge adds a unique finishing touch. The rich suede or library leather mat and the wood fillet liner (finished to match the frame) highlight your diploma in a style usually seen only in fine art galleries.
Honors: Represents an aesthetic blend of classic timelessness along with contemporary style and boldness. It is milled, finished, and assembled to the highest quality specifications in the industry. A premium quality, high gloss moulding, available in a number of finishes to complement any home or office décor.
Classic: Our most popular Classic line is sure to please the most discriminating alumni.
Legacy: Combines a straight profile and contemporary feel with a subtle satin finish. Those searching for a modern look without the high gloss found on some of our other mouldings will find the Legacy a perfect fit. Evoking a timeless look from the past, yet reflecting the contemporarily sculpted lines of today, our Legacy profile with its dark, rich, satiny finish, is destined to become a classic for all time.
Satin: The same premium quality moulding and profile as the Classic line, but with a subtle satin finish. The high gloss lacquer and gold accents are gone, but all of the other components, including our quality control standards, are the same as those in the Classic line. Available in Satin Mahogany and Satin Walnut.
Petite: Milled with the same exacting quality standards as the Classic line, the Petite line offers a lower-price option. Though similar to the Classic and Satin lines, the Petite profile is 1” wide and will appeal to those looking for a narrower moulding in more of a value-priced frame.
Manhattan: Offered in a satin black or rich espresso finish, with a design that defies the passage of time.
Avalon: Highlights a beautifully concave hardwood profile featuring a raised ebony outer edge and delicately beaded interior lip.

Customer Satisfaction

The quality of the diploma frame is essential. You want to make sure that the frame is well-made and that it is made of high-quality materials. Customers often comment on the high quality and beautiful look of their frames.

University Frames has a customer-friendly return policy. If an order is canceled within 24 hours of purchase, customers can receive a full refund. If a frame arrives damaged or not as ordered, a return label will be issued, and a replacement frame will be shipped once the original is returned.

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