How to Frame a Magazine

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Whether you have a limited or collector's edition of a magazine that you want to display or you've found a magazine with an attractive or artistic cover that's worth exhibiting, there might come a time in your life when you need to frame a whole magazine. Sure, you could cut off the cover and just frame that single page, but it's not always a good idea to do that, especially if you have a valuable or otherwise special-edition magazine that should be preserved in its entirety. Professional framing looks great but can be expensive. Luckily, framing a magazine is pretty easy to do yourself, and it's not so different from framing a print or a photograph.

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How to Frame a Magazine

Step 1: Select the Right Frame

The key to successfully framing a magazine comes down to choosing the right frame because magazines are thicker than most single prints or photographs for which you might have picked out a frame before. For the best look, you'll want to find a shadow box frame. These are frames with a spacer inside that creates space between the object (magazine) inside and the glass. Because of the thickness of magazines, these frames are the most suitable type.

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However, not all shadow box frames come in the same size and neither do magazines. Measure your magazine both vertically and horizontally so you can select a frame of the right size. Ideally, you'll have an inch or two of white spacer visible around the edge of the magazine — that is, the magazine won't come right up to the edge of the frame.

Step 2: Cut the Foam Board

To prevent the magazine from sliding down inside your frame, you'll need to create some padding. A foam board, which is easy to find in craft stores, is ideal.

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Take off the back of the picture frame and place it over the foam board. If they're not already the same size, trace the outline with a pen. Then, cut the foam board around your marks.

Step 3: Assemble the Magazine and Frame

Place the magazine cover-side down on the glass of the frame. Place the foam board on top of that and replace the back of the frame, securing it with the hooks or latches.

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If the magazine does slide down inside the box frame, you may need some thicker foam padding so you can repeat step 2 to secure it better. If you have a collector's edition magazine, then avoid using tape to keep the magazine in place. If you're not worried about damaging the magazine, you could place a piece of tape in each corner to secure the magazine to the padding or the frame backing behind it.

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