Picture Frame Calculator

This is a small program to help figure out what size to cut picture frames, and it runs on the Playdate handheld device.  

If you are framing something, it is easy to know what the inside dimensions of your frame should be, but frames are much easier to cut if you know what the outside dimension is.  Calculating this manually can be tricky especially since you need to convert fractions.

Use the crank to rapidly increase or decrease measurements, and use the A and B buttons to fine tune , use the d-pad up and down to switch rows.

Some definitions:

Nominal Height/Width:  This is the size that your mat board and glass have been cut.

Allowance:  This is the tiny amount of wiggle room you need for the glass and mat.  For frames with a shallow lip, use a small allowance. For frames with a deeper lip, you can get away with a larger allowance.  If you have no allowance, it will be too tight of a squeeze to get the glass in.  Too large of an allowance and your glass could fall out the front of the frame.

Thickness:  This is the width of the back side of your picture frame moulding.

After entering these, move the cursor to the 'Outside Dimensions' row and press A. The program will tell you what lengths to cut your moulding.

Select the depth of the lip of your moulding if you want to calculate spacers size. Art should never contact the glass, that is one function of the mat board.  If you aren't using a mat board you can use wood spacers instead to keep your prints from touching the glass.