Picture Framing Points

Picture framing point drivers — or tab/staple guns — fire framer points into wood frames to secure glass, mounted art and backing materials. They work much like a staple gun, but are designed to hold points rather than spring clips that can damage artwork or glass. United Manufacturers Supplies carries a full inventory of framing points and point drivers for use in all types of wood and poly frames.

Frame Fitting

Picture framing is not a straightforward matter. The means by which you hold the contents of the frame are an essential part of the whole project, and making the wrong choice can create a host of problems. Securing the contents can also be a time consuming task, so choosing a fast and reliable method will save you both time and frustration.

The preferred method of securing contents is with points, sometimes called inserts. If you are not familiar with these think of the metal tabs found at the back of gift frames that you bend up to get the promotional contents out so you can put your own picture in. These are rigid points, but the most professional framers use flexible ones.

These can be secured with either a vise-style point inserting tool, or with a point driver. The latter is more effective, especially if the stack of contents is very deep and restricts access to the inside walls of the frame recess.

Another option is to use off set clips, small metal brackets with offsets of 1/8″, 1/4″, or 1/2″ that screw into the back of the frame and reach up to overlap the stack. These are a quick and easy solution for holding a canvas stretched on stretcher bars in a wood frame. They are not a substitute for a proper stretcher bar mount, however.

Rigid Points

Picture framing tabs and points (also known as picture framer’s points or tabs) are used to secure the backing board, mount, artwork and glazing’sandwich’ in place in a frame. They can be manually pushed in or fired in with a point driver (tab gun) to speed up the process. Available in a range of styles, sizes and rigidity (flexible, semi-rigid or rigid), they can be bent back once inserted to give easy access to the contents to change them as required.

A point driver is to a framer what a nail gun is to a carpenter and can save huge amounts of time. A vise-style point inserting tool can be used instead, but the squeeze of a point driver trigger delivers a far smoother and faster action.

The Logan Dual Drive Elite point driving tool, for example, takes either flexible points or rigid tabs and comes with easy-load magazines of 100 wax-free points. It’s light, simple and ergonomically designed for maximum comfort. It is suitable for use with both wood and extruded polystyrene frames. Rigid points are generally used when the frame is for permanent installation, whereas flexible points can be bent back once inserted to give access to the contents to change them as required. A pair of these drivers and a box of points can transform your framing workflow.

Flexible Points

Picture framing points keep the contents of a frame (glass, matboard, foam board, art or photograph) securely in place. Sometimes called frame fitting, this process is essential for a professional finish. United Manufacturers Supplies has a full inventory of point drivers and flexible and rigid points, wax-free glazier points, and everything else you need to secure all contents within your frames for an unblemished finish.

Framer points are a simple, quick alternative to spring clips for holding artwork in place in custom wood picture frames. They fire smoothly into the rabbet joint of wood frame moulding, keeping glass, backing and art in place and preventing them from becoming damaged or misaligned. We carry a complete selection of point driver picture framing tools from Inmes, Fletcher and other trusted manufacturers. Choose from manual point drivers or pneumatic tab / staple guns that work with either rigid or flexible inserts.

The Logan F500-2 Dual Drive Elite works like a heavy-duty staple gun to quickly fire either rigid or flexible points into the rabbet joint of wood frames. Ideal for framing with changeable art or photographs, the force-adjustable system allows you to set the firing power for your specific wood density and ensure the points fire evenly and flat into the rabbet joint without jamming. The easy-load magazine holds 170 wax-free flexible points.

Point Drivers

A framer points driver or tab gun is to a picture framer what a staple gun is to a carpenter. It drives the inserts used to secure glazing, artwork, and backing boards in wood frames into the rabbet joint with just one squeeze of the handle. It’s an essential framing tool for anyone who wants to frame pictures professionally. United Manufacturers Supplies offers a full inventory of point drivers and rigid or flexible point inserts for wood and poly frames.

A quality point driver is a versatile tool that will be well-used for years to come. We offer the Fletcher FrameMaster point driver favored around the world by professional framers, with its fast, comfortable firing and high productivity. The lightweight, easy-to-use tool holds a 100-point magazine of rigid framer’s points that fire perfectly flat into the rabbet without jamming or double feeding. The point driver’s firing power can be spring adjusted to match the density of your framer’s points or your choice of hardwood or softwood framer’s materials.

Other options for driving points into frames include a vise-style point inserter that squeezes the point into the rabbet, and a pneumatic point drive that uses air pressure to drive the points. Both tools have their advantages and are available in various models to accommodate different types of point inserts, so it’s important to select the right one for your shop’s needs.