Frames

"Do you sell frames?"

Here's what the FAQ still says: "No. The pre-made frames are quite expensive, and would be very awkward to ship. In general, I think you will get a better deal - both quality and price - by going to an artist's store, and just getting a frame, either ready-made or custom." But so many people have asked, that I have decided we will supply frames where we can. Here are some guidelines:

How many different styles are there?

Lots! See below.

Are there frames for all puzzle sizes?

There are frames made to fit exactly the standard Japanese puzzle sizes. Please note that these are different from typical sizes of puzzles made elsewhere. The available range of styles is wider for the common sizes.

How much do frames cost?

Generally about the same as the puzzle.

Are they of good quality?

Yes, they are nicely made, and not flimsy clip-together kits, but pre-assembled at full size. See next question.

What about shipping?

There's the rub. The frames are slightly larger than the completed puzzle, so the problem is bulkiness. Here's the low-down:

• Up to 108 piece standard size: no problem at all. Shipping can be by any method.
• 300 and 500 piece standard size: too large for a "small packet", so normally only EMS
• 1000 piece standard size: may be too large for some countries
• 2000 piece standard size: too large for many countries; borderline for USA, for which Yanoman 2014-piece size is just too large, other 2000-piece are OK

For the time being, please ask about the specifics for the destination country. For the time being the service is experimental - it may be that until we actually pack a frame we can't tell if it will be within the size limit.

Here are some sample ranges we will be able to provide, together with price guidelines... (more information on available size and style/colour combinations later)

Wooden frames with gold beading (Beverly)

300 pc: 2000 yen
500 pc: 2300 yen
1000 pc / 950 panorama: 3400 yen
2000 pc: 8000 yen

Plain wooden frames (Beverly)

300 pc: 2000 yen
500 pc: 2300 yen
1000 pc / 950 panorama: 3400 yen
2000 pc: 8000 yen

Minimal aluminium frames (Beverly)

300 pc: 1500 yen
500 pc: 2000 yen
1000 pc / 950 panorama: 2800 yen
2000 pc: 4800 yen

Ghibli Studios (Artbox)

New! The former wooden frames are being replaced by similar ones in plastic with a moulded relief pattern, in "acorn" (brown) and "leaf" (green) varieties.

108 pc: 1800 yen
300 pc: 2800 yen
500 pc: 3500 yen
1000 pc: 4800 yen

Disney frames (Tenyo)

These include a Disney plaque which you can affix to the front of the framed puzzle.
300 pc: 2200 yen (plain wood: natural, brown, red, blue, green)
500 pc: 2500 yen (plain wood: natural, brown, red, blue, green)
950 pc panorama: 4300 yen (wood, with gold beading: natural, brown, red, blue)
1000 pc: 3800 yen (plain wood: natural, brown, white, red, blue)

Disney embossed frames

These frames are embossed with a panoply of Disney characters to surround your completed puzzle. They are quite heavy, and surprisingly fragile, so shipping will be considerably more than for the wooden or aluminium frames. They are available in three finishes.
2000 pc: 8800 yen (pearl white only)

Yanoman tiny puzzles ("Petit")

There are also frames for the Petit series:
208 pieces postcard size (Y98-series) 500 yen each: in black, brown, white, natural, red, pink, yellow, and light blue

500 pieces double postcard size (Y41-series) 800 yen each: in white, brown, natural, deep blue
Disney version, including seals, 900 yen each: brown, natural, pink, and light blue

Guide to shipping costs

We do not yet have an automatic system for ordering, but here is a guide to EMS shipping costs for (standard) 1000-piece size. The cost for 500-piece size will be around 60% of the corresponding figure, and for 300-piece size, around 40%, or less if you choose economy shipping.

(Updated for EMS price increase in 2016)

The 950/954 piece panorama frames are somewhat heavier (mathematically, the area of the 950 pcs puzzles is slightly less than that of 1000pcs, so the puzzles weigh less, but the perimeter is longer, so the frames weigh more!), so expect to add around 20% to the 1000-piece rate.

Please note also that the embossed figure frames, and the frames for "crystal" (translucent) puzzles are made of plastic, and these are heavier and more fragile than wooden ones. So extra packaging is required, and the cost is significantly higher.

It is harder to estimate for (standard) 2000-piece size: some wood frames (or the Disney embossed frames) may weigh twice as much as aluminium ones. Here are approximate ranges.

• Small pieces: Remember that the "small pieces" puzzles generally fit the next frame size down. For example 1500 or 2000 "small pieces" fits a 1000-size frame.
• Frames to the USA: We do not recommend sending 2000-piece size frames to the USA, because of the dimension limits. This makes it impossible to pack a 2000-piece frame properly to go by EMS. We can send them at your own risk of damage, or possibly ship by UPS or Fedex, though these services typically charge two or three times as much as EMS.

Frame enquiry form

Please use the following form, giving as much information as you can: either give the Imaginatorium Shop puzzle code, or the dimensions, since exact sizes sometimes depend on the manufacturer.