APFS Newsletter - Gary Leete - 7 Oct 2005

Dear APFS Member,

This is my first email letter to you since we launched the Amateur Picture Framers Society. We now have 300 members and are receiving 50 new members per week.

I would like to start a non-regular newsletter with you, to exchange ideas and to keep you informed.

The Framers Forum is proving a great success. The recent discussion on Mitre saws and Measuring Systems was most helpful and there is more to come on this subject. The comments by Doug Francis from Perth Australia were most interesting. So if you have not visited the Forum or contributed with a comment or question, let me encourage you to have a look at the Forum, as we all will benefit from your contribution, no matter what the framing subject.

A hot subject at the moment is pricing and what to charge for your framing if you are doing jobs for others. We have a pricing schedule/calculator which you can download from the - Be your own Boss section, but as Stuart Willis and Brian Townsend -Marlow have found, I did not explain how to use it very well... Hopefully my answer to Stuart was sufficient, but if anyone needs further help in this area please come back to us. Matthew or David in the UK, Maryann at our office in California, or I can help.

For our members in the USA, I am sorry that we have not finished the US dollar version of the calculator as yet, but it is not just a matter of converting the chart, we have to check its accuracy with local picture framing charges.

We have added a direct link to our price lists as this shows all the members pricing.

We have had a few contributions to the Members Gallery, but I would like more. If you are like me and not computer literate, do not worry, we have Bernard, our resident computer guru and I am sure he will be able to sort out anything you send to us. Send it through and we will arrange the format and the words. I know some of the work you are creating is well above industry standard, so be proud of it and lets all have a look.

The APFS is not just about dollar discounts. They are good to have but the intention was for the Society to be a meeting place for all of us - we are all Amateur Picture Framers and we all need help.

Enjoy your hobby,

Regards,
Gary Leete