Shop setup guide
Whether you are opening a shop or tightening up an existing one, this is the equipment list that matters — from the saw at the bench to the software at the counter. It is written from daily experience running a working gallery, not from a catalog.
The bench essentials. A mitre saw or guillotine for moulding, a mat cutter (a straight-edge cutter covers most shops starting out), a v-nailer or underpinner for joining frames, and a point driver for fitting.
Accuracy at the measure saves re-cuts at the bench. Keep reliable rulers, squares and a tape at the counter and a second set at the bench so nobody is walking back and forth mid-quote.
Hinging, mounting and sealing the package. A dry-mount press is the big-ticket item — most shops add one once volume justifies it — but every shop needs conservation hinging supplies from day one.
Cutting and handling glass safely, plus the supplies that protect the art. Keep UV and museum options on hand as upgrades — they carry healthy margins when the customer can see the difference.
Length moulding, mat board and glass all need a home you can count. Bins, racks and shelf labels — ideally with barcodes — turn inventory from memory into a number you trust.
A bench at the right height, good light, and wall space for corner samples. Customers buy with their eyes — the moulding wall is a sales tool as much as storage.
Saws and mat cutters make the frame, but the counter is where the money is made. The shops that struggle are rarely short on equipment — they are pricing by hand, tracking jobs on paper, and counting moulding from memory.
Frame It Fast is counter software built for exactly this: quote a job in under fifteen minutes with live frame previews, take a deposit with a signature on the tablet, print the cut sheet for the bench, and keep inventory counts that match the wall — barcodes, bin labels and a drawable shop map included.
A reliable way to quote, take deposits and track jobs pays for itself in the first month. A dry-mount press can wait until the volume justifies it.
One set at the counter, one at the bench. The cheapest tools cause the most expensive delays when there is only one of them.
Barcode your bins and moulding racks on day one. Re-labelling a full shop mid-season is a weekend nobody enjoys.
Frame It Fast handles quoting, tickets, inventory and payments — so the tools above get used on frames, not on figuring out what to charge.
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