Custom framing, tracked at the bench
Picture frame shop software, so “is my piece ready?” never reaches the phone
FrameQueue is picture frame shop software for independent custom framers. Write up the art, list its moulding, mat and glazing, and every order shows its stage, its bin and a link the customer can check for themselves.
No card for the trial. No vendor catalogs, no payments, no setup fee.
Harbor Street Framing
Ticket #1042 is mat cut
Your mat has been cut and your frame is being built.
- Intake
- Waiting on materials
- Ready to build
- Mat cut
- Assembled
- Ready for pickup
Promised for Friday, October 24
Pickup hours: Tue to Sat, 10 to 5
Framing shop production tracking, down to the drawer
Which drawer holds the Hendricks wedding photo? Your own bins answer it
- Flat file A3 orders
- Flat file B1 order
- Art rack 24 orders
- Fitting bench2 orders
- Ready shelf5 orders
- Design counter2 orders
Order log, ticket #1042
Bin change: Design counter to Flat file A
Dana · Oct 6, 9:12 am
Stage change: Ready to build to Mat cut
Luis · Oct 9, 2:40 pm
Bin change: Flat file A to Fitting bench
Luis · Oct 9, 2:41 pm
The Artwork locations page lists what sits in each bin and lets anyone on the team move an order between bins. Customer art is irreplaceable and sits in the shop for weeks; its location shouldn't live in one person's head. For planning the week there is a due-this-week list by promised date, with what is still missing beside each order.
Work ticket 1042
16 x 20 photo · walnut · 8-ply antique white · museum glass
Due: Fri
- – cust. called twice, ready?
- – glass ordered?? ask Dana
- – moved to flat file? or rack 2
- – moulding box on bench, whose?
Pencilled on the work ticket
What the ticket stapled to the art leaves out
The phone rings about ticket 1042. On paper, someone walks to the back to find the ticket. With FrameQueue the customer already has a link that shows the stage, so the call doesn't come.
A box of chopped moulding lands on the bench. Each order lists its moulding, mat and glazing with vendor, item number and status, so the box belongs to a named order.
The mat gets cut before the glazing has arrived. An order can't reach ready to build while a line is still on order, and the board says which line is holding it.
Nobody is sure where the art went. Every order shows its bin, and each move is logged with who made it and when.
The week's due dates live in a pile of tickets. One list sorts orders by promised date, with what is still missing beside each.
Ticket #1043 · Wedding photo, 16 x 20
- Moulding: Larson-Juhl 4581, walnutReceived Oct 9
- Mat: Crescent 8-ply, antique whiteIn stock
- Glazing: Museum glass, 16 x 20Backordered, expected Oct 21
Can't move to ready to build: 1 material line is still outstanding (Museum glass is backordered). Mark it received first.
A materials list on every ticket
Hold the saw until every line on the list has arrived
Every order carries its own materials list: moulding, mat, glazing, backing and hardware, each with the vendor, the item number and a status of in stock, needed, ordered, backordered or received. An order can't reach ready to build while a line is still on order, and the message names the line. When the last one arrives, a waiting order moves to ready to build on its own.
That is the whole point of frame shop order tracking: the ticket shows what has been done, not only what was promised.
One order, front counter to pickup shelf
The life of a framing order
Take in the art
Write up the order: the piece, the size, the promised date and the bin it goes in. Copy the status link onto the receipt.
Photo by Brad on Unsplash List what it needs
Moulding, mat, glazing and backing, each with vendor, item number and a status from needed to received.
Photo by Thomas Kinto on Unsplash Cut and build
As lines arrive the order moves to ready to build. Framers drag it to mat cut and assembled.
Photo by Darien Attridge on Unsplash Hand it over
Ready for pickup shows on the customer's link. Mark it picked up and the ticket leaves the board.
Photo by Amr Taha™ on Unsplash
Owner, designer, framer
The designer writes it up, the framer moves it along, the owner can delete it
| What they can do | Owner | Designer | Framer |
|---|---|---|---|
| See every order, material line and bin | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Move orders along the bench | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Mark materials received or backordered | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Write up orders and customers | ✓ | ✓ | – |
| Mark an order picked up | ✓ | ✓ | – |
| Export orders and material lines (CSV) | ✓ | ✓ | – |
| Change shop settings and the team | ✓ | – | – |
| Delete orders, customers and bins | ✓ | – | – |
Monthly plans
$19, $39 or $69 a month, and nothing to pay up front
Every plan has unlimited orders and bins, the customer status link and CSV export. Start with a 14-day trial; yearly billing is two months free.
| Plan | Solo | Bench | Studio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Per month | $19 | $39 | $69 |
| Per year | $190 | $390 | $690 |
| Owner logins | 1 | 1 | 3 |
| Designer and framer logins | None | 5 | unlimited |
| Orders, bins, status links, CSV export | Unlimited | Unlimited | Unlimited |
Asked at the design counter
Framing shop questions about FrameQueue
Where does it stop compared with LifeSaver or SpecialtySoft?
Not for pricing, catalogs or payments, which it leaves alone on purpose. FrameQueue covers the production side only: the order, its materials, its stage and where the art is. Shops without a framing POS use it instead of paper tickets and a clipboard; shops with one can use it as a simple workroom board.
What stops a mat getting cut before the moulding is in?
An order cannot be moved to ready to build, or any stage after it, while one of its material lines is still needed, ordered or backordered. The message names the missing line. When the last line is marked received on an order that was waiting, it moves to ready to build by itself.
Where do I record which drawer or rack holds a customer's art?
You set up your own bins: flat file drawers, the art rack, the fitting bench, the ready shelf. Every order shows its bin, the Artwork locations page lists what sits in each one, and every move is written to the order's log with who made it and when.
What does the customer see when they open their link?
The stage, the promised date, your pickup hours and phone number, and a message you can set once for all orders. It shows no name, phone number, price or notes. Text or email the link from your own phone when you write the ticket; there is no customer login and no per-message fee.
What can a framer do that a designer cannot, and the reverse?
From the Bench plan each can have a login. Designers write up orders, manage customers and mark pickups. Framers see the whole workroom, move orders along the bench, mark materials received and record bin moves, but cannot create orders, edit customers or change shop settings. Only owners change settings and staff, and only owners delete orders.
Can I take my orders with me?
Owners and designers can download orders and material lines as CSV files at any time, on every plan, for an accountant or a spreadsheet.
What if the 14 days run out before I pick a plan?
The 14-day trial needs no card and runs on the Solo plan's limits. If you haven't picked a plan by then, nothing is deleted. Every order stays readable and exportable; adding or changing records waits until you subscribe.
Updated October 14, 2026