Tilting your plate for the optimal image

Most plates are designed to be hung at eye level and lit from directly above. If you have a different arrangement, this interactive applet shows how you can tilt a plate to deliver the brightest image to the most viewpoints. Use the sliders to dial in the height of your eyes, the location of your light, and the hanging height of your plate; the applet will recommend a stand-off length to appropriately tilt the plate. Depending on your frame you might standoff a little more or less. All units are in feet (1"=0.083'); if you prefer meters just use the sliders to scale everything down.

Don't worry about being precise; most plates will deliver good images to a range of heights, so most likely you won't need to tilt the plate as much as suggested by the applet. It's worth mentioning that dialing in a good image will probably be easiest if your light is close to the wall.

A note on the mechanics of using the stand-offs: A set of 10-32-thread stand-off screws is included with the frame. If you need to tilt the plate, pick two screws that are a little longer than the desired stand-off length, and screw them a few turns clockwise into the threaded holes in the back of the plate. No tools are needed, and the screws don't need to be tight -- they're just for spacing (not for hanging!). If the bottom of the plate needs to be tilted toward the eye, the stand-off screws go into the lower two holes. If the top of the plate needs to be tilted toward the eye, the stand-offs go in the two upper two holes, and you may also need to make your hanging screw/nail/hook jut a little further out from the wall -- make sure it's well-anchored!