in case anyone is looking at this thread or for future reference....
i have a local person that could make a print for about $40-50 if i supply the canvas and frame it. calling around to hobby stores it looks like the sizes i'm looking for would cost around $20 each plus mounting materials. so that'd be about $70-80 per picture compared to $110-130 from mpix.com (around 20x30 in size)
i did, however find this place:
http://www.treasuredcanvas.com/sizesandprices.html which does them for $86-96 for the sizes i'm after.
i searched, but couldn't find any sites showing how to mount canvas to a frame. i'd think it'd be as simple making a wooden frame to the desired size, then stapling the canvas taut to it. but maybe there's more to it than that.
so now the question is do it myself and save $10-20 or have it done professionally (with a satisfaction guaranty)?
*edit*
probably should have looked a little bit harder. found this:
http://www.cheapjoes.com/artist_comm...tch_Canvas.pdf