How to Choose the Right Type of Mat Board For Your Project

 A common concern of artists and photographers is choosing the right type of mat board.
There are confusing terms used to sell mat board.

Terms such as Acid-Free, PH Neutral, Archival, Rag, Alpha-Cellulose, Lignin-Free, FSC Certified etc.

The key to choosing the right board should be based on desired life-span of the final product. 

Although there are many variations - most mat boards fall into 3 categories.
1. Decorative
2. Conservation
3. Museum Grade

Decorative mat boards are considered acid-free in that they are buffered to a ph-neutral acidic level which will eventually deteriorate - primarily based on exposure to light.  These boards are best used for everyday projects that have a life expectancy of 5 - 25 years.  Examples could include framing of cards, lab produced photographs and artwork or printed work on papers that may not be acid-free. For many projects including certificates, awards, promotions, events, advertising and short-term display - decorative or "regular" mats are more than adequate. They have the advantage of being the lowest cost type of board as well.  Additional variations include endless varieties of surface papers and colors as well as different color cores.

Conservation boards are used for most artwork or photographs that have a life expectancy of 50 -150 years - and should be used on original work, fine art prints on quality acid-free paper and other valuable papers.  While not hugely expensive, they provide excellent long-term protection and many artists and photographers choose these types of boards for their original works and fine art reproductions.  Some conservation mat boards come with solid colors through the entire board from surface paper through the core and backing paper.  Along with double-thicknesses and good color choices - these are an excellent choice for fine quality framing.

Museum Grade boards are usually cotton based "Rag" mats whose life expectancy is as long as possible.  Some manufacturers claim 100s of years of protection under "ideal" conditions.  These boards are not significantly more expensive than conservation boards and therefore should be used for very valuable works or works to be archived and displayed indefinitely.  Again, a variety of types of museum boards are available although colors of surface papers may be a bit more limited.

For additional information - see the following links;

www.matshop.com/products/mats/1/
www.crescentcardboard.com/pig0703.html

Mat Tips for 2011 - February - Spacing for Mats

A common question when matting photos or artwork is whether to leave a space around the image and if so how much.

Whether to leave a space or not is dependent on a couple of things.  First of all is the work signed or numbered in the white margin below the image.  If so - a space at least as wide as the written signature and number should be left all around the image.

Secondly - is the piece very dark and are you using a dark mat.  If so - the white space may create a glaring white border that visually takes away from the image - in which case you will probably prefer to mat directly up to the image.

You should also decide if you are using a double or triple mat and if so -the number of layers of color or space may make the design to "busy" if you also leave white space around the image.
When designing your mat the uppermost concept should be that you wish to attract the viewer's eye to the artwork not the mat or the border surrounding the work.

Often that alone determines your decision.

Happy Matting!
PS.  Experiment using the free "Matomatic" tool at matshop.com.

Mat Tips for 2011 - Rag Mats

Today's post is courtesy of Crescent Cardboard - a manufacturer of some of the finest matboard in the North American Market and maker of Crescent "Rag" Board.   Rag is often mis-understood by those starting to get into the framing market so I felt this information was timely.

COTTON RAG MAT

For centuries, cotton rag paper, prized for strength, purity and stability, has been the choice of artists, composers, writers and printers. Today it is specified for currency, stock certificates and government documents.

Cotton rag matboard was designed specifically for the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York in the late 1920s. Today, virtually all museums and libraries rely on cotton rag matboard, often referred to as museum board.


Cotton is nature's purest form of cellulose. It is inherently free of lignin, acid and other non-cellulose contaminants found in wood pulp. Cotton fiber pulp is reliable, sturdy and far superior to bleached, chemically processed wood pulp used to produce other conservation boards.

For more information on Crescent Matboards and other boards available see the following websites:
Crescent Rag Board
MatShop Art Supplies

Picture Matting Tip of the Month

Professionals attach their artwork or photos to the back of the mat – or to a backing board.  However, when using tape – they only tape the artwork to board at the top – often called “hinging”.

Why is this done?  Why not just secure the artwork all around to the board – would that not be more secure?

Beside the fact that the hinging tape or acid-free tape used to attach the art to the mat or board is made for that purpose and both strong and not susceptible to drying out – by hinging only the top of the artwork or photo you allow the paper to expand or contract in response to changes in temperature and humidity. 

If the paper was restricted from expanding or contracting as needed – such as would be the case if taped all the way around – it would be forced to bubble or curl which is not only unsightly and unprofessional but can cause the artwork to come in contact with the glass in a frame – causing permanent damage to the work.

So “Hinge” your artwork at the top and let the rest float free – your matting tip of the month!

Matting Tips - Part 4 - Floating

4. SINGLE MAT FLOAT

Another technique is to float your image instead of attaching it to the back of the outer mat. To do this – choose a mat that will make a good background – or similar to choosing a double mat – a good “liner” color. Then choose your outer mat and cut the opening to be ½” LARGER than the image you are matting. This will create a ¼” “liner” around the image. Ensure both mats have the same outer dimension and glue them together. You will then have a “window” in the middle where you mount your artwork – using a rice paste or acid-free double sided tape. Centre the image and it will float on your background.

You can modify this to add a bottom weight to your “liner” as an added touch

Experiment and you will find lots of ways to modify this to add a great look.

Artwork courtesy of Patricia Arndt and inspired from Karin Jurick's "Different Strokes" website.
Mat created using the MatoMatic tool - courtesy of www.matshop.com.
You can do it too and best of all its FREE!

Matting Tips - Part 3 - Bottom Weighting

3. BOTTOM WEIGHTING

Here is a simple trick that can help take a simple matting project up one notch.  By adding some additional width to the border of the mat at the bottom of the image – it will add “weight” to the presentation.  This substance added to the bottom can also help give the entire look a professional touch.

The illustration here has added just another 1/2”.

Artwork courtesy of Patricia Arndt and inspired from Karin Jurick's "Different Strokes" website.
Mat created using the MatoMatic tool - courtesy of www.matshop.com.
You can do it too and best of all its FREE!

SECRETS OF MATTING FOR ARTISTS

This article is re-printed with permission from the MatShop and author Jim Fishwick. Visit the MatShop for the full article and additional information.

Some of the Fundamental secrets when selecting Matting for your artwork.

Single mats: If a single mat is used, it is often safest and most desirable to use a neutral color, such as off white, cream, light grays etc. These go very well with most images and fit into most home settings. If you wish a stronger color, try to match the mat color with a dominant color in the image. i.e. Lots of dark green trees in the picture, use a dark green mat. For black and white photographs, off-white mats with a black core are very effective.

Using a double mat: Double mats add considerably to the richness of the presentation. The safest method is to use a neutral outer mat, and a color for the inner mat that matches a dominant color in the image. The amount of the inner mat that can be seen is called the “reveal”, and varies with the size of the mat. A reveal of 3/16" is close to being an industry standard, but use your own judgment. When using a white mat over another white mat, a reveal of 1/2" or even much more can work very well. Double mats are usually twice the price of a single.

Adding decorative cuts: Closed and open "V-grooves", decorative corners and graphics can be attractive, but often unnecessary. A closed v-groove is very common, and can be quite cost effective especially with larger artwork. The extra cost can be recovered by a higher retail price. Closed v-grooves can be very effective on single mats of conservation quality.

Types of mat cuts explained

These are some of the cuts available, and the terminology used to describe them.

1. Open v-groove, 3/16" reveal
2. V-groove gap
3. Closed v-groove
4. Message box, 3/16" reveal
5. Double opening, 3/16" reveal
6. Single opening
7. "Fancy" corner
8. Floating the image
9. Graphic
10. #246 Walnut frame
11. Double mat, light blue outer, dark blue inner.