There are several good guides on eBay Guides and Reviews about framing. "Conservation of Works on Paper" is a four-part guide that gives more information: not to make you a framer, but to make you a better consumer. Part 1 talks about what can go wrong and why. Part 2 talks about the anatomy of framing. Part 3 talks about the over matted print. Part 4 is a check list, worksheet, and tips.

Check List:--archival:

• Window mat & Back board: museum board, 100% rag, or equivalent
• Linen tape to hinge the window mat to the back board
• Acrylic spacer if work does not have window mat
• Corner mounts—acid free paper with linen tape, or archival polypropylene with acrylic adhesive
• Metal frame or wood frame with seal inner edges
• Glass or Acrylic glazing (consider UV filtering—discuss glass vs acrylic)
• Sealed paper dust sheet on back

Don’t use:

• masking tape
• double-sided tape
• unsealed wood frames
• plastic frames
• frosted glass
• You should never display your work where it is in direct sunlight.

Window Mat:

Typically the width of the widow is 2 ½" to 4". Usually the bottom is about 1/2" higher. The space between the beveled inner edge of the window and the image is 1/8" to 1/4", with the bottom space 1/16’ to 1/8" bigger. Work with your framer on what is best for your image. For example, we have seen little 4X5 inch photographs mounted in 16X20 frames with the window opening just touching the edges of the image, that are remarkably stunning.

Double and triple over mats, especially of different colors, can be used with remarkable effectiveness.

UV protection: In tests by Wilhelm-Research.com, the print permanence rating can often be doubled if the image has a UV coating. These coating can be thin and clear, not changing the color or surface qualities of the image. One of the distinguishing characteristics of Giclée prints is that they should have been treated with a UV coating. UV acrylic used to be quite orange. This worked well keeping UV light out of windows, but when used over images profoundly shifted the color because light was filtered twice. The newer UV glasses and acrylics do not change the color of the image that way, and although they are more expensive, they are worth considering.

It is worth noting, that although light can be deleterious to images, many sorts of prints have a dark storage life, sometimes surprising short.

(Wilhelm Imaging Research, wilhelm-research.com, has done extensive testing on flim, photographic reproductions, and digital printing. The site is free, and the information is readily accessible. Unfortunately, some oil, acrylics, water colors, etc., are not light fast, but I am unaware of any equivalent testing organization for them.)

Here is part of the work sheet we use. Because there are lots of variations, if you intend to collect and show your collection, we recommend keeping a sheet like this for each image. It gives you quick reference for what you have selected in the past for your prints. In addition to the diagram of the image and window mat, with dimensions, on our worksheet we include the type, brand, product name and color of the window mat, frame brand and size, framer’s name.

Some people may want to cut their own mats. This is not difficult, although the old adage, measure twice cut once, certainly holds. If you do not want to cut your own mats, you may still want to figure out what the dimensions will be, especially if you want to reuse an existing frame—to know if it will work.

There are two ways to deal with the size of an over mat, and therefore the frame. The first takes a popular size of frame and pre-cut mat, say 14 X 18 inches, which is commonly used for photographs about 8X10 inches, and determines the window size and placement to fit. You would also use this method to recycle an old frame. The second takes the image size and the size of the surround to create a custom mat size.

(This only looks like algebra, it’s simple, just plug in the numbers, add or subtract.)

To Fit an Existing Frame or Standard Size Pre-cut Mat

You have to decide how big the reveals (a, b, c) are going to be, then all else has to add up to the overall mat size. Sometimes, however, you can end up with measurements in 32nds or 64ths. In this example, we end up working in 16ths.

To calculate the window from a given mat size, Width x Height:

Width ______ - D _____ - b _____ - b_____ = 2G _______

2G______ ÷ 2 = G_____

For the vertical dimensions we’re going to do almost the exact same thing as we did for the width but with an extra little step.

Height _____ - E _____ - a _____ - c _____ = F+H _____

(F+H) ÷ 2 = ________ take that number and subtract 1/2 = F _____

                                    take that number and add 1/2 = H ______

For example an 8 X 10 inch print, on a 14 x 18 mat, with 1/4 inch reveal side and top (a and b), 3/8 inch on bottom (c), and a H will be 1/2 inch bigger than F:

Width 14 – D 8 – b 1/4 – b 1/4 = 2G 5 1/2

2G 5 1/2 ÷ 2 = G 2 3/4

Therefore the sides of the window mat will be 2 3/4 inches.

Height 18 - E 10 – a 1/4 - c 3/8 = F+ H 7 3/8

(F+H) 7 3/8 ÷ 2 = 3 11/16 F = 3 11/16 – 8/16 = 3 3/16

H = 3 11/16 = 8/16 = 4 3/16

To Make a Custom Size Mat and Frame

In this method, we need to decide two things, how big the reveals (a, b, c) will be, and how big the sides, top and bottom of the window mat will be.

G _____ + G _____ + b _____ + b _____ + D _____ = Width _____

F _____ + a _____ + E _____ + c _____ + H _____ = Height _____

For example, an 8 X 10 inch print, with a ¼ reveal side and top (a and b) 3/8 on the bottom (c), with 2 1/2 over mat on the top and sides (F and G) and 3 on the bottom (H).

G 2 1/2 + G 2 1/2 + b 1/4 + b 1/4 + D 8 = Width 13 1/2

F 2 1/2 + a 1/4 + E 10 + c 3/8 + H 3 = Height 16 1/8

Tips on Cutting Your Own Mats

On scrap mat board, draw some sample windows and practice cutting them. Remember you are cutting from the back side of the mat, so the bevel moves towards the outer edge of the mat. You want to get a feel for where to insert the point of the blade so that the corners are just cut and the inside of the window is loose. You do not need to extend the cut beyond that point, although many mats are cut with the cut lines extending quite a distance beyond the corners.

Calculate the window dimensions you are going to need.

On the back side of the window mat, lightly draw the window opening in pencil, extending the lines almost to the edges of the mat.

You can cut good looking mats with inexpensive mat cutters. Do not use a knife: you cannot cut good looking window mats with a knife. Use a mat cutter. Some come as a system, with frames that provide a track for the cutter and let you clamp the mat firmly for each cut.

We do not just lift the cut mat and let the center piece fall out. If it did not cut through in a corner, it can tear and it is harder to clean up a tear than to carefully cut a tiny piece of ply.

We prefer to carefully slide the entire piece of mat away from the cutter, then holding down the mat and cutout, we carefully erase the pencil lines. Sometimes the pencil lines transfer to the art itself if they are left. We erase in from the edges, never out towards the corners, so we don’t tear them. When the lines are erased, we blow away all the eraser crumbs. Carefully inspect the bevel edge—little bits of eraser like to hide there.

Some mat board has hard particulate in it—we don’t know why or what it is—but it can cause the cut to chatter and look a little ragged. So when things don’t quite work: A metal diamond nail file can remove tiny pieces of uncut ply. A bone burnisher can smooth out slightly rough cuts.

We sell prints, and this is the advice we give our customers.

To see our other guides, click:  Guides

We believe that the more you know the better choices you’ll make.