Use the Right Mat Board to Suit Your Framing Purpose

Mat board is one component of the collection of framing supplies that you will need in order to frame any picture from your child's crayon drawings all the way up to museum-quality pieces. Not all matboard is created alike, and thus you will want to select the appropriate mat board for your intended framing purpose.

Mat board comes with pre-cut and custom cut openings. Pre-cut options can often be less expensive than custom cut, and thus make a great choice for standard-size artwork such as photographs. Custom cut openings are what you will need for your uniquely sized works of art.

You will also have the ability to choose the thickness of the matboard. Thicker matting makes an attractive choice when you want to add depth to the frame. An added benefit that comes with thicker mat board is that it provides good air circulation in the space created between the artwork's surface and the glazing. This is an important consideration in terms of the preservation of your artwork. Thinner matting is entirely suitable when you would like the mat to primarily function in a decorative manner to set off your artwork, and comes with the added benefit of being lower in cost.

For those who wish to achieve conservation quality in their matting supplies, you will want to learn more about Bainbridge mat board. The thickest Bainbridge mat board is called the 8-Ply Alpharag. It offers one-eighth of an inch thickness suitable for your finest art pieces.

Bainbridge also makes the Alphamat. This mat is half as thick as the Alpharag, and comes in pre-cut sizes for use when you want your framing to reach museum-quality levels. The Alphamat is acid free, which helps to reduce yellowing and fading in both the mat and artwork. The effects of air-borne pollutants, which can be very damaging to the surface of any piece of artwork, are minimized with the use of conservation quality supplies such as Alpharag and Alphamat framing supplies.

For a more cost efficient but no less lovely alternative, many artists choose Papermat matting supplies. These make a beautiful choice the next time you would like a color-coordinated mat to frame your decorative posters or pictures. These pre-cut mats are buffered for an acid-free contact with the edges of your artwork. It also comes in a wide selections of attractive colors, so that you can find exactly the one that will be right for any pieces of art you wish to frame.