Basics on Matboards

Getting your picture matted is kind of expensive. So why not buy your own mat boards and cut for yourself and also for your clients. Buy a Logan Mat Cutter ($50-$75 on eBay or Craigs list or look for AC Moore/ Michale's Coupons). Matboard sheets can be bought at lightimpressions.com or your local Art and Craft store...even at AC Moore.

Now what type of mats should be bought?

Mats are mainly of two kinds- paper mats and rag (cotton) mats. Paper mats are "Acid treated but have Lignin" and Rag mats are "Acid and Lignin Free". Many shops advertise their paper mats to be Acid free, but they are not...they are "acid treated", which in fact means these mats are neutralized for pH. So, eventually there would be acid which could well seep into your pictures and destroy them. Lignin leads to yellowing of the mat with age (ref). The rag mats on the other hand are acid and lignin free.

Rag mats are more expensive but they are worth it! You will find cheaper options on eBay but ... you might lose your pictures or your clients :D

So when you go to buy a mat ask if it is a rag mat or paper mat! Mats usually have a different color core (i.e. the center of the mat that is visible when it is bevel cut). But if it is a 100% rag mat it cannot have a different core color. So what sellers do is they use a high quality mat paper on the top and bottom and core is that of rag and all components of these matboards are buffered, 100% acid and lignin-free. (Comments and corrections are welcome).

Following is a comment from Randy Armor, which I am putting here itself as it is very important for anyone to read along with my post.

Great post, Rahul. I would just add that any mat serves two very important purposes: it eliminates direct handling of a print, and, in a frame, it creates an airspace between the print and the inside of the glass. If the surface of a print comes in contact with glass, eventually it will be damaged by condensation. Also, while using conservation materials like rag board is excellent professional practice, remember that the quality of the paper that you print on is equally important, if not more so. Most coated (glossy or luster) papers are not archival, and have the same longevity issues that non acid-free mat board has. And if your printer uses dye-based inks instead of pigments, your prints may be far less stable than even the worst mat board. If you are going to the expense of using good framing materials, go to wilhelm-research.com to learn about the best archival papers and inks.