Posts Tagged ‘supplies’
Framing Mats
Wednesday, September 21st, 2011
The Real Reasons Why People Use Picture Frame Mats
Picture frame mats are a wonderful way to make your framed photos look amazing. If you’ve never used mats before and want a way to make your pictures look even better, then you should start using picture frame mats. Picture frame mats add a dimension to your finished picture frame that will help to showcase your photos beautifully.
Mats are super versatile and make a noticeable difference in your finished framing project.
What will a picture Frame Mat do for your photo? Here are three simple ways matting can make a difference with your photo:
- Mats can help in framing pictures or artwork in odd sizes
- Mats offer unique and different ways to show off your creativity
- Mats can help your photograph stand out
If you want to avoid the expense of a custom frame but have a picture or piece of artwork in a non-standard size, picture frame mats can solve your problem. A picture frame mat basically inserts into the frame, between the picture and the glass, and surrounds the picture like an inner frame giving it a beautiful finished look. The benefit of mats is that they can be cut to fit the size of any picture or piece of artwork. Picture frame mats can take any non-standard size picture and make it fit into a ready made standard sized frame, saving you the expense of a custom frame. Mats can be cut to fit any size frame or picture no matter if it’s a ready made frame or a custom frame, they’re a perfect way to enhance your photos or artwork.
Mats are also popular for displaying more photos in a smaller space like collage frames or other multiple opening frames like double or triple Picture Frames.
Personalization is another great benefit of picture frame mats. Picture frame mats can be used to personalize your frame, from special messages to whimsical notes, signatures or drawings. You can use mats for personalizing picture frames when displaying wedding photos, graduations, anniversary parties, vacations and just about any type of photo display.
Using picture frame mats can also help you better express your creativity. Mats are available in many colors and can be artistically cut to best show off your picture. A mat will help set off frames in just about any color from white picture frames to black, blue or even red picture frames.
Mats can serve another purpose besides adding to the eye appeal and personalization of your picture. Mats will help prevent your photos from touching the picture frame glass. This is important because over time moisture exposure can damage your photo by causing your photo to stick to the glass. If you really want to protect your photos or artwork long term, you should consider using conservation techniques and archival products for all your framing. These products do not contain chemicals that would degrade your photos over time.
Picture frame mats have so many benefits the only real downside is that it costs a little extra time and money to buy the mat. But even that is small since you can use precut mats for standard picture frame sizes that are easy to find and affordable. A non-standard mat for a unique size, on the other hand, has to be cut by hand and costs more but is almost always well worth it.
One thing to be careful of when using multiple mats in a frame is to avoid non-glare or anti-reflective (AR) glass. Using 2 or more mats with non-glare glass may make your picture appear fuzzy. The extra thickness of using multiple mats creates an extra distance between the non-glare glass and the photo causing the photo to look diffused.
So, remember these two helpful hints – use pre-cut mats to save money and never use non-glare glass when using more than one mat.
Once you try your first mat, you’ll be amazed at how much better your favorite photo looks displayed in a mat. No wonder picture frame mats are so popular by professional photographers -they really add a finished look to any picture. Hopefully this article has helped you see the benefit of mats and will help to encourage you to try one with your next picture frame.
About the Author
Autumn Lockwood is writer for YourPictureFrames.com and is an avid photographer and picture frame enthusiast. Your Picture Frames offers a large selection of
photo frames
in a variety of sizes, colors and styles. Shop online and see our selection of
silver picture frames
and
gold frames
now.
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