Frame Matting

Frame and Photo Matting

   Might I ask you a silly question? What in the world are you talking about when you start talking about photo matting? Well, very simply put matting is the cardboard and paper decorative border that goes around most pictures, documents, etc. And if you don’t know where to find the type or color or design of matting you are looking for, then you’ve probably been looking at photo matting and haven’t even known it.

    If you wouldn’t mind… please tell me a little about this. Can you please describe some matting? I can tell you quite a bit if you don’t mind being a little more specific about what you want to know. There is quite a bit of information out there… not only in print, but also online. For instance, if you typed “Frame Matting” into your web browser’s Search Box, you could be overwhelmed by number of references that match your search criteria. This goes to show that “The Information Superhighway” really is just that; a super highway. If you have done even one search online for anything, you know exactly what I’m talking about and know that what I’m saying is the truth.

    As far as answering the question you’ve asked about photo matting goes; here’s some of the information that I’m aware of. Photo matting is made of cardboard and paper that comes in colors ranging from white to black to shades of brown, blue, red, green, yellow… just about any color you can really think of.

Ok, since you seem to be so smart and obviously know what you are talking about, I’ve got another question for you. This one is about the sizes matting is available in; I have a family photo that’s 8 in by 10 in and the only frame I have is 11 in by 14 in, what size matting do I need to get to compliment that photo? You would need to look for some matting that measures at least 3 inches wide on all sides. You might also choose to use two or three different sizes and colors of matting to compliment both the frame and the photo.

    You might also want to look at buying and using matting corners. What in the world are those? You might be asking yourself and it’s no problem if you actually ask that question aloud. Matting corners are exactly what their name applies… they are only the corner pieces that fit very well around a document or photo or anything else that you would put in a frame. These, too, come in a wide variety of colors and widths; ranging from ¼ of an inch all the way to 3 inches wide. These on top of a full matting frame (this is the one that goes all the way around the picture) would look really sharp. But, this is only my opinion, and may not reflect your personal taste or style.

Got one more question for you; what about those frames that are designed to hold more than one picture – like the School Years frames? Is there matting available for that? I’m asking this because I have one for my kids’ pictures and just want to know about getting a replacement for the matting if I need to somewhere down the line. Yes, you can indeed find that type of matting, though I’m not really sure where you would look to find it.