Topic: Mat Cutting & Mount Boards (Read 7089 times)

Ken · « **on:** February 25, 2007, 01:25:18 pm »

Years of trying to figure what size board I need, and where to cut the mat opening for a certain size border almost drove me sane. Eventually, I spent a day learning enough of Microsoft Excel to come up with a program that will do the calculating for me. I call it MatboardCalc. Between friends and myself, it's been used dozens of times and it works like a charm. So... here it is for your dining and dancing pleasure. It's freeware, but you need Excel (or maybe something like it). Please pass it around without modification and for no charge. Please let me know if it isn't working, and if you have any modifications.

mshaz · « **Reply #1 on:** February 25, 2007, 02:05:20 pm »

Thanks for your generosity, Ken. Haven't had a chance to use matboardcalc yet, but did download it. My compliments to your ingenuity, I'm sure it works great.
It's also a relief to know someone else was also being "driven sane" by trying to figure out mat spacings! Till now, I had hidden my mat dyslexia in darkness and shame, but no more!

macaddicted · « **Reply #2 on:** February 25, 2007, 02:56:55 pm »

It's a great tool, thanks for putting it out there for all of us to use. I would make one suggestion: for the fraction to decimal calculator re-define the field to four or five decimal places. 1/16" is .0625 but shows as .06 in the template. I don't know that anyone needs more precision than that (the next measurement is 1/32" which is .03125). Putting .06 into the template results in a mat window dimension of x/50".

Other than that one complaint I think it is a great tool. Thank you for putting forth the work to give us this aid.

Thomas Krüger · « **Reply #3 on:** February 25, 2007, 03:46:44 pm »

In Italy the company Rinaldin sells a Matboard ruler, it's the article 224 in Product search.

framah · « **Reply #4 on:** February 25, 2007, 04:54:04 pm »

As a professional framer for 14+ years, I have to say... HUH???

What kind of problem could you possibly be having? Math is math and this is all simple math.

If you have an image of 16x20, then that is your opening size. If you want to add 3" around that opening, you add 6" to the 16 and 6" to the 20. Thus the overall size of the mat (and also the frame) is now 22x26.

If you are trying to fit an image into a fixed size frame then you just reverse it.

A 20x24" frame minus a 16x20" opening would give you 4" left over and thus 2" per side.

Why are you messing around trying to calculate minute fractions?

A good old piece of paper and a pencil will work just as well as inventing a program to do it.

Of course, there are small thingys called desk calculators which can do the math for you without creating a computer program to do it which is sort of like using a howitzer to kill a mouse.

Seriously, I just checked out your program and while it is nicely done, I still can't see the problem you are having doing simple math? If you want 1/4" overlap of your art, you just subtract 1/2" from the total image size and there you are... the opening of your mat.

As for the size of the mat you need, that is entirely up to you. There are no fast rules for how big the mat borders should be.
Your program asks you to input a board size into fields. This seems irrelevent here as you stated you are having problems trying to figure what size board you need yet the program is asking you to put in a board size. Seems to be self answering, doesn't it?

Again, if you want a bottom weighted mat, just add whatever more you would like it to be.

This is all very basic math like the sort taught in the lower grade school classes.

Please, forgive me for this diatribe, but I really don't understand where you are having trouble figuring the mat dimensions.

Richowens · « **Reply #5 on:** February 25, 2007, 05:21:55 pm »

Here's another program written by Giorgio Trucco. It is freeware/shareware.
Matworks

It works nicely, but I found I could lay out and cut a mat faster than using the program to figure just the measurements.

As Framah said, it's all just basic math with a little geometry thrown in.

Rich

P.S. I am not a professional framer, I do this for pleasure.

Ken · « **Reply #6 on:** February 25, 2007, 05:32:40 pm »

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I would make one suggestion: for the fraction to decimal calculator re-define the field to four or five decimal places. 1/16" is .0625 but shows as .06 in the template.

Good idea! Fixed! Try it now.

Ken · « **Reply #7 on:** February 25, 2007, 05:37:23 pm »

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As a professional framer for 14+ years, I have to say... HUH???

What kind of problem could you possibly be having? Math is math and this is all simple math.

Maybe I'm dyslexic. To me, "simple math" is an oxymoron. I wish I had your skills.

Ken · « **Reply #8 on:** February 25, 2007, 05:51:56 pm »

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Here's another program written by Giorgio Trucco.

I just downloaded it and will try it out later. I got side-tracked by some of his spectacular images. Did you see these? http://www.gt-photography.com/fly-ranch-geyser.html Do think they're (as Michael calls it) "Photograph leger-de-main?"

eronald · « **Reply #9 on:** February 25, 2007, 07:12:01 pm »

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I just downloaded it and will try it out later. I got side-tracked by some of his spectacular images. Did you see these? http://www.gt-photography.com/fly-ranch-geyser.html Do think they're (as Michael calls it) "Photograph leger-de-main?"
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his spectacular images ? That's an understatement !

Edmund

framah · « **Reply #10 on:** February 26, 2007, 09:23:27 am »

Ken... I guess we are even. You were able to create this little program but can't do simple math and whenever I try to figure out any computer program, my eyes glaze over and drool starts from the corner of my mouth!!
Even weirder... I used to love to do Algebra equations!! There was something about seeing it all flow together down to x=y that fascinated me!!

That's what makes this world turn, eh?

Now if I could only learn to make a mask in PS, WOW!!

rdonson · « **Reply #11 on:** February 27, 2007, 11:22:25 am »

Ken, it works just fine in Google spreadsheets.

Chris_T · « **Reply #12 on:** February 28, 2007, 09:20:08 am »

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As a professional framer for 14+ years, I have to say... HUH???

What kind of problem could you possibly be having? Math is math and this is all simple math.

Doing simple math by hand (or in one's head) is a lost art, since the invention of electronic calculators. Prior to that, when a cashier broke down, the checkout person would still be able to give me the exact change without pencils and paper. Not anymore. They call it progress.

framah · « **Reply #13 on:** February 28, 2007, 01:29:55 pm »

Let's see now... hamburger, hamburger, french fries, onion rings, lg. soda, lg. soda.

That'll be $13.95

Eric Myrvaagnes · « **Reply #14 on:** February 28, 2007, 03:11:52 pm »

Those who appreciate arithmetic done the old way will be happy to hear that there is a cashier at the restaurant at Stovepipe Wells in Death Valley who still counts change the traditional way. She added coins to bring the charge-plus-coins to the nearest dollar, then added bills to bring the amount up to the size of the bill I had handed her. I complimented her on it because it's so long since I have seen anybody actually doing arithmetic (and what she was doing is so easy if you can do arithmetic.)

That's another reason I want to make a return trip to Death Valley.

framah · « **Reply #15 on:** February 28, 2007, 03:17:27 pm »

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That's another reason I want to make a return trip to Death Valley.

Eric... That and the fact you can get Ben & Jerrys ice cream there!!

Jay Kaplan · « **Reply #16 on:** February 28, 2007, 04:32:19 pm »

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Eric... That and the fact you can get Ben & Jerrys ice cream there!!
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That's an awfullllllllllly long drive from the East Coast. I can get Ben & Jerry's at my local Giant and it is just 3 miles away.

Now counting change, that is truly a lost art. I tried working with one of those new electronic cash registers, my eyes glazed over. What an infernal machine, its only virtue, I guess, is to tell management how many hamburgers they sold in the last 20 minutes.

Oh, its also for those people who don't know how much change to give someone when the cost is $1.50 and they are given a $5 bill.

Richowens · « **Reply #17 on:** February 28, 2007, 05:00:19 pm »

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That's an awfullllllllllly long drive from the East Coast. I can get Ben & Jerry's at my local Giant and it is just 3 miles away.

ANY place that has Ben and Jerry's is a good place to be.

Rich

Eric Myrvaagnes · « **Reply #18 on:** February 28, 2007, 06:09:25 pm »

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Eric... That and the fact you can get Ben & Jerrys ice cream there!!
[a href=\"index.php?act=findpost&pid=103830\"][{POST_SNAPBACK}][/a]

Oooh! You must been peeking over my shoulder! I got a pint of Pistachio at Furnace Creek and it tasted just like what I can get back home in New England.

I will admit I was a bit surprised to see it so far from home. Then again, the one time I had dinner at the fancy lodge (I forget its name) on the South Rim of Grand Canyon, the special for the day was Maine Lobster!

Author Topic: Mat Cutting & Mount Boards (Read 7089 times)