Mount Board

[MarkBarbieri]

I'm working on doing my own matting.  I ordered some mat board, but I'm confused about what to get for mount board (or whatever you call the rigid piece behind the picture).  I've seen some really cheap foam board.  I've also seen some really expensive archival mount board.  What do people recommend?  If I don't use archival mount board, what will happen to my print and how quickly will it happen? 

[Alan Goldhammer]

I'm working on doing my own matting.  I ordered some mat board, but I'm confused about what to get for mount board (or whatever you call the rigid piece behind the picture).  I've seen some really cheap foam board.  I've also seen some really expensive archival mount board.  What do people recommend?  If I don't use archival mount board, what will happen to my print and how quickly will it happen? 

The big worry is with board that is not buffered and has an acidic pH.  This will ultimately lead to image degradation.  How soon?  It's hard to tell but it's better to be safe than sorry.  I use acid free foam board for mounting the images on.  The cheapest source I've been able to find is from Dick Blick (see:  http://www.dickblick.com/products/elmers-acid-free-foamboard/ ).  It is much easier to cut than regular mat board and the cost is about $8.50 for a 32x40 sheet (this gives you four 16x20 pieces).

Alan

[Rob Reiter]

Mark-

Your backing board should be the same quality as the mat window itself. Both should be acid-free for longest print life. If not, you may eventually get a yellowing of the print, particularly at the edges where the migration of the acid to the artwork will be most concentrated. Hard to say how long this might take-could be years, if you'd ever see it, but if you see the print as art and it's preservation is important, why take chances? The beveled edges of your mat window will turn yellow much more quickly on non-archival mat board.