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Author Topic: A few matting questions  (Read 3476 times)

Ed Vatza

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A few matting questions
« on: March 09, 2011, 05:58:38 am »

First off let me say hi. I Ed and I'm new to Luminous Landscapes. I have a couple of matting questions that have been keeping awake nights (well not really but you know what I mean) and I thought I would turn to you folks for some help. That's when I figured out that I didn't quite know what forum to use. Since I am sitting here with a cup of coffee I thought this one might be appropriate.

Question 1 concerns the use of tape for hinge mounting the print to the backing and hinging the mat and backing together. I have tried several different varieties of archival tapes. I now have two flavors of archival framer's tape that I purchased from Matcutter and an archival artist's tape that I purchase from my local Dick Blick art supply store. Personally I prefer the artist's tape over the framer's tape mainly because it seems less permanent if you know what I mean. I want to have the option available to remove the tape without damaging the print and feel that is more likely to happen with the artist's tape than the framer's tape. Is there another choice I should be considering? Which of these tapes do you recommend?

Question 2 concerns signing prints. For now, I buy my mats pre-cut and my paper by the sheet (I use an Epson 3800 printer). So lets say I make a 10"x15" print on 11" x 17" paper (it could be on 13"x19" as well). Right now I sign the print in the LR corner. But I am using a precut 10"x15" mat so I am covering the signature on the print with the matting and signing the mat in the LR corner. Is this the best way to go when using pre-cut mats? (I know cutting my own is the best solution but one thing at a time.) I keep running through other alternatives like: I could downsize the print going into a 10"x15" mat so there is a border of white surrounding the print and signature shows; I could print the 10"x15" on 13"x19" paper and upsize the mat to say 12'x18" creating the same effect. Any suggestions?

I know I shouldn't obsess over these things but I tend to be a perfectionist.

Thanks. Hopefully subsequent posts will be shorter!

Ed Vatza
Ed Vatza Photography
www.edvatza.com
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RSL

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Re: A few matting questions
« Reply #1 on: March 09, 2011, 10:47:28 am »

Ed, Why are you using pre-cut mats? Logan makes some quite inexpensive mat cutting equipment. The answer is to cut your own mats and escape from Procrustes bed.
« Last Edit: March 10, 2011, 03:10:03 pm by RSL »
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Ed Vatza

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Re: A few matting questions
« Reply #2 on: March 09, 2011, 10:54:58 am »

Hi Russ,

I guess there are a couple of answers. First, I have been approaching this in a stepwise fashion. I used to send out to have prints made. I've brought that in-house. I used to send out to have prints matted and framed. I've brought that in house. Cutting my own mats would be next step. I guess like anything else, until you do it, it seems difficult. And I am a bit of a klutz with such things. I will get around to it in the not too distant future for for the immediate present, I am using precut mats.

Ed Vatza
Ed Vatza Photography
www.edvatza.com
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Robert Roaldi

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Re: A few matting questions
« Reply #3 on: March 09, 2011, 12:28:22 pm »

There are also reasonably priced online custom matte-cutting places. Now that I need those links, I can't find them anymore. Sorry, but an online search should find them easily enough.

I bought and use a matte-cutter, am not a complete klutz, but am not sure it was worth it, having later found sources for custom mattes. Unless you do it often and a lot, you get rusty at using the equipment. Also, you have to enjoy the doing of it, not everyone does, and it does take up some time. I'd say, try a custom matte-cutting place, and if you're dis-satisfied, buy your own cutter. If you decide to buy your own matte cutter, like all tools, it rarely pays to buy a cheap one, you're not saving much in the long run.

Also, when you cut your own, you have to worry about keeping the right colours of matting material in inventory. Not a big deal, but one more thing to do and more stuff to store around the house.
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Robert

RFPhotography

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Re: A few matting questions
« Reply #4 on: March 10, 2011, 02:40:02 pm »

There's nothing wrong with pre-cut mats, Ed.  As long as they're acid/lignin free, etc., etc. then you're fine.  There's also nothing wrong with taking things in steps as you are. 

As far as the tape, same story as the matting.  As long as it's an acid/lignin free fabric and the adhesive is acid free it really doesn't matter which you use.  I use a linen tape.  This is the method recommended by the Library of Congress for conservation framing, http://www.loc.gov/preserv/care/mat.html.

Most of my prints also have the signature covered by the matting.  I sign on the white border around the print, not on the printed area itself.  But I also sign the inner mat so that a signature is visible when the print is framed and hanging.  Sometimes I'll sign on the outer mat if I'm leaving a small reveal on the inner or if the inner is too dark for the signature to be seen. 
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Peter Mellis

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Re: A few matting questions
« Reply #5 on: March 10, 2011, 05:53:15 pm »

I don't like to work with mats, nor do I have a volume requirement that forces me to look at it from a business standpoint. I have purchased pre-cut mats and frames from a company called Frame Destination ( http://www.framedestination.com/ ) for the last five or so years and have found that approach to work very well. I would suggest that you check out their web site and see. if they can fill your needs. They are very responsive, quality is first rate and I find them to be quite reasonable relative to pricing. I have a fondness for 8 ply mats, which appears to require computerized equipment to do properly; they do this very well and at a price that my framer can't touch.
I don't have any type of business relationship with this company; I point them out because my experiences with them have been excellent.
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Ed Vatza

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Re: A few matting questions
« Reply #6 on: March 10, 2011, 07:14:08 pm »

I thank you all for the tips and suggestions. I will definitely look into them all going forward.

While the idea of cutting my own mats sounds great to me, I have a full-time day job and there are other things (like heading out with camera) that I rather do than cutting mats. Maybe when i retire which isn't all that far off.

Regards,

Ed Vatza
Ed Vatza Photography
www.edvatza.com
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RSL

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Re: A few matting questions
« Reply #7 on: March 10, 2011, 07:42:05 pm »

Ed, Robert's right. In order to enjoy cutting mats you have to enjoy working with your hands, and there are plenty of places around that will cut mats for you.

Bob's right about the archival qualities you want in mats. I'd go even farther and say that if you're matting prints for sale you really must use museum board for your mats. But there is something wrong with pre-cut mats. What's wrong with them is that when you use a pre-cut mat you're letting someone else decide, at least in part, how you're going to crop the picture. If you framed the picture properly in your camera you probably don't want someone else making that kind of decision -- at least I don't.

If you like to work with your hands you'll find that cutting a mat is relatively easy, and it's certainly not time-consuming. To me, it's the final part of the printing process. As far as Robert's mat color inventory problem is concerned, seems to me that if what you're trying to show off is your photographs rather than your mats the mat colors you need are white, black, and probably antique white. That's not an unmanageable inventory.
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Ed Vatza

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Re: A few matting questions
« Reply #8 on: March 10, 2011, 07:55:51 pm »

But there is something wrong with pre-cut mats. What's wrong with them is that when you use a pre-cut mat you're letting someone else decide, at least in part, how you're going to crop the picture. If you framed the picture properly in your camera you probably don't want someone else making that kind of decision -- at least I don't.

I agree with you on this one, Russ. I shoot Canon DSLRs so all my images are a 2x3 perspective coming out of the camera. I end up with that 2x3 for the vast majority of images - 6x9; 8x12; 10x15; 12x18; 16x24). Only occasionally do i do a 4x5 or some other crop (i.e. pano). Paper sizes are the first thing that drive me crazy. I am currently using an Epson 3800 so I am limited to cut sheets. AT the higher end, 17x22s drive me nuts. A 17x25 would be much more useful to me.

Same thing with mats. As i said, eventually I will cut my own. I am just looking for a relatively short term solution right now.

Regards,

Ed

Ed Vatza Photography
www.edvatza.com
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RFPhotography

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Re: A few matting questions
« Reply #9 on: March 11, 2011, 07:26:59 am »

17x22 drives a lot of people nuts, Ed.  There are a few 17x25 papers out there but not many. 
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Ed Vatza

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Re: A few matting questions
« Reply #10 on: March 11, 2011, 07:34:26 am »

17x22 drives a lot of people nuts, Ed.  There are a few 17x25 papers out there but not many. 

You got that right, Bob. I have some 17x25 from Red River - Arctic Polar Luster is my "go to" luster paper. Unfortunately my other "go to" papers - Moab Enrada (enhanced matte), Canson Arches Aquarelle (watercolor) and Canson Baryta Photographique (semi-gloss/gloss for b&w) - are all 17x22s. I've been trying to put the bug in Canson's ear about 17x25 and they asked for others' input on their Facebook page. We shall see.
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RSL

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Re: A few matting questions
« Reply #11 on: March 11, 2011, 08:19:34 am »

Ed, I guess I'll have to join in the facebook petition. I shoot with Nikon DSLR's most of the time and I use an Epson 3880, so I have the same problem you have with paper dimensions. Actually, the problem goes back to the early sixties when I started using Leicas. I still print stuff from those days. Same, standard 35mm aspect ratio, and I very rarely crop.
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Robert Roaldi

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Re: A few matting questions
« Reply #12 on: March 11, 2011, 01:49:32 pm »

The last few posts have mentioned pre-cut mattes, but are there not online services where you can order, say, a matte with outer dimensions 16 x 22 and opening 6.5 x 12 1/3 or some other unique sizing to match your crop? That's the kind of service I was thinking of. I haven't looked at the web suppliers in years, but surely there are places that will do that these days.
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Robert

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Re: A few matting questions
« Reply #13 on: March 11, 2011, 02:21:17 pm »

Robert, I'm reasonably sure you can order cut mats from the web, but the problem is that they need to be shipped. I sometimes buy 32 x 40 matboard sheets in 10 or more sheet batches from online suppliers and more often than not they arrive with at least one corner banged up. I often find I'm better off going down to my local art supply store and buying individual sheets that I can examine before I buy them. This is especially true with museum board, which comes at a premium. The price is higher but what I'm paying for is the convenience of having the store deal with shrinkage from damage. Most reasonably sized cities have framing shops that will cut your mats for you. That way you can be sure of getting what you want.
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Ed Vatza

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Re: A few matting questions
« Reply #14 on: March 11, 2011, 02:59:02 pm »

Russ, I must say I have this same worry with paper. Will it arrive undamaged. I am waiting on an UPS delivery of Canson Arches Aquarelle today and my fingers are crossed.
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RFPhotography

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Re: A few matting questions
« Reply #15 on: March 12, 2011, 07:30:52 pm »

I've been trying to put the bug in Canson's ear about 17x25 and they asked for others' input on their Facebook page. We shall see.

I'll go hit up their FB page right now.  One more vote can't hurt.
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