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Making Sense of Picture Frame Matting Options
Making sense of all the matting options can be a daunting undertaking. With hundreds of options available to the picture frame enthusiast, it can be time-consuming to find exactly what one is looking for. With this in mind, this article list a the major areas of matting this are very useful for any newcomer to framing to understand regardless of whether they are a do-it-yourself enthusiast or buying picture frames in a retail store or on-line.
Since the first choice any framer will make in the framing process is determining the quality of matting that will be used, we have classified matting by quality, from the most basic to the ones that offer the highest level of protection. These grades are grades are: 1) Wood core fibers buffed, 2) Wood core fibers acid-free and 3) Cotton.
Click on the link if you would like to see or refresh your knowledge of picture frame matting.
In this article, our focus is on Nielsen Bainbridge and Crescent Cardboard as these two companies are the largest and dominant players in the United States. Most every frame shop will carry either one, or both of these brands.
Grade #1: Wood Pulp Fibers Core
The most basic mat quality is one that is made from wood-pulp. Wood-pulp is not a framer's friend because, although entirely natural, it contains alpha-cellulose, which is very high in acidity (as measured by pH levels). Acidity yellows paper-based products and in the case of a picture frame mat, it will leak onto the artwork it is meant to protect, thereby damaging it as well. This phenomenon can be readily seen in older frames in which the artwork has yellowed severely around the matting. This grade of mat is available by Bainbridge under the Papermat™, and by Crescent under the Decorative™ trade names.
The most basic mat quality is one that is made from wood-pulp. Wood-pulp is not a framer's friend because, although entirely natural, it contains alpha-cellulose, which is very high in acidity (as measured by pH levels). Acidity yellows paper-based products and in the case of a picture frame mat, it will leak onto the artwork it is meant to protect, thereby damaging it as well. This phenomenon can be readily seen in older frames in which the artwork has yellowed severely around the matting. This grade of mat is available by Bainbridge under the Papermat™, and by Crescent under the Decorative™ trade names.
Of course the mat board manufacturers are fully aware of this condition, and to mitigate acid migration, the outer layers are chemically treated in order to reduce acidity. While definitely a beneficial step in the manufacturing process, the problem is that the core of the mat remains acidic and as soon as a mat window is cut, the core is exposed and will leak onto the artwork over time.
For this reason, this very basic grade of matting should only be used for projects that require temporary framing such as trade shows, school projects or perhaps for use in digital photographs which can be readily reprinted if they are damaged after a few years. The framer should expect to see significant decomposition and acid migration within 5 years.
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Bainbridge Papermat
Available in 183 distinct colors, this mat has a traditional white core, although the acid will yellow very quickly. Some mats in the quality grade are available with black cores which
Available in 183 distinct colors, this mat has a traditional white core, although the acid will yellow very quickly. Some mats in the quality grade are available with black cores which
Crescent Decorative:
Available in 123 colors. Readily identifiable by a part number that begins. Mei congue nonumy efficiendi te, vim fugit lobortis dissentias id, no ferri causae tincidunt vis. Eum utroque ponderum facilisi ea.
Available in 123 colors. Readily identifiable by a part number that begins. Mei congue nonumy efficiendi te, vim fugit lobortis dissentias id, no ferri causae tincidunt vis. Eum utroque ponderum facilisi ea.
Color Core Options
Product Name Nr. of Black Blue Grey Bluff Green Avail. in Avail. in Avail. in Comments
Colors 40"X60" Bevel Thick SizesBainbridge Papermats 183 15 2 1 1 1 92 colors 14 colors 13 colors Bainbridge's basic matting line
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Crescent Decorative 289 78 ---- not offered ---- 30 colors ---- not offered ---- Crescent's basic matting line
Special note: One may come across a mat by the name of Crescent® Berkshire. This is an OEM matboard which is available directly
to manufactures of picture frames or very high volume shops. This is a very basic matting type and we would not recommend it.
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Grade #2: Buffered Wood -Pulp Core
Crescent Select: Launched in 1991, this line was designed to strike a good balance between basic mats made with wood-pulp and the very expensive mats made with cotton. This middle-of-the-road is achieved by chemically treating a wood-pulp based mat so that not on the outter layers, but the core is as close as possible to being acid-free. The company markets these as "conservation quality" matboard. Although many framers might think that statement is a stretch, these mat boards are a good compromise as they offer vastly superior conservation quality than Crescent Decorative or the Bainbridge Papermat offering.
Color Core Options
Product Name Nr. of Black Blue Grey Bluff Green Avail. in Avail. in Avail. in Comments
Colors 40"X60" Bevel Thick Sizes------------------- not offered by Bainbridge -------------------
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Crescent Select 289 78 ---- not offered ---- 30 colors ---- not offered ---- Crescent's basic matting line
Other Notes: You may come across Crescent® Berkshire. This is an OEM matboard which is available directly to manufactures of
picture frames or very high volume shops. This is a very basic matting type and we would recommend it as a substitute for the
Crescent Decorative line. In fact, it is of somewhat inferior quality.Specialty Cotton-based Mats
In addition to a standard color Select line, Crescent also offers an Accent line of Select-grade matting. The Accent line is also chemically treated wood pulp and has a number of textures in its line-up (although not nearly as extensive as in the next section). This is a good option if texture is required, but the price of cotton is not.
Crescent Select Accents | Available in may Sub Categories
Manufacturer Matting Grade Commercial Name Comments / Attributes
Crescent xxxxxx (#2) Earthen Made with w
Crescent xxxxxx (#2) Fresco Made with w
Crescent xxxxxx (#2) Aged Leather Made with w
Crescent xxxxxx (#2) BurnishedMetal Made with w
Crescent xxxxxx (#2) Sports Made with w
Crescent xxxxxx (#2) BriteColors Made with w
Crescent xxxxxx (#2) Fresco Made with w
Crescent xxxxxx (#2) Fresco Made with w
Grade #3: Cotton Materials (Acid-Free)
When it comes to picture frame matting, this is where the options really explode. Cotton based materials are available under the ArtcareTM Alphamat® (Bainbridge) and RagMat® (Cresent) trade names. Of course, the benefit of cotton is that it is naturally almost perfectly acid free and therefore requires very little chemical processing.
When it comes to picture frame matting, this is where the options really explode. Cotton based materials are available under the ArtcareTM Alphamat® (Bainbridge) and RagMat® (Cresent) trade names. Of course, the benefit of cotton is that it is naturally almost perfectly acid free and therefore requires very little chemical processing.
The product offering list in these two categories is extensive. In fact, within each of the classifications, there are sub-classifications of mats. For example, in the RagMat classification, in addition to 187 colors, Bainbride has specialty mats such as Suedes and other fabrics and textures..
______________________________________________________________________________Bainbridge Alphamat Artcare Specialites (available in many sub-categories)
Category: Treated Wood Pulp (#2)
Bainbridge Alphamat Artcare Specialties (available in many sub-categories)Manufacturer Matting Grade Commercial Name Comments / Attributes
Bainbridge Cotton (#3) Precious Metals Good, but not great
Bainbridge Cotton (#3) Antique Metals Good, but not great
Bainbridge Cotton (#3) Washed Linens Good, but not great
Bainbridge Cotton (#3) Tuscany Good, but not great
Bainbridge Cotton (#3) American Classics Good, but not great
Bainbridge Cotton (#3) Heritage Collection Good, but not great
Bainbridge Cotton (#3) Leather Good, but not great
Bainbridge Cotton (#3) Bangkok Good, but not great
Bainbridge Cotton (#3) Traces Good, but not great
Bainbridge Cotton (#3) Earthstones Good, but not great
Bainbridge Cotton (#3) Impressions Good, but not great
Bainbridge Cotton (#3) Classic Impressions Good, but not great
Bainbridge Cotton (#3) Classico Good, but not great
Bainbridge Cotton (#3) Parchments Good, but not greatBainbridge Alphamat® ArtcareTMColor Core Options
Product Name Nr. of Black Blue Grey Bluff Green Avail. in Avail. in Avail. in Comments
Colors 40"X60" Bevel Thick SizesBasic Colors 183 15 2 1 1 1 92 colors 14 colors 13 colors This is Bainbridge's Specialty surface
Precious Metals 10 0 0 0 0 0 2 colors 6 colors 0 t
Antique Metals 04 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Washed Linens 04 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Tuscany 14 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
American Classics 08 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Heritage Collection 10 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Leather 09 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Bangkok 06 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Traces 9 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0Crescent xxxxxx (#2) Select - UtiliBlack Made with wood pulp fibers tt e been chemically treated
to eliminate the acits and the lings t can degrade thle
matboard over time.______________________________________________________________________________
Category: Treated Wood Pulp (#2)
Manufacturer Matting Grade Commercial Name Comments / Attributes
Bainbridge Cotton (#3) Bevel Accents Good, but not great
Bainbridge Cotton (#3) Ragmat Antiquarian Good, but not great
Bainbridge Cotton (#3) Ragmat Noir Good, but not great
Bainbridge Cotton (#3) Ragmat Renaissance Good, but not great
Bainbridge Cotton (#3) Ragmat Connections Good, but not great
Bainbridge Cotton (#3) Ragmat Cornocopia Good, but not great
Bainbridge Cotton (#3) Ragmat Net Worth Good, but not great
Bainbridge Cotton (#3) Ragmat Screening Room Good, but not great
Bainbridge Cotton (#3) Ragmat Gilding Lily Good, but not great
Bainbridge Cotton (#3) Ragmat Cornocopia Good, but not great
Bainbridge Cotton (#3) Ragmat Cornocopia Good, but not great
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Specialty Cotton-based Mats
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Bainbridge ALphaerunius Alperism)
Manufacturer Matting Grade Commercial Name Comments / Attributes
Bainbridge Cotton (#3) Bevel Accents Good, but not great
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Manufacturer Matting Grade Commercial Name Comments / Attributes
Bainbridge Cotton (#3) Bevel Accents Good, but not great
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