Standard Mat Sizes

PRECUT MATS

Why should you use precut mats?

It is simple, really. Precut mats are easy to order and less expensive, you can get precut mats quicker and precut mats are in sizes that allow you to easily purchase other precut supplies like backer boards, crystal clear presentation bags and picture frames. And, quite frankly, precut mats are cut better than you can do yourself!

Precut mats are less expensive. You can purchase just the mat, Showpacks with a mat, a back and a presentation bag or a 1step easy kit that is a Showpack (mat, back and bag) plus positioning guides for mounting your print and double faced tape in position and ready to go. All of which, I might add, is shipped to you in 24 to 72 hours! Your alternative is purchasing all the materials in sheets and cutting them with a butcher knife, or one of those cheap mat cutting devices that cost a couple hundred bucks and, in my opinion, are no better than a butcher knife. You could also purchase an actual picture framers mat cutter for $1100 to $2000 or so. Or, you could purchase a custom cut mat at a picture frame shop for $30.00 to 60.00. There are just some things in life like making a car, constructing a building or cutting a mat that just is not worth it unless it is a hobby or you are a professional making a living at it.

Precut mats are available in industry standard sizes. There are certain sizes like 8x10 or 11x14 that have become standard sizes because that is the size of the paper or that is the size of the machines that produces the image or the scale of the computer chip in the camera. All sorts of manufacturers realize this and concentrate on these sizes. Therefore, not only can you get 8x10 prints, you can get precut mats with 8x10 windows, precut backs that fit mats with 8x10 windows, precut glass that fits mats with 8x10 windows, standard presentation bags that fit mats with 8x10 windows and pre-made frames that fit mats with 8x10 windows. If you want an 8 x 10 image, you will have to cut your own mat, your own back, your own glass and your own frame unless you either buy more than one (perhaps 30) or pay a much higher price. You will not be able to get the bag unless you need 20,000 or so.

Finally, I have cut mats for over 30 years. I have gotten quite good at it. However, when I cut mats by hand(actually with a hand operated picture framers mat cutter) I could never cut as perfectly as the computer controlled machines we now have. Of course, it cost $65,000 to $100,000 for each machine. You will not see these machines in most, if any, retail picture frame shops. Although there are computerized mat cutters aimed at the retail picture frame market, they are $10,000 to $15,000 machines that do a decent job but do not cut as well as the machines we use.

Then we get to the things a machine can do that a person cannot reasonable produce on their own. For example, mats with multiple windows. When I was cutting mats personally, I could cut a few mats with a couple windows. However, it seemed that invariably when I was working on the last window, something happened that was an imperfection. I had two choices, cosmetically try to fix it or start over. As the number of windows increased, the problem only got worse. With today's cutters, I have actually cut over 100 windows in a single mat, perfectly!

Then we come to V grooves, circles, ovals, special corners, inlays, special shapes not to mention scribing, embossing, debossing and pen lines. All of these can be done by a person with the time, the expertise and the will to cut them. However, why reinvent the wheel when our wonderful machinery can cut it faster, less expensively and without the hassle.

The real value of precut mats is the freedom to concentrate on what is important, the image. Whether it is creating the image yourself, finding the right image and/or taking the right image with the wonderful camera's available to us; precut mats just make the process of enjoying the image much easier.

See the numerous standard mat sizes we produce and stock below.

Single Window Mats

Standard Mat Sizes

Mat Size	(Image Size
8x8	(5x5)
8x10	(4x6)
8x10	(5x7)
9x12	(6x9)
11x14	(5x7)
11x14	(7x10)
11x14	(8x10)
11x14	(8 1/2x11)
12x12	(8x8)
12x16	(8x12)
12x18	(4x10)
12x18	(6x12)
14x18	(8x12)
14x18	(9x12)
16x16	(10x10)
16x20	(8x10)
16x20	(11x14)
16x20	(10x15)
18x18	(12x12)
18x24	(11x17)
18x24	(12x18)
18x24	(13x19)

Multiple Window Mats

Standard Mat Sizes

Mat Size	Image Sizes
11x14	(2 images 4x6)
11x14	(2 images 5x7)
12x12	(4 images 4x4)
12x12	(4 images 5x5)
16x8	(3 images 4x6)
10x20	(3 images 5x7)
16x20	(7 images various sizes)

Title Block Mats

Standard Mat Sizes

Mat Size	Image Size
8x10	(4x6 plus 2 1/2x3/4 title block)
8x10	(4x6 with 3 1/2x3/4 title block)
9x12	(6x9 with 2 1/2x3/4 title block)
9x12	(6x9 with 3 1/2x3/4 title block)
12x9	(9x6 with 2 1/2x3/4 title block)
12x9	(9x6 with 3 1/2x3/4 title block)
11x14	(8x10 with 2 1/2x3/4 title block)
11x14	(8x10 with 3 1/2x3/4 title block)
11x14	(8x10 with 4 1/2x3/4 title block)
12x12	(8x8 with 2 1/2x3/4 title block)
12x12	(8x8 with 3 1/2x3/4 title block)
12x12	(8x8 with 4 1/2x3/4 title block)
12x16	(8x12 with 3 1/2x3/4 title block)
12x16	(8x12 with 4 1/2x3/4 title block)
16x12	(12x8 with 2 1/2x3/4 title block)
16x12	(12x8 with 3 1/2x3/4 title block)
16x12	(12x8 with 4 1/2x3/4 title block)
18x12	(12x6 with 2 1/2x3/4 title block)
18x12	(12x6 with 3 1/2x3/4 title block)
18x12	(12x6 with 4 1/2x3/4 title block)
18x12	(10x4 with 2 1/2x3/4 title block)
18x12	(10x4 with 3 1/2x3/4 title block)
18x12	(10x4 with 4 1/2x3/4 title block)

No Window Mats

Standard Mat Sizes

Mat Size	Window
8x8	No Window
8x10	No Window
9x12	No Window
11x14	No Window
12x12	No Window
12x16	No Window
12x18	No Window
14x18	No Window
16x16	No Window
16x20	No Window
18x18	No Window
18x24	No Window