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Backing Board In Picture Framing

We carry 2 types of backs and multiple material alternatives, Their use is primarily determined by the type of frame, size of the art and your price and marketing objectives.

You can purchase 2 types of backing.  First is backs without hangers attached and second is with hangers attached.  With the first you would back items not immediately going into a frame or to be used with a traditional frame that already has a hanger system..  The second, backs with hangers attached, are used with frames that do not use traditional hangers that are screwed into the frame and hold wire for hanging the framed piece or some other hanging hardware attached to the frame itself. Backs with hangers attached offer a simple and inexpensive solution.

All backs with hardware are offered in a backing material, black on at least 1-side, that is pulp based and similar to mat board.

Backs without hardware come in 4 general categories:

Pulp board: A white or black paper material. It is .040 to .090 thick (standard mat board is about .055 thick as a comparison). The least expensive backing we have, Paper-based backing is best used with smaller prints-11 x 14 and smaller.

Foam Core: Inert, foam plastic center with paper on both sides. Excellent for framing and a standard for most frame shops. It is a bit thicker than mat board, has a very clean appearance and communicates "good quality" for a few cents more than paper-based board. Standard foam core board was originally used in silk screen industry. Foam core comes in multiple grades: Archival Cotton covered foam core, archival paper covered foam core, acid-free foam core and economy foam core. Foam core comes in white or black. It also comes in "self-adhesive" with a tear-off cover sheet that exposes pre-applied adhesive for mounting prints. Foam core is available in 1/8" and 3/16" thicknesses. The 1/8" is the same weight as 3/16. It is more dense

Mat Board can also be used as a backing. Works well when you are going to "float" your print on the back. When you float a print, the window of the mat is larger than the print rather than smaller. The print is attached to the mat board and some of the mat board surrounding the print is visible through the mat window. Mat board as a backing, however, is more expensive than paper-based backing or foam core and does not have the rigidity of foam core.

Cardboard is sometimes used as a backing. We do not sell it and do not recommend it. It is usually too thick, is highly acidic and is bad marketing. It communicates a "cheap" product rather than an inexpensive one.

There are various other specialized boards that have been produced for photography or graphic design industries. They are sometimes used in framing but are not really a factor. Stick to paper based backing, foam core or mat board for most uses