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Online Catalog

There are many grades of mats.  We sort them into three categories:  Archival, Standard and Economy.  Each has their own specific characteristics and uses. The best way to select mats is to decide what qualities are important to you and for your project.  Click on the image to select mats in each category.

Sub Categories:

ARCHIVAL MATTING

THE ABSOLUTE BEST MATS!

Precut, Archival 100% Cotton mats and Archival Alpha Cellulose mats in white and black core. These are the finest quality mats. Manufactured to the highest archival standards when simply "Acid Free" will not do. What makes them Archival?  They are Acid -Free, they are Lignin-Free (the property in mats that creates the acid), they are made of 100% virgin pulp (no recycled material), they use only Pigmented Dyes (Pigmented dyes resist both bleeding and fading) and they do not use optical brighteners(chemicals used in some standard mats to produce brighter colors but are not allowed in archival mats because they fade over time, causing yellowing of the material).  Click on image to select mat sizes and colors.

STANDARD MATTING

Industry Standard +

Standard acid neutral, buffered, precut mats available in Tru-White™ and Black Cores. Our Tru-White™ Core is not only Acid-Free, they are Lignin-Free JUST LIKE ARCHIVAL MATS.  Lignin is the property of paper mats that creates the acid!  These precut / photo mats are buffered with calcium carbonate to fight acidity. Perfect when archival mats are not necessary. Click on image to select mat sizes and colors.

ECONOMY MATTING

Inexpensive Mats, Precision Cut

We do not just offer "cheap mats". We offer inexpensive, yes even cheap, mats precision cut. There is a difference!  Modern mat cutting machinery moves up to 100 inches per second!  At that rate, you can produce a lot of mats in a short time.  Unfortunately, a lot of bad mats can be cut just as fast maybe even faster than a lot of good mats.  The sharpness of the blade effects the appearance of the bevel cut window. The precision at the corners can eliminate or produce overcuts. Limiting the speed of cutting increases the quality. The quality of the person cutting the mats is as important as the quality of the matboard.

So, other than cutting speed, why are Economy mats less expensive?  Because they are a bit thinner, are made of 100% recycled materials and use the least expensive dyes for the face papers; economy matboard costs less.  Realistically, this cuts material costs but it also increases the number of small black particles seen in the mat core and makes them more vulnerable to fading.

Although many call them "acid free" mats and even Standard mats, we do not.  They do have calcium carbonate, buffering, added to retard acidification as most mats do.  However, we do not call them acid free because they are not lignin free like our Tru-White™ core and our archival mats. Lignin is the property in alpha cellulose, paper, mats that produces acid.  Even though they test acid neutral at manufacture because of the buffering, the acid will come back more rapidly in economy mats. The acidity coming back is reflected in the 45 degree bevel cut of the window. The core changes color over time.  This acidification also has deteriorating effects on the image contained in the mat.

All of the above is strictly a cautionary.  Economy mats have a purpose.  If you need only temporary storage until the customer remats and reframes them, economy mats will do fine. If you are selling artwork that is at a very low price range, economy mats may be the way to go.

Click on image to select mat sizes and colors.

 

 


About our Online Catalog...

Adding items to your cart does not obligate you to place an order. You are not charged anything until you have completed the entire Checkout process. Please call 1-706-686-3571 (800-385-6540) if you have any questions or experience any difficulties.

Due to color variations of different monitors, colors shown are approximate only.

FAQ's

Are the OUTSIDE EDGES of your mats straight cut?

What are ARCHIVAL MATS?

What does STANDARD CORE mean?

What does ACID FREE mean?

What is the BEVELED WINDOW?

Do your mats have BEVELED WINDOWS?

What are ALPHA CELLULOSE mats?

What is the CORE?

What does BUFFERED mean?

What are PHOTO MATS?

How thick are SIX PLY mats?

How THICK are your mats?

Why would I want different CORE COLORS?

What is a DOUBLE MAT?

How are COTTON MATS different than ALPHA CELLULOSE Mats?

Do the mats come with a BACK

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