SUBHEADING
MATBOARDS
Custom-cut matboards in selected colours and sizes.
WHY ADD A MATBOARD?
Visual breathing room
Creates space around your print to let it stand out. Creates space around your print to let it stand out.
Professional presentation
Adds depth and structure for a polished look. Adds depth and structure for a polished look.
Protection by spacing
Keeps your print off the glass to reduce risk of sticking. Keeps your print off the glass to reduce risk of sticking.
Gallery-style finish
The final touch that completes the framed look. The final touch that completes the framed look.
MATBOARD OPTIONS
SMOOTH COLOURS
STANDARD WHITES & CREAMS + −
STANDARD NEUTRALS & BROWNS + −
STANDARD GREYS & BLACKS + −
STANDARD BLUES + −
STANDARD GREENS + −
REDS, PINKS & PURPLES + −
YELLOWS & ORANGES + −
TEXTURED COLOURS
CANVAS + −
PEBBLED + −
LINEN + −
EGGSHELL + −
MUSEUM & CONSERVATION
100% COTTON MUSEUM + −
CONSERVATION SOLID CORE + −
SPECIALTY FINISHES
DESIGNER FABRICS
REAL LINEN
FINE LINENS
NATURALS
CANVAS
TABINET
GALAXY
SILKS
DESIGNER SUEDES
METALLIC & FOIL
COLOURED CORE / BEVELTONES
WINDOW OPENING STYLES
WHITE MATBOARDS + −
Final dimensions are custom cut to your order.
Final dimensions are custom cut to your order.
Final dimensions are custom cut to your order.
Final dimensions are custom cut to your order.
Final dimensions are custom cut to your order.
Final dimensions are custom cut to your order.
Final dimensions are custom cut to your order.
Final dimensions are custom cut to your order.
Final dimensions are custom cut to your order.
Final dimensions are custom cut to your order.
WHITE + COLOURED MATBOARDS + −
Final dimensions and colour combinations are custom selected for your order.
Final dimensions and colour combinations are custom selected for your order.
Final dimensions and colour combinations are custom selected for your order.
Final dimensions and colour combinations are custom selected for your order.
Final dimensions and colour combinations are custom selected for your order.
Final dimensions and colour combinations are custom selected for your order.
Final dimensions and colour combinations are custom selected for your order.
Final dimensions and colour combinations are custom selected for your order.
Final dimensions and colour combinations are custom selected for your order.
Final dimensions and colour combinations are custom selected for your order.
MATBOARD ORDERING GUIDE
START WITH YOUR IDEA
Matboards can be made in thousands of combinations, so please contact us before ordering.
You don’t need to have every detail worked out. Tell us what you’re framing, what size you’re working with, and the kind of result you have in mind.
We’ll help work through the opening, proportions, colour, layering and other details with you before anything is cut.
A short info, reference image or a few measurements can help, but you can simply start by telling us your idea.
A few useful terms, practical details and things normally seen from the cutting side of the matboard.
ARTWORK SIZE
The physical width and height of the photograph, print, artwork, document or other piece being matted.
This is not necessarily the same as the amount of the artwork that will remain visible through the opening.
VISIBLE OPENING SIZE
The window opening determines how much of the artwork you actually see.
It is normally cut slightly smaller than the artwork so its edges remain safely behind the matboard.
ARTWORK OVERLAP
A small amount of the artwork normally sits behind the matboard around the opening.
This overlap is intentional. It helps prevent exposed edges or gaps and gives some allowance for positioning.
OUTER MAT SIZE
The outer size is the finished width and height of the complete matboard.
When a mat is being made for an existing frame, this measurement determines whether the mat will physically fit inside it.
FRAME SIZE IS NOT ALWAYS MAT SIZE
The dimensions printed on a frame, the opening visible from the front and the usable space inside the frame can be different measurements.
For an existing frame, we may need the actual interior dimensions rather than simply the advertised frame size.
THE FRAME RABBET
The rabbet is the recessed area inside the back of a frame that holds the glazing, matboard, artwork and backing.
This is why the matboard size can be different from the opening you see when looking at the front of the frame.
FRAME DEPTH
A frame also needs enough internal depth for everything placed inside it.
A double mat, thicker matboard, mounted artwork and glazing can require more room than a simple single-mat presentation.
MEASURING AN EXISTING FRAME
Measuring only the visible opening at the front may not give us the dimension needed for a replacement mat.
If you are unsure what to measure, tell us what you have and we can help identify the useful dimensions.
REPLACING AN EXISTING MAT
A matboard that already fits correctly can be a useful starting point.
Its outer size, opening size, border proportions and orientation can help us reproduce the fit while changing the colour or style.
BORDER WIDTH
The border is the visible matboard between the window opening and the outside edge.
Its width has a major effect on the finished presentation. A wider border gives the artwork more visual space, while a narrow border creates a tighter presentation.
EVEN BORDERS
An even-border mat uses approximately the same border width around all four sides.
It creates a clean, symmetrical presentation and is a common starting point.
WEIGHTED BOTTOMS
A matboard does not always need four equal borders.
A slightly wider bottom border can make an artwork appear more visually balanced. This is a traditional framing technique rather than a measuring error.
OPTICAL CENTRING
Geometric centre and visual centre are not always perceived the same way.
Artwork placed exactly in the mathematical centre can sometimes appear slightly low. Border proportions or positioning can be adjusted so the finished piece feels visually centred.
THE OPENING DOESN’T ALWAYS BELONG IN THE EXACT CENTRE
Some compositions work better when the opening is intentionally positioned slightly differently within the mat.
The artwork itself can determine the most pleasing placement rather than relying only on equal measurements.
WIDE BORDERS CAN BE INTENTIONAL
A small artwork inside a generous mat is not necessarily wasted space.
A wide border can isolate the artwork from its surroundings and give a smaller piece considerably more visual presence.
DOUBLE MATS
A double mat uses two matboards layered together.
The upper mat creates the primary opening while a small portion of the lower mat remains visible, introducing another colour, material and layer of depth.
WHAT A REVEAL MEANS
The reveal is the visible amount of the second mat around the opening.
A subtle reveal acts like an accent. A wider reveal becomes a stronger part of the overall design.
MULTIPLE OPENINGS
One matboard can contain several windows for photographs, artwork, documents or related pieces.
Opening sizes, spacing and alignment are considered together as one composition rather than as unrelated cut-outs.
SIGNATURE & TITLE WINDOWS
A secondary opening can be added for a signature, title, edition number or inscription beneath the main artwork.
Its size and position should relate to the main opening rather than simply being added as a generic slot.
NON-RECTANGULAR OPENINGS
Oval, circular, arch and other shaped openings crop an image differently from a rectangular window.
The artwork needs enough image area beyond the intended opening so unwanted edges do not become visible.
KEEP IMPORTANT DETAILS AWAY FROM THE EDGE
Faces, signatures, text and other important details should not sit directly against the intended window edge.
Some of the artwork will normally sit underneath the matboard, so breathing room gives more flexibility when positioning the opening.
PORTRAIT, LANDSCAPE & SQUARE
Different artwork proportions often benefit from different mat proportions.
A border relationship that works beautifully with a square image may feel very different around a tall portrait or long panorama.
BEVELS & MATBOARD CORES
Most traditional window openings are bevel cut rather than cut straight through at 90°.
The angled edge exposes the core of the matboard, which is why white-core, black-core and coloured-core boards can create very different effects.
THE BEVEL IS PART OF THE DESIGN
The narrow line around the opening may seem like a small detail, but it can noticeably influence how the artwork reads.
A bright bevel can create contrast, while a darker or coloured core can produce a quieter or more graphic edge.
MATBOARD THICKNESS
Not every matboard has the same thickness.
Thicker boards create a deeper bevel and a more pronounced sense of depth around the window.
SINGLE MAT VS DOUBLE MAT DEPTH
Adding another matboard does more than introduce a second colour.
The additional layer changes the depth of the opening and the shadow created around the artwork.
WHY MATBOARDS HELP KEEP ARTWORK OFF THE GLASS
A matboard is not purely decorative.
It creates physical separation between the artwork and the glazing, helping prevent the artwork from sitting directly against glass or acrylic.
CONSERVATION IS MORE THAN “ACID-FREE”
“Acid-free” is often used as a broad marketing term.
Conservation framing also considers the construction and quality of the board, its core, facing papers and long-term interaction with the artwork.
DECORATIVE VS CONSERVATION CHOICES
Sometimes preservation is the priority. Sometimes a particular colour, texture or specialty finish is central to the presentation.
The appropriate material depends on the artwork, how it will be displayed and what you want the finished piece to achieve.
FABRIC & TEXTURED MATS
Linen, fabric and strongly textured matboards react to light differently from smooth boards.
Texture direction, surface variation and shadow can become part of the finished presentation.
METALLIC & SPECIALTY SURFACES
Metallic, foil and specialty matboards can change appearance depending on viewing angle and room lighting.
A digital preview can show the colour direction, but the physical material may have more depth and variation than a screen can reproduce.
COLOUR CHANGES WITH LIGHT
Warm and cool room lighting, glazing, wall colour and surrounding materials can all influence how a matboard colour appears once framed.
A MAT COLOUR DOESN’T HAVE TO MATCH THE ARTWORK
Matching a dominant colour in the artwork is only one approach.
A quieter neutral, a colour taken from a minor detail or deliberate contrast can sometimes produce a more sophisticated result.
LET THE ARTWORK LEAD
Border proportion, colour, bevel, texture and layering work best when they support the artwork rather than compete with it.
SPACE BETWEEN MULTIPLE OPENINGS
The strips of matboard between windows need enough width to look intentional and remain structurally sound.
Extremely narrow spaces can become visually weak and can also be more difficult to cut cleanly.
NARROW BORDERS HAVE LIMITS
Very narrow borders can leave little material around the opening and may make the overall presentation feel visually unstable.
Sometimes increasing the outer size or slightly reducing the opening produces a much better result.
CUTTING TOLERANCE
Matboards are precision-cut physical materials.
Small real-world tolerances can exist, particularly when multiple layers, specialty surfaces or several openings need to align together.
CORNERS ARE CUT WITH A BLADE
A traditional bevel opening is created by a blade entering and leaving the board at each corner.
Board thickness, surface material and the geometry of the opening all influence the physical cut.
THICKER BOARD = DEEPER CUT
The thicker the matboard, the farther the blade travels through the material.
This creates a deeper bevel and is one reason thicker museum-style mats have a noticeably different appearance.
SPECIAL SHAPES REQUIRE DIFFERENT GEOMETRY
Rectangles rely mainly on straight cuts and corners. Ovals, circles and arches depend on continuous curves and transitions.
Opening shape, artwork placement and available image area therefore need to be considered together.
TOP & BOTTOM MATTERS
Weighted borders, arches, signature openings and asymmetric layouts have a defined orientation.
In these cases, knowing which edge is the top becomes part of the cutting instructions.
LARGE MATBOARDS
Oversized mats introduce additional considerations such as available board dimensions, material choice, handling and structural stability.
For unusually large work, talk with us before finalizing the opening or frame dimensions.
WHEN WE’RE MAKING THE PRINT TOO
When we are producing both the print and the matboard, the two can be planned together.
Print dimensions, image placement and the required mat overlap can be considered before production rather than adapting one piece to the other afterward.
WHEN IN DOUBT, ASK
Small details can make a large difference with a completely custom matboard.
If something about the artwork, frame, opening or dimensions is unusual, talk with us before ordering and we’ll help work through it.
HOW TO MEASURE
PRINT SIZE
Measure the width and height of your print.
BORDER WIDTH
Choose how wide you want the border on each side.
OPENING SIZE
We cut the opening to fit your print exactly.
FINAL FRAME SIZE
Final size = print size + (border width × 2) on both sides.
START WITH YOUR IDEA
Tell us what you’re framing, the size you’re working with and what you have in mind. We’ll help work out the details before anything is cut.