Here we explain the difference between “cropping”, also known as overlapping and “floating” artwork when using a mat board. Many customers have seen both options when viewing other people’s art, but are unsure what application will work best for their own images.
When matting artwork, the primary measurement is the window opening size, which is the visible area of the image created by the hole cut into the mat board.
There are two ways to mat an image:
- You can crop it: The mat board overlaps the image.
- You can float it: The window opening size of the mat board is larger than the artwork size.
Cropping is the most common way to mat artwork. Floating is often used when the artist’s signature is below the image, or if the paper has attractive edges (e.g. hand- torn edges) that you’d like to leave exposed.
What is cropping?
Un-matted Image with White Border
Matted Cropped Image
Cropping is the practice of cutting a mat window opening slightly smaller than the artwork so that the image’s edges will be concealed and properly contained within the mat board. This is done to cover unattractive edges, or, if it’s a giclee print, to cover the white border around the image. Also, cropping has its own aesthetic value; it can remove unwanted detail and accentuate the subject matter.
The amount of cropping usually depends on the framer. At Frame Destination, our mat window openings are minimally cropped to provide the most exposure for your art: popular artwork sizes such as 18”x 24” and smaller are cropped 1/8” on all four sides, while artwork measuring larger than 18”x 24” are cropped 1/4” on all four sides.
By cropping the larger sizes more, there is less chance that the generally heavier artwork breaks free of the mounting tape and/or tissue and escapes the window opening. For custom mat windows, you choose the amount of cropping you want.
On cropped images the mount board is unseen, so foam board is acceptable to use as a backer.
What is floating?
Floating is the exact opposite of cropping. It is a mounting technique where the edges of the artwork are left uncovered. To float a piece of art inside a mat window, the opening is cut larger than the image. As stated above, art is floated to preserve an artist’s signature, especially if it’s near the edge, or to display paper with eye-catching or unusual edges.
The amount of floating depends on your reason for using this technique. Are you floating the artwork to preserve the artist’s signature? If so, then a minimal amount, such as 1/4" or less, is least likely to detract from the art. If you are floating to show off some cool deckled edges, between 1/4” and 1” is a good size range.
With regards to mount board, foam board is not the most appropriate choice when floating. Many artists use uncut mat board that is either the same color or complements the window mat board. If you are framing an image without a window mat, however, float-mounting on a piece of black or white foam core can be a clean, elegant way to display the image.
Matted Floating Image with Matching Mount Board
If you have any questions about cropping or floating artwork, please feel free to contact us. We are here to help!
Here we explain the difference between “cropping”, also known as overlapping and “floating” artwork when using a mat board. Many customers have seen both options when viewing other people’s art, but are unsure what application will work best for their own images. When matting artwork, the primary measurement is the window opening size, which is […]
Years ago, a printed photo was a special one—film was expensive, and you had to make a special trip to get them printed by a professional. These days, with cameras on smartphones and the ability to print at home with just a click of a button, many people have stockpiled thousands of digital and printed photos that are just waiting to be put on display.
Not everyone has enough space to frame each and every photo, so enjoy them off the digital screen by creating long-lasting, memorable scrapbooks and albums. Just like a picture frame, however, there are some common missteps that new scrapbookers make.
1. Using the wrong type of materials.
When creating a scrapbook, one of the first steps is deciding how you will attach the photos. Some scrapbooks and albums contain sleeves, while others are filled with blank pages on which you can adhere photos. You may be tempted to glue every photo to make sure it doesn’t budge, but glue may not be the answer.
Glue is a permanent solution. Important photos that can’t be reproduced—and that you wish to preserve—will be irreversibly altered when using glue, as there is no way to detach them even if the glue is deemed safe for photos. There are plenty of photo-safe alternatives to use instead of glue, such as photo corners or adhesive-backed photo mounting sleeves that allow you to remove and rearrange photos.
2. Using inferior materials.
If you are sure your photos will stay put in the album, glue may be used—but be sure to use the right one! Standard glues used in children’s crafts, such as multipurpose glue sticks or liquid adhesives, may not be safe for photos. In addition, the glue in many sticks will become brittle over time, leading to loose photos that fall out of the scrapbook. Professional, photo-safe glue such as Lineco’s Neutral pH Adhesive is made specifically for artwork, and won’t cause the dreaded ripple effect that occurs with unsuitable glue.
Just like picture frames, every component should be safe for photos. The album or scrapbook pages themselves should be made of acid-free paper that won’t cause damage. Cheap photo albums found outside specialized craft and photo stores may not be made for long-term, archival storage.
3. Forgetting the stories.
A picture is worth a thousand words, but sometimes you need the story. With so many photos being taken each year—1.3 trillion photos in 2017, according to some reports—it can be difficult to remember all the details of each and every picture.
Accompany all photos in a scrapbook with a few details, including the date, location and subjects, as well as a short snippet or fun fact about the event. Not only will it help you organize, it will start conversations when looking at the scrapbooks with friends and family.
4. Going overboard with the decorations.
The scrapbooking sections of any craft store can be overwhelming, containing tons of ribbons, stickers, and stamps to adorn the pages of your album. The focal point of a scrapbook, however, should be the photos—not the embellishments. Limit the number of decorations you include on each page, allowing the photos to shine.
5. Adding every single photo.
Now that photo-taking is only limited to how much space you have left on your smartphone or digital camera, it’s a lot easier to take hundreds of photos where just one would suffice. You may be tempted to add every single photo you took at that birthday party or family get-together, but too many photos can be unnecessary—and be a little boring! Include only the best, most important shots, and let your memories take care of the rest.
Years ago, a printed photo was a special one—film was expensive, and you had to make a special trip to get them printed by a professional. These days, with cameras on smartphones and the ability to print at home with just a click of a button, many people have stockpiled thousands of digital and printed […]
Canvas floater frames, which create the illusion of the canvas “floating" within the frame, are an elegant way to enhance your gallery wrapped artwork. Canvas frames are a great way to showcase large, striking pieces of artwork—there is no frame to detract from the work itself.
In addition to a selection of wood and metal canvas floater frames, Frame Destination sells several different types of stretcher bar frames to create your own unique wrapped canvases. Many of our customers—themselves artists or photographers—stretch their own canvases. One of questions they frequently ask Frame Destination is, “Which floater frame goes with this stretcher frame?"
To help answer that question, we have created an easy-to-use table that demonstrates which floater frames to use with which stretcher bar frames—and it’s less confusing than you might think!
For customers that have their own store-bought canvases and would like to pair them with one of our floater frames, there is a separate column that indicates the various thicknesses of commercial pre-stretched standard canvases; you can use this to determine which Frame Destination floater frame they pair best with.
| Frame Destination Canvas Floater Frame | Frame Destination Stretcher Bar Frames | Commercial Pre-stretched Standard Canvas |
|---|---|---|
| F120 | S260, S320 | 1 1/2", 1 3/4" |
| F140 | S150, S280 | 2" |
| F306 | S110, S120, S130 | 3/4", 7/8", 1" |
| F340 | S140, S320, S260 | 1", 1 1/2" |
| F357 | S110, S120, S130 | 5/8", 1/2", 3/4" |
| F361 | S260, S320 | 1 1/2", 1 3/4" |
| M013 | S110, S120, S130 | 5/8", 1/2", 3/4" |
| M014 | S140, S260, S320 | 1", 1 1/2" |
After you have found your matching canvas floater frame, the question often turns into something else: “Should I choose a metal or wood canvas floater frame?" That question can’t be answered with a simple table, unfortunately, but it can be answered by your own aesthetic.
Because canvas floater frames are not readily apparent when hung, the difference is minimal—but there is a difference. Metal always lends a more modern feel perfect for more abstract paintings, while wood imparts a traditional vibe. Regardless of choice, whichever you choose, our handy canvas floater frame size table guarantees the perfect fit.
Canvas floater frames, which create the illusion of the canvas “floating” within the frame, are an elegant way to enhance your gallery wrapped artwork. Canvas frames are a great way to showcase large, striking pieces of artwork—there is no frame to detract from the work itself. In addition to a selection of wood and metal […]
Mat board is an essential part of a proper framing packaging. Most off-the-shelf frames do not include a mat, allowing the framed photograph or document to rest right against the glazing — causing irreversible damage. Photo mats, however, do more than separate the glazing from the art.
What Is Matboard?
A mat board rests just under the glazing but on top of the artwork. They serve not one, but two purposes:
It offers visual appeal by providing a strong border around the photograph or artwork, drawing the eye in. It's often white or cream, but there are plenty of colors that can be used to perfectly complement the artwork.
It provides protection in a number of ways. One of the most important functions of a mat board is to separate the artwork from the glazing and help secure the artwork; however, the mat itself could pose its own problems. Certain materials, when in contact with photographic chemicals and paper, cause yellowing, fading and brittleness. If you are framing an item for what you hope to be a long time, it is important to make sure the materials are the right quality.
There are many options for picture frame mats, which are available in numerous styles, colors and quality — the latter of which is rife with buzzwords. With so many options and so much terminology, it can be difficult to select the right one for your framing project.
Construction: How Is It Made?
Mat board is often not just a single sheet of paper; it comprises a core and face paper. The core makes up the majority of the material, and will most often be advertised as the main component. Face papers are exactly that — they are located on the outside (the face) of the mat board, and can be dyed or pigmented. When it is cut, the core is visible as it is often beveled. This is why some mat boards are available with a colored core and a white core.
While general consumers will be attracted to the available colors of the mat board, it is the material they are made with that is most important for those concerned with conservation.
A Note on Terminology
There are a number of terms surrounding mat board that are presumed to identify quality. However, there is no industry consensus on what these terms — conservation quality, museum quality, preservation grade, archival — mean.
The Library of Congress recommends, however, that to attain “preservation matting and framing,” the mat board must be:
- Made of 100% cotton rag or chemically purified, lignin-free wood pulp stock
- At least 4-ply
- pH neutral or slightly alkaline (pH 8.5)
- Pass the Photographic Activity Test (PAT) if framing photographs
What is Mat Board Made Of?
There are three types of materials: wood pulp, alpha-cellulose and cotton rag:
Wood pulp, or paper, mat board is the least expensive type of mat board material, but it comes in the widest variety of colors. This type of mat board is most often used in temporary framing or craft projects where preservation is not a concern.
Alpha-cellulose mat board is made from a specially processed paper pulp. Alpha cellulose mat board can be considered suitable for long-term framing, but it often does not meet museum standards that call for cotton rag mat board.
Cotton rag mat board is the highest quality mat board. Some cotton rag mat boards still contain a face paper, such as Crescent RagMat, while others are completely cotton rag mat board, such as Nielsen Alpharag and Crescent RagMat Museum.
How to Choose Colors
White and cream are the most popular mat board colors, as they offer a simpler, more refined style. Gallery exhibits often use white mat boards paired with black metal frames to offer a consistent theme that doesn’t detract from the artwork itself.
However, at-home framers often want more color options for a personalized style and to match home décor. Paper-based mat boards often have the widest variety of color options, as they aren’t meant for long-term framing; our white-core Papermat is offered in over 30 colors. However, the alpha-cellulose Bainbridge Alphamat, a conservation-quality (but not museum-quality, as it doesn’t meet the Library of Congress’s recommendation of cotton rag) mat board is available in nearly 30 colors. Though it’s not technically cotton rag, it is still suitable for long-term framing.
Selecting Thickness and Ply
The thickness of a mat board, indicated as “ply,” is often an afterthought when it comes to selecting a mat board. In general, 4-ply (1/16-inch thick) and 8-ply (1/8-inch thick) are the most common, but 6-ply is also available.
Thicker mat boards provide a sturdier surface, preventing it from warping and damaging the artwork, and more depth for greater visual appeal. The depth of an 8-ply mat board can also be achieved with two 4-ply mat boards in a “double mat.”
Higher ply mat boards are often more difficult to cut, resulting in wasted product when done incorrectly; it may be difficult for at-home framers to achieve the precision and clean lines that a professional service can. Many professional frame services, including Frame Destination, use computerized mat board cutting equipment to ensure that mat boards are cut exactly to size, and that the finishing touches — the beveled edge — are clean.
Which One Should You Choose?
Paper mat boards are the most economical choice, and come in the widest variety of colors. Museum-quality mats such as Crescent RagMat is for those who are primarily concerned with the safety of their artwork. Alpha-cellulose mat board is somewhere in the middle, combining archival materials with wide color options.
There are plenty of choices — what you select depends on your consideration for conservation, cost and aesthetics. View our entire selection here.
Learn even more about frame mats with our mat board infographic.
Last updated January 3, 2022.
Mat board is an essential part of a proper framing packaging. Most off-the-shelf frames do not include a mat, allowing the framed photograph or document to rest right against the glazing — causing irreversible damage. Photo mats, however, do more than separate the glazing from the art. What Is Matboard? A mat board rests just […]
Standard, pressure-sensitive tape is certainly good enough to hang posters on a teenager’s bedroom wall, but it’s a different story when it comes to those precious family photographs that you wish to keep safe. Photo-safe hinging tape differs from regular tape in that the adhesive is acid-free, meaning it will not eat away at the photograph and cause irreversible damage.
When you mount photographs in a picture frame or place them in a scrapbook, it shows you want to display these photos proudly. Use the right photo-safe tape or other adhesive to ensure your photographs stay damage-free for years to come.
Spray or Liquid Glue
Glue is a permanent solution to mounting photographs, so it should only be used when you are certain that the photo is going to stay put. The glue used to mount photos should clearly state that it is photo safe or acid-free, and suitable for mounting purposes. The Super 77 Spray Adhesive from 3M, for example, is multipurpose but does not contain acidic materials — it’s a great option for those planning on scrapbooking, as it will bond to materials including paper, cardboard, fabric, plastic, metal, wood, and more.
Acid-free liquid glue such as Lineco’s Neutral pH Adhesive is also suitable for photographs, primarily in scrapbooking, bookbinding, collages and other crafts. Liquid glue is easier to manage in terms of application than a spray, allowing for more precision.
Photo Corners
To avoid adhesive from even touching the photographs, use photo corners. These small plastic pockets feature non-yellowing acrylic adhesive on their outside, while the photo stays safely inside the pocket and away from the adhesive. Though photo corners go over the front corner of the photograph, they do not obstruct the view as they are made of polypropylene, a clear plastic. Photo corners are not a permanent solution either — simply slide the photo out of the corners to remove.
Hinging Tissue
It acts like regular pressure-sensitive tape, but it’s made from long-fibered tissue that works well for small and medium-sized art. This hinging tissue is ideal for archival mounting techniques including the T-hinge and the V-hinge, as well as translucent artwork. Another version, gummed linen hinging tape, is also made from cotton linen with a water-activated and acid-free adhesive, and is more suitable for heavy artwork.
Photo Tabs
Perhaps the quickest way to mount photographs is by using photo tabs. These self-adhesive, peel-and-stick tabs are ideal for scrapbooks and albums, as they are fast and acid-free. However, much like liquid and spray adhesives, photo tabs are permanent — whatever photos you decide to stick in that scrapbook will stay there forever.
Pressure-sensitive, acid-free hinging tape isn’t the only way to secure photographs to mount board, albums and scrapbooks. There are plenty of photo-safe alternatives to tape, though they all have different benefits: glue and photo tabs are permanent solutions that are great for scrapbooking, while hinging tissue and photo corners are more temporary, gentle adhesives that make it easy to change your mind. It is important to choose the right photo-safe adhesive to protect your photographs from damage, regardless of where you
Standard, pressure-sensitive tape is certainly good enough to hang posters on a teenager’s bedroom wall, but it’s a different story when it comes to those precious family photographs that you wish to keep safe. Photo-safe hinging tape differs from regular tape in that the adhesive is acid-free, meaning it will not eat away at the […]
Years of family outings, birthday parties, school events and other photograph-worthy moments can amount to innumerable boxes of printed photographs and negatives. It can be overwhelming to think about organizing hundreds or even thousands of photos that you’ve left to “take care of later.” Instead of putting it off once again, start with a plan.
If you have multiple boxes of photos to organize, prepare to dedicate at least a week to this task. Our recommended plan will give you a systematic way to organize the photos you have and the ones you will take in the future. The goal is to put a system in place that enables you to find your photos easily and preserve them for future generations.
1. Gather all of your loose photos in one place.
Over the years, it is likely that you have collected photos in several different places. This may be in the attic, basement, junk drawers, cabinets, your purse and any nook and cranny of the house. Gather all the photos and loose negatives you can find in one place, including any photo albums that are in need of attention.
2. Create categories for your photos.
Create categories for your photos: they can be organized by years or decades, holidays, occasions or people. Place the photos into these piles accordingly. If you have recently acquired photos from a relative, you may have to dedicate more time to this task — especially if you intend to organize by people in the photos — as you may not be able to recognize all the photo subjects. Involve a family member to help, and make it a fun family event!
For this first step of categorization, choose four to six general categories. Keep them broad at first:
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- Year: If you have photos spanning many years to sort through, choose decades as a starting point instead.
- Events: This is broad at first, including holidays, vacations, weddings, birthdays, reunions and other occasions.
- Location: If you travel frequently, sort by country or continent, for example.
- Family member: You can begin by organizing by your side of the family or your spouse’s.
- Negatives
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This is meant to be a quick portion of the entire process, so don’t slow yourself down by nostalgia. Get the sorting done and save the reminiscing for later! After you’ve done the first round of sorting, you can start to create sub-categories, such as specific holidays — Christmas or Halloween, for examples — and events.
Pro Tip: Clean out the clutter!
Consider discarding photos that are blurry, out of focus, or irrelevant — a shot of the sidewalk, for example. Photos can also be handed off to someone else: a good-quality photo depicting a friend of a friend may be more meaningful to someone else.
3. Label based on what you know.
Using an archival photo pen, write a description on the back of the photos. Use the same information, such as the date, year or decade; the names of people in the photo; and the location to make retrieving photos even easier.
4. Label and store the photo boxes.
After you have sorted your photos, label each box with its category. Write it on the outside of each photo box and store them in a dry and climate controlled room. Do not keep them in an attic or basement as this can cause damage due to humidity and fluctuating temperatures.
Pro Tip: Use archival photo storage boxes.
High-quality archival photo storage boxes will protect your photos when they are stored away for safekeeping. Frame Destination’s acid-free photo storage boxes and tissue paper protect photos from fading and discoloration.
5. Put your photos in albums. (Optional)
After you have properly organized your photos, decide if you would like to have some photos easily accessible in albums. Many people opt to keep photo albums as they are easy to view and share with guests.
6. Digitize your printed photographs. (Optional)
Go a step further in your photograph preservation by saving your images digitally. Digitizing photographs is not only a great way to save them from damage and loss, it makes them easier to share with family and friends. This can be a time-consuming process, but there are many photo scanning services available that can take physical photos and digitize them.
7. Organize your negatives.
Now is the time to address the pile of negatives. The rule of thumb is to keep negatives as flat as possible, preferably using negative storage sheets, which are specially made to keep them flat and protected. For ease of sorting, you can write on the sheets to label them clearly. Place your labeled negatives in a photo storage box to avoid damage.
8. Maintain an organized routine
After you’ve gone through the mammoth task of organizing loose photos, create a habit of staying organized. Label your photos as soon as they are printed, including the date, location, subjects and any other relevant information. Add them to the labeled photo storage boxes or photo album.
Organizing your printed photos and negatives can be time consuming, but it is a worthwhile endeavor. When your photos are labeled clearly and placed neatly in photo albums, you will be more likely to share them with friends and family — and not just on social media. A family gathering in which stories are shared is made much richer when a photo album can be retrieved to illustrate the story. Best of all, when photos are stored safely, your family can enjoy them for years to come.
Years of family outings, birthday parties, school events and other photograph-worthy moments can amount to innumerable boxes of printed photographs and negatives. It can be overwhelming to think about organizing hundreds or even thousands of photos that you’ve left to “take care of later.” Instead of putting it off once again, start with a plan. […]