Matting and Framing

Blog_20110103_1-2 This blog entry is for those who like it when I touch on the practical side of selling and marketing your images.

Inevitably as you start to look at selling prints, you have to ask, what sizes should I print? Should I matt them? Frame them? How? I know I had all these questions and a lot more as I started to sell prints. It took me a while to come to some conclusions on a lot of this so here are a few of my decisions:

  1. I have personally chosen to only use mats and matting materials that are archive quality, acid free, cotton rag, etc. They aren’t the cheapest way to go, but I want my work to last and be a quality product all around. I use archive pigment inks and papers so I don’t want the matting materials ruining the print in time.
  2. I try to use standard size mats to keep the cost down. Custom sizes cost more or require you to cut your own.
  3. I have chosen so far not to cut my own mats. While that would allow more options and a custom look, I am choosing not to spend my time this way. You may choose differently. I use mats with 1:1, 6:4 and 2:1 ratio openings.
  4. If I am selling matted prints. I choose mats whose outside dimensions fit off the shelf frame sizes when possible – this keeps the customers additional cost down when they buy my prints.
  5. I typically buy my mats from matt providers like matcutter.com or framedestination.com . They are quick and so far they both provide quality work.

Here are more questions you will likely have:

  1. How thick of a mat? 4,6 or 8 ply.
  2. Should you double mat?
  3. What color mat should you use?
  4. Frame material and color?

I’ll touch on these and more in my next blog entry (or more).

Blog image: Another shot from one of the recent cold mornings. Ice on the edge of a pond. Nice oblique movement and interesting pattern of dark and lights. Cropped to a 2:1 ratio format.

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