The Why & How of Matting Photographs

A Tutorial byAlain Briot

Why Mat Your Photographs?

Matting consists of mounting a photograph to a mat board into which an opening the size of the photograph has been cut. The photograph is attached to the back of the mat with framing or archival tape (see suppliers section at the end of this article). 

Matting your photographs may be more important than you think especially if you want to sell your photographs either framed or unframed.

Matting a photograph provides three main benefits:

First, it insures that the photograph will not touch the glass once it is framed - the mat board acts as a spacer between the photograph and the glass.

Second, once the photograph is framed and displayed matting helps separate the photograph from its surroundings. It gives it its own unique space and presence.

Third, but not last, matting a photograph makes it more sellable. A matted photograph is a finished product ready to frame, ...