Photography of any kind, designed to hang on the wall long term, usually ends up matted in the frame for presentation.  Have you ever wondered why that is?  I have.  That is the topic which we are going to discuss here today: why we use mat board with photography.

Photography is important to us.  If something is important enough to photograph and then get printed out, it’s important enough to preserve.  This is the reason for mat board.  It is there to help preserve the photo against several different threats such as sticking to glass, damage from impacts, and ravages from acid.  It also adds a presentation element to the photo displayed in it.

Protection From Sticking

Have you ever dug though old photos and found that the paper wants to stick to the album pages?  I have and very recently too in fact.  It wasn’t easy removing the protective film from over the top of the old photos.  I had to be very careful not to damage the image on paper when removing the plastic film.  It took some patience.

Now, imagine that you are trying this same process on a much larger photograph and the protective film is not flexible plastic but rigid glass.  Does this seem like it will be an easy task to pull it photo off the glass without damaging the paper somehow?  It doesn’t sound easy to me at all.  This is where the mat board comes in.

Mat board provides an added barrier and air cushion between the surface of the photo and the glass (or other form of glazing) in front of it.  With the window in the mat you can still see the photo behind but you don’t have to worry about destroying the picture later by squishing it up against the glass.  Mat board acts as a layer of protection.

Protection From Impact Damage

Should you find that you drop the framed photograph in question, the mat board will protect much of the image from being damaged.  It’s more resilient than paper is and can help protect the picture from being torn up by shattered glass from and impact.  This is not a full guarantee of protection by any means but it can help.

The photograph displayed to the left is in real danger of having the broken glass edge scrape across the print and permanently damage it in the process.  Mat Board would have added a layer in between the glass and photo which would prevent contact with the sharp edges of the broken glass.

I have personally found a piece of matted art with broken glass in front.  The mat provided that extra barrier needed to protect the one-of-a-kind watercolor image from the razor sharp edges of broken glass.  The picture is still pristine even if the glass was unsalvageable.

Protection From Acid

Acid is a long-term problem which photography prints face.  It’s something which leeches into photo paper over time and yellows a photo.  It also makes the paper fragile and much more susceptible to tearing or crumbling.  The photo on the right is a good example of what can happen to a photo thanks to long-term acid exposure.

Should you use the acid-free varieties of mat board to hang your picture with, the mat board will offer a nice shield against the ravaging effects of the acid in the picture frame, plastic glass (if you’re using a cheap frame), and the backing materials.  The photo being displayed will last for years to come without yellowing or crumbling (paper getting fragile).

Please note that mat board will have a single side which is acid-free.  Make sure you are facing things properly or else the mat board will leech the acid instead of protecting the photo from it.

Presentation Element Added

Mat board is a great way to get smaller or unusually sized images to fit into standard-sized picture frames.  It will fill in the space with a color or pattern designed to make the picture pop more while adding both length and width in important places so there’s not visible empty space in the picture frame.

Conclusion

Mat board is a great way to protect your treasured photographs from some very serious concerns.  It’s also a great way to present the final image for display.  With such versatility, it’s no wonder that mat board has become a popular staple with the art world when it comes to displaying photography.  when looking to hang your next long-term wall art, I hope that you will consider adding a mat to the final product for these reasons.  Happy decorating.