Material affects preservation, appearance, bevel depth, texture, and cost. Archival board covers the widest range of everyday conservation framing, while museum board raises the preservation standard. Our fabric collection brings linen, suede, and silk mats together in one place. Fabric and metallic surfaces make the mat a stronger design element; black core changes the visible bevel; standard 4-ply suits most framing; 8-ply adds depth; and economy board keeps decorative projects affordable. If you are unsure where to start, read How to Choose the Right Picture Mat.
Archival Picture Mats
Our broadest custom-cut collection pairs conservation-quality construction with an extensive range of colors for artwork, photographs, prints, and everyday preservation framing.
Shop Archival Picture Mats
Fabric Picture Mats
Explore custom-cut linen, suede, and silk mats in one unified fabric collection. These fabric-covered archival boards add visible texture and a refined, tactile layer to the framing design.
Shop Fabric Picture Mats
Museum Picture Mats
Choose museum-quality custom mats for original art, valuable photographs, limited editions, and other work that calls for the highest preservation standard in this collection.
Shop Museum Picture Mats
Black Core Picture Mats
A dark core remains visible along the beveled opening, creating crisp edge definition and a bold graphic accent around contemporary art and photography.
Shop Black Core Picture Mats
Metallic Picture Mats
Subtle reflective surfaces introduce a decorative highlight without adding another frame element. These mats are custom cut for designs that benefit from a metallic accent.
Shop Metallic Picture Mats
4-Ply Picture Mats
Standard 4-ply custom mats provide the familiar bevel depth used for most framing projects, with a broad color selection and easy use in single, double, or triple mat designs.
Shop 4-Ply Picture Mats
8-Ply Picture Mats
Twice the thickness of standard 4-ply board, 8-ply custom mats create a deeper bevel and a more dimensional presentation often chosen for fine art and photography.
Shop 8-Ply Picture Mats
Economy Picture Mats
An affordable custom-cut option for decorative art, replaceable prints, school projects, and higher-volume framing where conservation-grade materials are not required.
Shop Economy Picture MatsStart with one of the most frequently chosen mat color families, then compare individual shades and undertones within that collection. White, black, cream, and gray provide versatile options for both traditional and contemporary framing.
Shop bright white, warm white, off-white, and other versatile white mat shades for photographs, prints, documents, and artwork.
Shop White Picture Mats Black Picture MatsCreate strong contrast and crisp definition around photography, graphic art, posters, certificates, and contemporary artwork.
Shop Black Picture Mats Cream Picture MatsChoose warm cream, ivory, and soft neutral mat colors for traditional artwork, portraits, vintage prints, and warmer frame finishes.
Shop Cream Picture Mats Gray Picture MatsCompare light gray, medium gray, charcoal, and other balanced neutrals that complement both color and black-and-white artwork.
Shop Gray Picture MatsA custom mat should support both the visual presentation and the care the artwork requires. Begin with preservation needs, then compare surface, core, thickness, and color. Our complete picture mat guide explains these choices in detail, while White Mat Color Shades helps distinguish cool, warm, bright, and cream-toned neutrals.
Use archival mats for conservation-minded everyday framing. Step up to museum board for valuable, original, irreplaceable, or historically important work. Economy board is best reserved for decorative and replaceable pieces.
Smooth archival board keeps attention on the artwork. Linen, suede, and silk introduce texture. Metallic finishes add a controlled reflective accent, while a black core makes the cut edge part of the design.
Standard 4-ply board fits most projects. Choose 8-ply when you want a deeper bevel and stronger visual separation. A double or triple mat can add narrow inner accents without making the entire top mat more decorative.
The custom picture mat collections help you compare the available mat board choices before entering dimensions. Use these related pages when you are ready to configure the mat, verify a physical color, or purchase uncut board instead.
Already know what you want? Build a single, double, or triple mat sized for your artwork.
Compare actual colors, surface textures, and finishes before committing to a custom design.
Need uncut material instead? Browse 32x40 mat board for studio, shop, and do-it-yourself cutting.
These answers cover the practical differences customers most often consider before configuring a mat. For deeper selection help, see How to Choose the Right Picture Mat.
You will need the artwork width and height, the desired outside mat size, and your preferred border or opening dimensions. You can then choose the mat material, color, core, thickness, and number of layers in the Custom Mat Designer.
Choose archival or museum-quality mat board for original artwork, photographs, limited editions, and anything you want to preserve. Economy mat board is intended for decorative, replaceable, budget-focused, or higher-volume projects.
Standard 4-ply mat board is about 1/16 inch thick and suits most framing. 8-ply board is about 1/8 inch thick, producing a deeper, more prominent bevel around the artwork opening.
Yes. The Custom Mat Designer can combine coordinated or contrasting colors into single, double, or triple mat designs. Each visible inner mat creates a narrow accent around the artwork.
Samples are recommended when an exact color match or surface texture matters. Screen color varies, and fabric and metallic finishes are especially useful to evaluate in the room where the finished piece will hang.
