Acid free mat board refers to paper mats that have been manufactured to be acid free.  Because paper naturally contains acid, acid free mat board must be buffered to become pH neutral.  Over time, the buffering on the acid free mat board will wear off and the mat board will become acidic, exposing your artwork to chemical damage such as yellowing and staining.

Because acid free mat board is only temporarily acid free, it is not considered archival and should not be used for conservation purposes.  If you want to mat original, one-of-a-kind works of art, limited edition prints, or any type of valuable paper memorabilia, you should not use an acid free mat board.  Instead, you should use an archival, museum quality rag board that is naturally acid free.  Mat board comes into direct contact with the artwork, so if you want to preserve and protect your artwork, you should choose a mat board such as Crescent Ragmat or Bainbridge Alpharag.

Acid free mat board is an appropriate choice for matting open edition reproductions, such as giclees, photographs, or posters.  Acid free mat board is also appropriate for temporary display purposes.

Documounts offers 2 different brands of acid free mat board: Crescent Papermat and Bainbridge Papermat.  They are all a 4 ply acid free mat board, available with either a white core or a black core.  A “white core” acid free mat board will have a white bevel, while a “black core” acid free mat board will have a black bevel.  These acid free mat boards are available in a wide range of over 100 different colors.

When you buy 4 or more of the same size acid free mat board, you will receive a bulk discount.  The more acid free mat boards that you buy, the deeper the discount becomes.  This is ideal for artists and photographers who sell their artwork at art fairs and need to buy acid free mat board in bulk.

In addition to acid free mat board, Documounts sells all of the supplies that you will need to mat, mount, frame and display your artwork!  You can easily prepare for your next art show when you shop at Documounts.